Journal Writing Prompt #1

 

Hi and welcome. This prompt, because it is the first one, will be at least two fold. The first part of it is to go to the comments section below and tell me your experience with keeping a journal. Have you done it, in the past? Are you doing it now? Why are you interested at this time? What do you hope to gain from the experience? And, perhaps most important, what do you feel about doing it at all?

This is not an idle task. It will help me to know how to proceed. With that in mind, I’d like to tell you a bit about my own journal writing experience. I started making my mark when I was four years old, lol. At that age, I simply didn’t want anyone to forget who that cute little girl, with all those bright curls, was. To do that, I went in search of a ball point pen and wrote my name in black block letters, at the bottom of the professional photographer’s portrait my parents had on display. It was my first experience at learning that writing can get you in trouble.

I am two years old in this photo. But, that experience made a deep impression on me, because only months later, my entire world, including my appearance was changed in one moment. My wonderful curls were shaved off, I acquired a large scar on the side of my head, and my hair grew back in several shades darker, while the curls disappeared to be replaced with waves that went in all different directions.

It was not until years later, when I actually learned how taking notes is an incredible boost to memory.  I started doing that before I turned thirty. Would simply feel the urge to write some experience down, grab a notebook and do just that. I was not methodical by any means, but still possess a lot of those odd notebooks. Some cover only a few weeks of time, others months.

About twenty-five years ago, I began to write on a daily basis. There is a period of eleven months, since then, when the pages remain blank and empty, but, otherwise, those pages cover my daily experiences. And continue to do that into the present moment. After college, and because of a chance meeting, I began to teach Personal Growth Classes Through Writing. My first class was at the University from which I graduated and was done with a group of teachers seeking certification for ongoing teaching credits.

Retired on disability, I started this blog with the hopes of sharing what I know and have gained through maintaining a regular journal regimen. So, these prompts are a natural step in my own process. With all of that in mind, here are the rules: There Are None.

This is your journal, your private dialogue with your own person. You make the choices, and my only advice is to make them as comfortable for yourself as possible. At the same time, be aware that all things are open to change. My journal has changed over the years, due to circumstances and personal choices. I used to write it out long hand on loose leaf paper kept in a three ring binder. Those binders, kept in my library, span over fifteen years of my existence. Now it is done on this computer, printed out each day, with a back-up copy as part of the process, I have found best for me.

Here comes the second part of the prompt. Through this next week, make notes on the beginnings you have experienced over your life time. It would be wise to keep them together in some fashion because we will go back to these notes in later prompts. The notes do not have to be any particular form or structure. If you prefer phrases with dashes, by all means use them. They do not have to be in any particular chronological order (that may come later, but can create a block here at the beginning). If you would rather write in full sentences with structured paragraphs, again, that is your choice. Simply try to do some of it each and every day. You may use the word beginnings or firsts. Simply make notations of as many of them as come to mind through the coming days.

Here is a list of possibilities: beginning school, dating, college, marriage, jobs, career, writing, hobbies and particular interests. But, again, the emphasis here is that these are personal notes. You will not be asked to share them with anyone, unless you choose to do so. If anything you find does become something you want to share, please come back and leave your blog addie here in the comments section. I, for one, would definitely be interested in whatever you choose to share.

If you have questions, find any problems in responding to the prompt, that is what the comments section is for.

Whatever you do, have fun with it. Keep yourself comfortable and have an exciting and fruitful week.

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