Today is Friday and that means it’s Freaky Friday. If you need to know more about this journal writing challenge please read the First Freaky Friday entry.
Yesterday I unexpectedly had to spend the afternoon in the emergency department of Charles Gardenar hospital. My daughter rang from work with the terrible news that she’d fallen down the stairs. Although, she was hurt, it turned out to be nothing worse than a severe sprained ankle. It could’ve been a lot worse, but the poor girl came out with crutches and orders to rest. Pretty difficult when you’re 20, I think.
While …read more

If you’re looking for some inspiration when it comes to writing about Valentine’s Day in your journal, go no further than Cafe Writing. This month their theme is Love Letters. Don’t forget to take a look at what others have written and linked to for this month’s theme. I’m sure you will find something to inspire you to write about Valentine’s Day in a fresh and unusual way.
If you like you can link to their website, too. Just follow the guidelines. Otherwise use on their great suggestions for your personal journal, or make some visual journal entries using love …read more

I was pleased to read on Holly Lisle’s blog yesterday that she found a quiet corner in a cafe and began a piece of fiction by writing longhand in a notebook. The experience left her feeling excited about writing again. Sometimes just something as simple as changing the tool you write with can alter your perspective enough to make the experience feel completely different. This freshens up your outlook and spurs creativity.
Try doing something just a bit different today. Use a different writing implement, write on different paper or in a different journal, use a new colour, or sit …read more

Today is Friday and that means it’s Freaky Friday. If you need to know more about this journal writing challenge please read the First Freaky Friday entry.
In keeping with the plot development idea from yesterday for this journal writing challenge imagine the plot is an individual. Write a journal entry from the perspective of the plot. This might seem difficult at first. This journal writing challenge is simply a way to help you hear/see/imagine your story from a different perspective. What is the plot trying to tell you? Let the plot speak freely about what is happening in the story. …read more

It only just hit me last night as I was writing in my night journal that next month is National Novel Writing Month, otherwise known as NaNoWriMo. So, if you’re thinking of joining in the fun this November perhaps you should consider October as your plot development month. It doesn’t take long to work up character profiles. Usually the plot develops out of these people’s lives, anyway. I’m sure you already have characters just waiting to tell their stories. Your writer’s journal is a great place to develop your plot.
Will you be writing a 50,000 word novel this November? …read more

When you write in your journal a lot you begin to tune into what is most on your mind. The things that trouble you become your personal themes. As you investigate these themes you learn more about the way your mind works. But is it really your mind you are writing about? I believe therapeutic kind of journal writing has more to do with heart than mind. What about you? How can you tell the difference?
Writing from the place I think tends to produce short, choppy sentences with little flourish or interest. Writing from my heart reveals long descriptive passages …read more

After winning a lovely lampwork focal bead the other week I was just so happy to win something. I didn’t expect to be on a winning streak, though. On Friday, late in the afternoon, the postie dropped a little package into my letter box with some more gorgeous beads. This time they are created by Anne Dundas, a very talented lampwork artist, jewellery designer & graphics expert. She’s also one very generous lady and holds a giveaway each month for those who receive her newsletter. Anne even has a blog.
Have you ever had a winning streak? How long did it …read more

Photo from Morguefile.com
Every one of us has a bad habit, or two, that we are aware of. Most of the time we don’t like to admit to these bad habits, but when we’re honest we know about them and usually loathe them. Spend some time writing in your journal about these bad habits, but give them to someone else; either a fictional character or someone you know. This is your journal, but it would be a good idea if the real person never had any idea you had done this journal writing prompt with them in mind.
Play up the …read more

This afternoon my daughter related one of those moments when she misread a movie poster while riding to work on the bus the other day. The film was in fact Vantage Point, but she read the words as Vintage Paint. We both had a bit of a laugh, but both of us thought the title might work for a book or a film, anyway. The two of us came up with two stories that worked from this made up title.
You can use this idea, too. Select either the title of a book or movie you haven’t seen and aren’t …read more

While searching for something else today I came across Susan Taylor Brown’s blog Susan Writes. Make sure you check out the writing prompts. Susan writes books for children and shares her adventures on her blog. Well worth a look, even if you only want some clever writing prompts to jump start some stories in your writer’s journal.
Heather