80 Journal Writing Prompts
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- Name something you lost or gave away that can never be replaced.
- What 5 websites do you visit often, and why?
- Name a totally useless possession and how you came to acquire it.
- What music album would be used for a movie about your life?
- List your bad habits and/or addictions and what you have tried to rid yourself of them.
- If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be, and what would you do if later on you changed your mind?
- What are your religious beliefs? Have they changed, or have they always stayed the same?
- When was your last food craving, and what did you crave?
- Who was your first crush and what made them special?
- Name your most cherished childhood memory.
- Turn to an entry in your journal or diary from a year or more ago. What has changed and what has stayed the same since then?
- What is one thing nobody knows about you because nobody ever cared to ask?
- Robert Frost write a poem titled The Road Not Taken. Name a road you’ve always wanted to travel. Where do you hope it takes you, and what might you see on the way?
- Name one thing you always wanted to do, but haven’t. What has prevented you from doing it?
- Write about your first kiss. Was it everything you wished or hoped it would be?
- What was the worst mistake or decision you have ever made in life? What could you have done differently?
- What song was stuck in your head recently, and what were you doing at the time that made you think of it?
- Describe 5 things you want to see or do before it’s too late.
- Write about something you now know that you wish you knew earlier in life. How could this knowledge have helped you?
- Write about your greatest fear.
- Name one thing you feel brings out the good in people.
- Describe a time in your life when everything turned out fine, despite the odds.
- If you invented a device that could fix one problem you are facing right now, would you use it? What problem would you like to solve?
- Write about the last time you spoke to your best friend. What did you talk about?
- Describe a time you felt alone.
- Name something you found; what was it and where did you find it?
- What’s on your calendar for tomorrow?
- What is the most annoying sound you have ever heard?
- Describe your first job.
- What is the one thing you cannot live without?
- Quote the nicest thing anyone has ever said about you.
- Are you afraid of the dark? Why or why not?
- Describe the longest amount of time you have ever been away from home.
- Write about a recent adventure or travels.
- Who did you idolize growing up?
- Name a celebrity or famous person you wish would take you out on a date.
- Describe your daily routine when you get out of bed in the morning.
- What was the longest amount of time you have spent waiting on line for something? What was it, and was it worth the wait?
- Name one thing you have always been good at doing.
- What is your favorite season, and why?
- What was the title of the last book you read?
- List your biggest regrets.
- Have you ever seen a ghost?
- Describe your note-taking style and habits.
- Do you believe that we are all here for a reason? What might the reason be?
- What comes to mind when someone uses the phrase prolonging the magic?
- Have you ever done something just to feel the danger, or to feel alive?
- What is your favorite cliché?
- What are all your thoughts on god?
- How do rainy days make you feel?
- What is the most amount of money you have had at one time?
- Write a celebrity crush list.
- What is the most amazing thing you have ever seen, heard, or experienced?
- What effect does music have on you?
- What did you learn today? What did you learn yesterday?
- What 5 traits do people first notice when they meet you for the first time?
- Have you ever carved your name or initials into a tree or stone?
- Democracy, communism, or socialism? Defend your choice.
- Does Never Never Land really exist?
- Where is a great place to get breakfast?
- List 3 things that went right (or wrong) today.
- What is the best method of travel, and in what ways have you traveled?
- If you could give the world just one thing, what would it be?
- What were your best and worst subjects in school or college?
- Describe the most outrageous thing anyone has dared you to do.
- Ice cream: chocolate, vanilla, or strawberry?
- What historical events happened the year you were born?
- Pick up a random object that has special meaning to you and describe it in as much detail as possible.
- Write about a recent visit to a museum or art gallery.
- What food items do you consider staples in a well-balanced diet?
- Describe your feelings in regards to an issue in todays society, and what would be done to fix it.
- If you had only one wish, what would you wish for?
- If you could tell the world just one thing, what would you say?
- Share a dirty little secret about yourself (or someone else).
- Name a time when you broke a rule or law. Did you get caught, or did you get away with it?
- Have you ever gone skinny dipping?
- Name something you would like to devote more time to seeing or doing.
- What is the name of your favorite book, magazine, or publication?
- Describe your first car.
- Thunderstorms… Inspiring or scary?
50 More Journal Writing Prompts are here. Please note that these prompts are subject to copyright; reuse by permission only.







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Hi
I mentioned this blog post in my blog: http://letspublish.blogspot.com/2012/05/reason-why-writers-block-is-bogus.html
Thanks for some great ideas!
@writing_ninja recently posted..The reason why writer’s block is bogus
This is fantastic! Thanks so much for the mention. As for your blog post, I have a few comments, which I will leave for you on your blog…
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I have great respect for copyright laws and the intent behind them, so I ask for your permission to use all your prompts in my own personal journal. Thanks so much!
You can absolutely use them in your own private journal (no permission needed). However, if you wish to post the questions one at a time publically, or share a copy of these with a friend, you must mention the source URL. Hope this helps.
Enjoy!
[...] 80 Post Challenge is brought to you with help from Tom Slatin’s 80 Journal Writing Prompts. [...]
[...] 80 Post Challenge is brought to you with help from Tom Slatin’s 80 Journal Writing Prompts. [...]
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Interesting list. It has me thinking of parallel exercises…
What is a paralell excercise?
I loved these and so I’m slowly putting them on my blog. Of course there’s a source linking back to this post. Thank you so much for posting them, they’re so useful and inspiring, really. Much love from a little apprentice writter.
Awesome! Thank you, and don’t forget to link back. I’m going to put together a master list of all the folks who have used these, but there is no particular deadline as of yet for this list.
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[...] I came upon a article with 80 journal writing prompts that looked like [...]
[...] 80 Journal Writing Prompts | TomSlatin.com How do rainy days make you feel? What is the most amount of money you have had at one time? What are all your thoughts on god? Write a celebrity crush list. What is your favorite cliché? [...]
Awesome ideas! you could even use some of these ideas for a blog post.
Lots of folks already have.
Q: Describe my first car.
A: Harbor water green, the murky kind. Good ole’ Freddy, he never did let me down, unless I insisted on driving over 50 on the freeway. Loved that car and its ridiculous memories but hated it at the same time. A beat up, decrepit, nasty looking bmw from 92′, good year I know, I remember it well. I had just turned two…I thought it was funny. Any way it feels good to write, even about something so small.
Pretty amusing.
I love also writing but I need to improve my grammar…
Maybe I’ll post a grammar tutorial in the near future. Only time will tell.
[...] 80 Post Challenge is brought to you with help from Tom Slatin’s 80 Journal Writing Prompts. [...]
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[...] 80 Post Challenge is brought to you with help from Tom Slatin’s 80 Journal Writing Prompts. [...]
Still working on it…
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I’ve never been to Universal, but I have been to Disney Land and Disney World.
[...] My favorite memory as a little kid was when I went to Florida and I went to go see the Lakers and the Miami Heat it was fun because kobe hit a buzzer beater and the lakers won the game I was screaming for my life.(http://www.tomslatin.com/80-journal-writing-prompts/) [...]
One of the best trips I’ve ever taken was a round-trip road adventure from New York to Florida and then back again.
Wouldn’t it be nice if everything were this easy? an actual LIST of things to ‘write’ ahh……. Nice…huh?
I wish everything in life was this easy…
[...] next prompt comes courtesy of Mr. Tom Slatin via his blog post http://www.tomslatin.com/80-journal-writing-prompts/. We will be using prompts from this great list to get your blogs started before the Spring SBC, [...]
One thing I forgot to mention… If you need photography, you are free to use my photography on Flickr. http://www.flickr.com/photos/twps/
Thank you! I’ll keep that in mind. Thanks for your help and support!
[...] This post prompt comes from Mr. Tom Slatin’s blog post http://www.tomslatin.com/80-journal-writing-prompts/: [...]
Thanks for the plug! More here: http://www.tomslatin.com/50-more-journal-writing-prompts/
[...] 80 Post Challenge is brought to you with help from Tom Slatin’s 80 Journal Writing Prompts. [...]
Wow! You’re really going through this list quickly! Thankfully, there’s another 50 waiting for you when you finish this list… http://www.tomslatin.com/50-more-journal-writing-prompts/
Thank you for making these public! These are great prompts for adults and children. I would like to use some of your prompts as assignments for my blogging class as my students start their own blogs. I will be sure to only use one prompt at a time, and I will include an attribution to your site. Is it enough to to include the attribution in the prompt post, or should I have my students reference your site in their responses as well?
You will need to have your students reference the site as well as yourself. Because this is for educational purposes, this is all that will be required in exchange for using these prompts. Thanks for your interest, and for asking!
[...] 80 Post Challenge is brought to you with help from Tom Slatin’s 80 Journal Writing Prompts. [...]
Thanks for these detailed prompts. Very helpful list here. I’ll be visiting again.
Nikoya recently posted..Dr. Sebi – The Healer For The “African American” People
You’re welcome! Enjoy!
Thanks so much this will help me so much in keeping up with my blog. I will visit often for ideas.
Silent Kim recently posted..Silently Heard Invisibly Seen: Let’s Bury Evil
Great!
[...] 80 Post Challenge is brought to you with help from Tom Slatin’s 80 Journal Writing Prompts. [...]
I can’t wait till you start writing about the more challenging prompts…
I’m a beginning blogger and I just thought some of these would be a great to use in a post. I hope you don’t mind. =)
Sure! This is okay, as long as you mention and link to the source like my friend Ileandra does. Here’s an example: http://ileandrayoung.com/2012/01/21/80pc45/
[...] 80 Journal Writing Prompts | TomSlatin.com – StumbleUpon Are you afraid of the dark? Why or why not? [...]
[...] 50 More Journal Writing Prompts are here. Please note that these prompts are subject to copyright; reuse by permission only. [...]
[...] 80 Post Challenge is brought to you with help from Tom Slatin’s 80 Journal Writing Prompts. [...]
These 80 tips are a great resource for any writer. Thanks
honour recently posted..Five Dollar Cash Ninja
You’re welcome!
Thank you so much for posting this list. I consider myself a writer, but sometimes I’m completely stumped when it comes to finding new topics. This list is perfect to challenge myself, think outside the box, and tap into thoughts that have not been thought in a while.
That’s why I wrote the list! Please feel free to mention a blog, if you start or have started one using these prompts. Here’s an example: http://ileandrayoung.com/2012/01/12/80pc46/
[...] 80 Post Challenge is brought to you with help from Tom Slatin’s 80 Journal Writing Prompts. [...]