Weekly prompts to help you think a little harder, write a little longer, and have a bit of fun in your journal. I provide the prompt and then a bit of discussion afterward to help you think beyond the prompt.
How To Use Weekly Prompts
Using weekly prompts can be as simple or as difficult as you would like. I do not use one every day, and sometimes I use several from the weekly prompts list at one time. Over time, I have learned that too simple doesn’t work for me. I like to push the question around in my mind, look at it from a couple of different perspectives, and see what comes out.
Imagine, if you will, the prompt as a unique piece of artwork. Put that piece of artwork on a pedestal and then move around it. Look from side to side, high to low, and anything between. I want it to speak to me, give me thoughts, and guide my thoughts into a deeper understanding.
In all seriousness, I do study the question. I don’t spend hours on it and sometimes not even minutes. A few seconds and a few pointed questions after. Generally, those questions begin with why. Why did the prompt spark that response? Does that matter to me, and why? Why did I choose that answer/point? My meanings and questions can be vastly different from yours. That’s okay! The prompts are supposed to spark YOUR thoughts and feelings.
Focus Quote
I always carry a Moleskine journal and a simple Parker Jotter click-pen. Journaling an experience is worth more than any photograph.
Josh Gates
Moleskine, Stalogy, Archer & Olive, or Leuchtturm are just a few of the favorites. But not everyone is locked in on a particular journal or notebook. Some people make their own, some buy handmade journals, some people use composition notebooks, and others buy specialty journals. It is just about preference. At the core, it’s not even about preference, but the experience of journaling itself.
Anyone can take a photo or find a keepsake from a place that you have gone. But to read back over the words that you wrote at that moment, full of all the feels of that moment, those are the words that carry the most weight. I can’t always take my journal with me. So I have a passport traveler’s that stays in my bag. Sometimes, I only use a post-it note from inside there to capture a moment. Other times I draw or doodle while I am wrapped up in the emotions from that moment or day.
I do, wholeheartedly, love keeping random paper sacks or bags from a purchase and tearing them up into my journals. Depending on my needs, one bag can go a long, long way.
This week, all three photos use kraft-colored paper or brown paper bags. These examples show how they can change your page and really add to its beauty.
Weekly Inspiration
Creative Journaling
Brown Paper Bag : Try cutting out a shape of a brown paper bag and using it as the main focal piece to journal on.
Pin by Eden
Creative Journaling
Torn Columns : Tear out strips and apply them to the edge to create the illusion of borders or columns.
Pin by Lady C
Creative Journaling
Torn Pieces : Tear out a piece of brown paper bag and glue it down as an embellishment to the entire spread.
Pin by Bernice Torenbosch
The images that I choose for inspiration are not about the links. They are solely about the images and what they represent. I love seeing other people’s journals. I love the inspiration that hits me to go write in my own. Sometimes, that inspiration leads me to try something I have seen on their pages. Mostly, it just inspires me to write!
Weekly Prompts
22.01 Have you ever taken an unknown backroad?
Write about where you went, what you saw, and who you were with. Thanks to GPS and maps, it’s safer and easier to take any random road. But even with a map, the unknown road can feel scary. It’s always been fun and something we have done along the way, no matter where we are. There’s always time for a backroad adventure!
22.02 Write about a current event that affected you.
This event can be a weather event, a political issue, from the entertainment world, or anything in between. Describe it and then explain how it affected you. I have been avoiding the news like the plague for some time now. If I want to know something, I look up articles directly relating to that and do not go further. Too much negativity is being forced down your throat on every major media outlet.
22.03 What was the first car you had as a kid?
Was it old and junky or new and shiny? Were you embarrassed to drive it or proud as a peacock? My first vehicle was a 1974 Datsun pickup that was pumpkin orange. It was so old and falling apart that there were holes in the floorboard. I started out horribly embarrassed, but I learned so much because of that pickup. Today, the Datsun is a fond memory with many funny stories!
22.04 Describe three things you want to add to your daily routine.
Be bold! Make it the three most significant things you would like to do. Write what it is, how you think it would benefit you, and why you aren’t already doing them. Really dig in here and look at your reasons for not changing. Is this something that is within your power to change? If it is, maybe today is the day to change that.
22.05 Describe the person in your life who makes you feel powerful.
What is it about that relationship that makes you feel that way? Is it the way they rely on you or how they treat you? Are they your child, sibling, or friend? Describe it all in detail.
22.06 Describe the person in your life who makes you feel powerless.
Write all the details about the person who makes you feel inferior or less than you are. Is it their attitude towards you? Do they put you down with words or actions? Compare this relationship to the one that makes you feel powerful and see what needs to be changed. Sometimes, the change that needs to happen is within our own hearts and minds.
22.07 Word of the week: Bumbershoot.
Look it up, write its meaning, and then use it in a sentence. You may be surprised that we all use this throughout the year!
I hope these weekly prompts inspire you to think harder, dig deeper, and write a little longer this week. Looking for more prompts? Check out the Divergent Dialogues category to see more weekly prompts, 31+ Fun Journaling Prompts, or head on over to my Pinterest board!
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Happy Journaling!
Sarah G.
