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 I sat there in emergency I saw a woman I was sure I knew, but just couldn’t jolt my mind to recall exactly where. I know this happens to everyone at some point. I was baffled, but since I had to entertain my four year old for several hours I couldn’t give it too much though. Today while going into the local store I saw the same woman. She was the cleaner for the shopping centre. I hadn’t recognised her out of her uniform. I had a laugh and a quick chat with her and the problem was solved.

Has this happened to you? Sometimes the problem is not solved and you have to just scratch your head and never recall who the person was or where you knew them from. Write about that person in your journal, but be the unidentified person. Write from their perspective watching you frown and wonder. Use this as a prompt for your writer’s journal or just to see yourself from a different perspective.

I hope you enjoy this journal writing challenge. Please leave any comments in the section below.

Heather
Photo used with permission from stock.xchng

Post from: Blisstree

Freaky Friday #152

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 letters you might still have in your possession. Have fun with the ideas.

Heather
Image used with permission from Stock.xchng

Post from: Blisstree

Valentine’s Day Inspiration

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 in a different place. Just write somewhere, somehow, with something and get your journal entry or story down.

Heather
Photo used with permission from Morguefile

Post from: Blisstree

Change Your Writing Tools

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. Try to allow the plot to own the story.

You may want to hold a dialogue with the plot to ask specific questions about the characters and their motivations. Ask the plot if there are characters you need to add, remove or merge with other characters. I hope you enjoy this journal writing challenge.

Heather
Photo used with permission from Morguefile

Post from: Blisstree

Freaky Friday #130

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? What are your favourite methods for plot development. I’m not sure about the challenge myself, not yet, anyway. Maybe some of you can convince me. Please leave any comments in the section below.

Heather
Photo used with permission from Morguefile

Post from: Blisstree

Plot Development Month

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 that may even lose track of logic or sense here and there. Most of my journal writing tends to be a bit of both. I begin with the facts and take a structured and investigative bent, which works towards emotion as I explore what it is I really feel.

Are you writing from the heart or from your mind? Are you aware of these things in your personal journal writing style? Spend some time writing about this in your journal. Please feel free to share any comments in the section below.

Heather
Photo used with permission from Morguefile

Post from: Blisstree

Writing from the Heart

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 last? What did you win? How did you use these prizes? Write about a character on a winning streak in your writer’s journal. I hope you enjoy this journal writing prompt.

Heather
Photo is my own

Post from: Blisstree

The Winning Streak Continues

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 bad habit/s for this person. Take the badness to the extreme. Write out everything you really dislike about the habit and come to some kind of a resolution, a conclusion over what the character should do to break the habit. I hope you enjoy this journal writing prompt and find some kind of personal release in writing about these habits.

Heather

Post from: Blisstree

Bad Habits

You can use this idea, too. Select either the title of a book or movie you haven’t seen and aren’t familiar with at all. You could also make your title up, just as my daughter did. Write your story from the title only. Who is involved? What happens to these people? Have fun. Play. Explore.

Heather

Post from: Blisstree

Vintage Paint

Heather

Post from: Blisstree

Susan Writes Loads of Cool Prompts