THE ELUSIVE MUSE: Journaling for writers

     There are days when writing ideas, stories, essays, poems, are nowhere to be found. That does not mean we have to go a day without writing.  The more we write, the better our writing becomes. That’s a fact.  Practice breeds proficiency. 

     Commitment sets successful writers apart from unsuccessful writers.  When we are committed to the work, our chances for success increase exponentially. And one of the easiest and most creative ways to commit to our own writing and produce better writing over time is to keep a writing journal.

     In this way, journal writing becomes an answer to our problems.  Journaling is a place where we can jot down random thoughts or flesh out concepts, where we can free write or work on writing exercises, and where we can tackle writing prompts. It’s a place where we develop better writing skills and learn new techniques through trial and error.

How to Use Journal Prompts to Reach Your Goals

     In a previous post I listed a series of prompts to get your writing going.  By revisiting these journal prompts on a regular basis, you can consistently assess your goals to see how much you are accomplishing at different points in time. Some of these journal prompts are useful to revisit every year. Others are worth revisiting on a monthly or weekly basis.  Next time you’re not sure what to write about or whenever you’re feeling like it’s time to take a hard look at your goals and accomplishments, set aside twenty or thirty minutes and start tackling these journal prompts one by one.  

     You’ll learn a lot, and you’ll be able to keep writing, even if you’re not feeling especially inspired. 

THE ELUSIVE MUSE: workshop at The Newberry Library

Starting April 2nd for 6 weeks - Thursday evenings

Go to www.newberry.org to register