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
The soul knows no greater anguish than to take a breath that begins with love and ends with grief.
-Steven Erickson, Toll the Hounds
I lost a friend recently. Life, misunderstandings, and fate can sometimes create a perfect storm that results in someone getting left behind. I am no stranger to being left behind, but this one hurt. I tackled the situation as I always do, putting my own hurts aside to help my friend deal with their hurt. The hands of fate still saw it necessary to create a space where I must let go and move on. I don’t want to; I want my friend back. It is so heartbreaking to be faced with a change in life that seems to alter your very DNA. I no longer feel human. But, in time, I am sure I will again.
Weekly Inspiration
Art Journaling
‘There is a song in my playlist that reminds me of you… ‘The Night We Met – Lord Huron’ … It is and it does.
Art Journaling
‘On those restless nights I’ve been the storyteller and the stars were being the listeners.’ Orion has heard so many of my feelings and problems. He’s always there for me.
Art Journaling
‘I found me in your presence, and I felt you in your absence. – Abel Eve Adam’
Someone’s presence in your life can help you to find parts of yourself that were otherwise missing or dormant. When they leave, the whole that remains can feel vast and dark.
Art Journaling
‘Our story doesn’t have a happy ending but it’s still my favorite. – Mansi’ Endings are a part of life, some good, some bad. The important part is to decide which story is worthy of hanging on to.
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
58.01 Have you experienced grief when losing a friend, but not to death?
I’ve been through varying types of grief. Death is the worst; there is never hope for things to be different. I do find it challenging to deal with the grief that has a smidge of hope at the end. Hope for change, things to get better, or hope my heart eases and accepts what is. Today, write about the qualities of that person that you miss. Take time to remember what was good and beautiful and how it felt.
58.02 How do you feel about smudged ink?
When you are writing, and the ink gets smudged, how do you handle it? Are you angry? Do you want to rip it out and throw it all away? Or are you one of those magical beings who can shrug and keep going? Sometimes, I am magical, but at other times, I feel like Wolverine ripping and tearing paper to shreds because of a smudge.
58.03 Do you believe that there is good in all people?
I know that there are profoundly evil people. I wonder, however, if there is some good inside of them that is overwhelmed and hidden by the evil. Is it possible they were once good, and eventually the evil took over? I find myself lost in random waves of pondering; good and evil often come up.
58.04 How is your weather today?
We are in that time of year here in Oklahoma, where it is hot and cold, cool and warm, wet and dry, etc. The weather changes as the day goes on, massive shifts that can alter what you should be wearing. Sometimes, it feels like the best weather in the world for an hour or so of the day. It’s very frustrating!
58.05 You missed an important deadline; now what?
How do you handle deadlines? If you work for yourself, do you impose deadlines on yourself? Do you meet them? If not, do you skip the task or move forward to finish? I missed my Friday deadline with this article due to the turmoil in my life, and it hurts me to miss deadlines. So, a new rule for me: the world will stop, and my deadlines come first!
58.06 Who does the cooking in your household?
Are you the one who does it all? In my household, the responsibility for meals falls at my door. But there are times when it is a joint effort, and those are my favorite times. I love doing things as a family, even if it’s the chore of making a meal or cleaning the house. Teamwork makes the dream work!
58.07 Word of the week: Plangent.
According to Merriam-Webster, plangent is having an expressive and especially plaintive quality. Lately, this describes my choice of music, songs that have a plangent, haunting quality. Look it up, write it down, and use it in a sentence or two. Is there anything plangent in your life? In your writing, perhaps?
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.
