Journaling | Writing Forward

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

Journal Prompts for Aspiring Writers

Journal prompts are a great way to kick off a writing session when you’re feeling uninspired. We all have days when writing ideas are nowhere to be found, but that doesn’t mean you have to go a day without writing. In fact, on those days when my muse is being elusive, I like to either…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 Bookworms

A good book is a writer’s paradise. At least, it should be. A book can be an adventure. It can show us the world from a new perspective. It can be a mirror, a microscope, or a telescope, reflecting the world, magnifying it, or carrying us away to far-off places. Books are extra special for…Read More

Philosophical Journal Prompts

What is philosophy? Let’s turn to Wikipedia for a simple, straightforward definition: “Philosophy is the study of general and fundamental problems, such as those connected with existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language…It is distinguished from other ways of addressing such problems by its critical, generally systematic approach and its reliance on rational argument.” Today’s journal…Read More

A Week’s Worth of Experimental Journal Prompts

As writers, we are constantly told (usually by other writers) that we should be writing every day (without exception!), but rarely are we provided with details of what we should be writing. Of course, many writers already know what to write. They are poets, short story writers, novelists, memoirists, literary journalists, and bloggers. Their niche…Read More

Five Personal Journal Prompts

Most writers keep a journal of some kind to jot down ideas, scenes, thoughts, and questions. Journals can be used in many different ways. However, one of the most traditional uses for a journal is to write about one’s own life. Often, this type of journal is also called a diary. It’s not always easy…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

Journal Ideas for Daily Writing and Creativity

Every expert in the world thinks you should keep a journal. Physical trainers suggest keeping an exercise journal, and nutritionists recommend keeping track of your meals. Oprah insists on a gratitude journal, and business consultants promote journaling one’s career. How much journal writing can one person do? Journals are, first and foremost, the forté of…Read More

How to Harvest a Dream Journal for Writing Inspiration

There’s something mysterious and magical about dreams. In the dreamworld, anything is possible. Our deepest desires and greatest fears come to life. Whether they haunt or beguile, our dreams represent the far reaches of our imaginations. Journals can have similar qualities of mystery and intrigue. If your journal is full of freewrites, doodles, cryptic notes,…Read More