Sometimes I recommend certain books because I’ve found them particularly useful for journal writing inspiration. One such book is Word Painting by Rebecca McClanahan.
The book is easy to read and offers stacks of useful advice. I particularly enjoyed the writing exercises. I recommend working on these in your writer’s journal. You’ll be amazed how quickly you’re descriptive language improves on reading this book and applying the knowledge gleaned.
Heather
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Today is Friday and that means it’s Freaky Friday for the readers of this blog. If you need to know more about this journal writing challenge please read the First Freaky Friday entry.
As the year draws to an end a journal writing prompt suited to the occasion might be best. Today write a journal entry as if you are writing it at the end of 2007 instead of 2006. Look back as if you’ve already lived through the year. Sum up your achievements and emotional highlights. Think of this exercise as writing your goals in reverse. Write about what …read more

I don’t know why, but for some reason I’ve never gotten around to sharing Journal Magic with you before. Sue Meyn has created a wonderful journal writing website, which is an excellent resource for all those interested in keeping or beginning a journal.
There are some interesting exercises, a forum, which looks a little lonely at the moment, an offer for journal coaching, a newsletter to sign up for, and a store to purchase journal writing cards, etc.
Find more of Sue’s articles at Tools With Heart, which is another place to purchase really cool journals.

Just in case you’ve missed what Shai is doing over at eWritelife make sure you check out her ABCs of Writing Series.
Although Shai began the series earlier this month sickness prevented her getting very far with it. But it looks like she’s back on track and healthy again. Bookmark or subscribe to her blog and use what you feel is helpful in your journal. The three entries so far are packed with prompts and exercises.

It’s Freaky Friday again! Where do the weeks go? Please read the First Freaky Friday prompt to learn more about this journal writing challenge.
Today I want you to imagine you are an alien visiting earth for the first time. This alien happens to single out you to study and learn about humankind. While I do not personally believe in alien creatures, I think this prompt gives you a good opportunity to write about your life from a totally detached perspective.
Spend time detailing one day, or one event, in your life from this alien’s perspective. Try and look …read more

It’s Freaky Friday again. If you aren’t sure what this means, please read the First Freaky Friday entry for more information.
Today I want to challenge you to think about your ego. I heard the news, or perhaps rumour, that Oprah and David Letterman were interested in interviewing the rescued miners from Beaconsfield, Tasmania. It made me think how it would feel to be in that place; the one being interviewed on TV.
Today write as if you have done some noteworthy activity and you are on either the Late Show or Oprah. You may decide to be a known …read more

Dawn Vinson of Daydreaming on Paper urges you to discover your creative purpose and then develop your creative manifesto with this in-depth journal writing exercise. Don’t worry if you don’t know what a manifesto is; Dawn explains in this excellent article. Even though this was written for the beginning of this year, don’t hesitate to apply the same principles to any new direction you wish to take or discover in your journal.
The rest of Dawn’s Daydreaming on Paper is worth checking out, too, if you haven’t already.

Another unusual prompt website I came across recently is Word Bead. Each week a list of five words are published on the Word Bead website. Each word is linked to a definition on Dictionary.com, so you can check the definition of any word you’re unsure of.
You can use these five words over the entire week any way you choose. The idea is to string the word beads together with whatever other words you need to give pleasing results. Use all five in one poem, or try one poem for each word. Write in your journal about what the words mean …read more

It’s Freaky Friday again; click here for a full explanation.
This week’s challenge is to choose someone involved in the Easter story and write from their perspective about the unfolding drama. You may choose to be Jesus, Mary, a disciple, or any of the many others involved in the story. Remember this journal writing exercise is more about the person you choose to write about than the actual events as we know them. Try to get under this person’s skin and see and feel what they might have at this time.
If you don’t feel familiar enough with the Easter story read …read more