When I was younger, I used to write in riddles and I used to write in rhymes. I thought that by doing so, that I might capture the attention of my reader. I never anticipated I'd be writing for a specific audience; I wrote the way I felt in my heart and soul to be true, not realizing or accepting the fact that while patience might be common, intellect is not. Perhaps the true meaning behind my words might never be revealed, instead blinded by the manner in which they were written.

Ever since I started a blog, people have asked me where I find my inspiration. My main source of inspiration comes from real life experiences, which is why the vast majority of my writing is non-fiction. In 2011, I wrote a list of 80 Journal Writing Prompts, which was in response to the repetitive emails asking me for advice for inspiration. The journal writing prompts were posted in April of 2011, and quickly became the most visited post on my blog, and after going viral, received an average of 20,000 visits per day for several months thereafter. I knew I had stumbled upon an idea, if even...

What is one thing nobody knows about you because nobody ever cared to ask? There is so much going on within the confines of my own mind. All through the day, empty thoughts fill my ears, at night, dreams and visions of things and situations never to become reality play before my eyes. Often times there is a fire storm of thoughts like a freight train running through my head, other times, a lonely and uncomfortable silence takes over. The thoughts linger; empty ones for a brief period of time, while those which are important and meaningful seemingly fleeting. There are so many things nobody...

Every now and then, every writer needs to find a source of writing inspiration. Here are 15 places to find writing inspiration.

Here is a list of 41 places to find writing inspiration. Please leave a comment if you wish to suggest a link that is was not included in the list.

This is a mashup of these two posts. Some folks like these all in one list, so it has been re-blogged here. 130 Journal Writing Prompts by Thomas W.P. Slatin is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 United States License. Based on a work at www.tomslatin.com. Permissions beyond the scope of this license may be available at http://www.tomslatin.com/legal/copyright/. These prompts are subject to copyright. Example Uses: http://this1sforslatin.wordpress.com/   Name something you lost or gave away that can never be replaced. What 5 websites...

130 Journal Writing Prompts by Thomas W.P. Slatin is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 United States License. Based on a work at www.tomslatin.com. Permissions beyond the scope of this license may be available at http://www.tomslatin.com/legal/copyright/.These prompts are subject to copyright. Name one thing that has always fascinated you. What is the most valuable item or largest sum of money you have ever found? Name one thing in your life you hope you never have to see or encounter. Growing up, what career goals or dreams of accomplishments did you have? ...

130 Journal Writing Prompts by Thomas W.P. Slatin is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 United States License. Based on a work at www.tomslatin.com. Permissions beyond the scope of this license may be available at http://www.tomslatin.com/legal/copyright/.    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...