There are many ways to find prompts and ideas for journaling. Some journal-keepers develop ideas easily. Others prefer to use outside sources. Still others like to mix and match both outside sources and their own ideas. Whether you fall into one or the other categories, this list of prompts should help you get started with your journaling. Once you become more comfortable and proficient in journaling, you will be able to branch out and try a variety of techniques in your entries.

Prompts come in the form of “I” statements (including identifying feelings, thoughts (I want, I will) describing actions, scenery and interactions with people, completing sentences and writing poems. You may also randomly pick words or phrases from a dictionary, interesting headlines, titles from a table of contents or television or radio show titles. You may also use a name of objects (flowers, animals, pets, plants or trees), song titles, word association phrases or words. After you have tried at least one prompt from this list, then, try writing a list of 100 words, phrases or ideas, you may repeat some until you finish the list. Read through the list and pick the first three prompts that stand out to you. You will have ninety-seven other ideas to use the next time your journal. (this exercise is used courtesy of Kathleen Adams, Journey to the Self)

I’ve listed a hint in parentheses, for each prompt, if you have trouble,  then try the hint. When you use either the prompt or the hint you should be able to find an idea that peaks your interest, so you can develop it nto a journal entry.

I hope that you will discover something new about yourself and about journal prompts as you practice with this list of sentence prompts.  

1) Describe the view outside your window. (Hint:  choose one word to describe the whole view)  

2) I feel_______________________ (Hint: choose the strongest feel ing you have or might have now)

3) I want________________________ (Hint: choose the ‘it’ that you want the most of anything that you’ve ever wanted)

4)  I am_______________________ (Hint: one character trait that you are most sure of)  

5) I wish_____________________________ (Hint: choose your most heartfelt dream)  

6)  I would_____________________________ (Hint: choose the one action that you’ve most wanted to take)  

7)  I will_______________________________ (Hint: choose your favorite goal)

8)  I won’t_______________________________ (Hint: choose your deepest conviction)

9) I wonder_______________________________ (Hint:  choose your wildest dream)

10) I’m not________________________________ (Hint: choose your worst nickname)