Journaling | Writing Forward

A Notebook and a Pen

Today’s post is an excerpt from my book, Ready, Set, Write: A Guide to Creative Writing, which takes you on a tour through various types of creative writing. This is from part two, “Tools of the Trade,” and it explores two of writers’ favorite tools, a notebook and pen. Enjoy! Notebooks and Pens These days,…Read More

Keeping a Journal Makes You a Better Writer

The more you write, the better your writing becomes. That’s not an opinion; it’s a fact. Experience breeds expertise, so if you write a lot, you’ll become an expert writer. Writing every day is the best way to acquire lots of experience. Writers who come to the craft out of passion never have a problem…Read More

“What-if?” Journal Prompts

What if you won the lottery? What if you woke up in someone else’s body? What if you could fly? What if you could open your imagination to a whole new world of writing ideas? Today’s journal prompts encourage you to wonder. Some of them are based on reality. Others ask you to step outside…Read More

A Messy, Liberating Guide to Journal Writing

This post contains affiliate links. You should see my journal. It’s a cacophony of words and images, scribbles, doodles, and scraps of ideas tucked between the pages. It’s sort of a mess, and I like it that way. I know some writers are diligent about keeping their journals pristine. The pages are crisp, the lines…Read More

Journal Prompts for Dreamers

Where do dreams come from? Many philosophers, psychiatrists, and other experts, as well as everyday people, have made conjectures about the sources of our night visions. But they remain a mystery. Some dreams are obvious, of course. We’ve all experienced dreams that are clearly relevant to what’s going on in our lives or dreams that…Read More

Creative Writing: Journals

Today’s post is an excerpt from Ready, Set, Write: A Guide to Creative Writing, a book that provides tips and tools for writers while serving as a broad roadmap for anyone who wants to explore creative writing. This excerpt is from chapter seven: “Journals.” Enjoy! Journals are often confused for diaries. Technically, a diary is a…Read More

A Few Favorite Journal Writing Tools and Resources

This post contains affiliate links that earn commissions. We usually understand a journal to be a place for writing about ourselves, but journals can be used for plenty of other purposes, many of which are useful to writers. I’ve had my share of adventures in journal writing. As a teen, I kept a diary. Later,…Read More

Artistically Inspired Journal Prompts

We, the people of the arts, feed off each other. A painter is inspired by a song. A musician is inspired by a novel. A photographer is inspired by a sculpture. So we come full circle by inspiring one another. Journal prompts are a useful tool for getting inspired. When you want to write but…Read More

The Benefits of Keeping a Reading Journal

I’ve kept a journal on and off since I was a kid. My journals are full of poetry, drawings, story ideas, and random thoughts. I’ve always wanted to keep a reading journal, but I usually inhale books, leaving little time between chapters to jot down my thoughts. I like to read at night, and by…Read More

Journal Prompts for Giving Thanks

Journal writing is excellent for building skills and maintaining a regular writing practice, and journal prompts can help you use your journal creatively and beneficially. Journal prompts can be used to inspire creative ideas, to keep track of important things in our lives, and for personal growth. Today’s prompts are for the practice of gratitude….Read More