Journal Entries

I’ve kept a journal since 2000. Some years I filled part of a notebook. Some years I filled two. This year, it was a struggle just to finish one, when last year I wrote every day, at least one page a day. Not much to write home about this year, except ugly family drama that doesn’t belong in my journal. Nor does it belong in my blog. One day, there will be a fun little book called Graduation. Until then…

Journals are fun. I’ve used entries to categorize my thoughts on current events, brainstorm scenes for a book, and to rate movies I’ve watched. I use my journal to figure out how I feel about something. It’s not uncommon for me to sit down and write about a topic for awhile and realize that I feel differently than I thought I would. I can start writing in one frame of mind and end up on the other side of the spectrum. It’s all about letting each of the voices in my head speak their piece on paper. Sometimes, we agree to disagree, but most of the time, we can come to a consensus. For those of you who think I’m crazy, it’s the people who don’t communicate with the voices in their heads that scare me.

So. Writing in a journal. Here are some of the writing prompts I used this year:

1. One thing I did today that made me happy:

2. One thing I like about myself today: (Most days I hate myself, so this one is important.)

3. One positive thought about my writing:

4. One positive act I engaged in:

5. One thing I did today that scared me: (OMG women’s restroom…why must you be so terrible?)

6. One thing I am thankful for:

7. One way I can improve my communication skills at work: (stop saying stupid shit during interviews!)

8. One way I can make a positive impact at home, work, or in the community:

9. One small thing I will do to make my husband happy tomorrow: (Hush. I love him.)

10. One thing I read today that I liked:

On Sundays, I had special reflection questions:

1. Reflect on books read this week.

2. Reflect on words learned this week.

3. Create an action plan to improve how I write/work/communicate this week.

4. Set a writing goal for the week.

The weekly thing happened in January. The daily thing lasted until May. That’s why I bought this book:

I’m going to start a new notebook in 2015, and I’m going to write every day, or at least complete each of the writing prompts. At the end of the year, I will have a better understanding of myself and how I relate to the world. That’s all I expect from my journals. If it helps me finish a couple of novels, even better.