7 Types of Creative Journaling Prompts To Bring Your Pen To The Page

Over the last few years I have taken my journaling practice to the next level by tapping into the power of journaling prompts. Like me, you may have begun your journaling journey by writing about your daily activities and experiences. While this is certainly one approach to journaling, the use of journaling prompts can help you to gain more insight, wisdom, and clarity about yourself, your life, your dreams, and your passions. 

WHAT ARE JOURNALING PROMPTS?

Journaling prompts are questions, ideas, suggestions, themes, and topics that inspire you to bring your pen to the page. Journal prompts can support you in asking and answering important questions that you wouldn’t explore just by writing about your daily life. Whether you are just beginning your journaling journey, or have been journaling for years, journal prompts can help you to be consistent and creative in your practice. You can use journal prompts daily, or save them for when you need some inspiration. 

WHAT ARE THE DIFFERENT TYPES OF JOURNALING PROMPTS?

The great thing about journaling prompts is that there are many different types to choose from based on what you are looking to explore and how specific or open ended you want your prompts to be. Below are some of the journal prompts that I have found to be the most helpful and inspiring for my journaling practice.

1. Questions

Questions are probably the most well-known types of journal prompts. They encourage you to think about yourself and your life in ways you typically wouldn’t on your own. Here are some examples:

• Who am I? (encourages self-reflection and self-discovery)
• What do I need now? (encourages self-compassion)
• What brings me peace? (encourages self-care)
• What is my purpose? (encourages self-discovery)

2. Quotes

I have always loved a good quote! Quotes can be great journal prompts because they allow us to be inspired by someone else’s words and to determine what their words mean in the context of our own lives. Below are 3 quotes about journaling that could be used as prompts, along with questions to help you get started:

Fill your paper with the breathings of your heart.

-William Wordsworth (Silk and Sonder)

Another way to think about this prompt: What does your heart need right now?

Journal writing, when it becomes a ritual for transformation, is not only life-changing but life-expanding.

– Jen Williamson (But First Joy)

Another way to think about this prompt: How has (or could) journaling change your life?

“Journaling helps you to remember how strong you truly are within yourself.” 

– Asad Meah

Another way to think about this prompt: How has (or could) journaling help you to remember your strengths?

Of course, the quotes that you use do not have to be about journaling. Here are some other examples of quotes that can inspire you to journal:

If you look at what you have in life, you’ll always have more. If you look at what you don’t have in life, you’ll never have enough.

–Oprah Winfrey

Life is either a daring adventure or nothing at all.

–Helen Keller

“The only person you are destined to become is the person you decide to be.”

-Ralph Waldo Emerson

If you are interested in thinking and writing more deeply about a quote, you could also use the following questions from Ink and Volt:

• What three things could I do to epitomize this quote in my life?
• Who or what does this quote remind me of?
• What am I holding back or holding onto that keeps me from experiencing the full inspiration of this quote in my life right now?
• Where do I see these words being most relevant in my life? In my family, my home, my work, my creativity?
• Who would I be if I lived through this quote for 30 days?

3. One Word

When you think of journaling prompts, you probably don’t think of just one word. I know I didn’t until recently, but one word journaling prompts provide you with so many options for what to journal about, depending on your mood, your day, current circumstances, or past experiences. 

Below are some examples of different types of one word journaling prompts:

• Emotions: love, joy, fear, sadness, curiosity
• Adjectives: beautiful, disappointing, nurturing, transformational 
• Verbs: rest, energize, balance, grace, work
• Nouns: inspiration, connection, nature, trust, boundaries, freedom

4. Sentence Starters

Sentence starters can also serve as engaging journal prompts when you aren’t sure what to write about.

Some examples of sentence starters are:

• As I pick up my pen to write, I notice…
• Self-compassion means this to me…
• Seeing myself with kind eyes…
• I notice the abundance in my life when…
• I am listening to the still, calm voice within…

5. Song Lyrics

Song lyrics can also be used as journaling prompts. Similar to quotes, lyrics give you the opportunity to take someone else’s words and think about what they mean to you. Below are examples of song lyrics you can use in your journaling practice:

It’s taken time to know I’m mine. 

I love these lyrics from the song Betty by Jamila Woods for a journal prompt because I have struggled for many years to reclaim myself and make decisions from an empowered and confident place. 

One entry point to this journal prompt is: What in your life has taken time for you to take ownership of? Your happiness, relationships, boundaries, career?

Similar to the above lyrics, Lizzo’s lyrics from her song 2 Be Loved echo another one of my personal struggles, to love myself fully before focusing on loving someone else. This could be a great prompt to use in a journaling circle, like the one I facilitate on the Insight Timer app called Mindful Tea, since many people, especially women, can relate to having difficulty loving and accepting themselves. 

• How am I supposed to love somebody else? 
• When I don’t like myself, like, ooh
• Guess I better learn to like this, ooh 
• It might take my whole life just to do    

One entry point to this journal prompt is: Where are you on your self-love journey? What do you need in order to love yourself fully?

My last song lyric journal prompt comes from Miley Cyrus’ song Flowers.

• I can buy myself flowers
• Write my name in the sand
• Talk to myself for hours
• Say things you don’t understand
• I can take myself dancing
• And I can hold my own hand
• Yeah, I can love me better than you can

In her song, Miley reminds you that you can offer yourself the love, time, and attention that you might normally give to a partner.  

Entry points for these lyrics are: How do you offer yourself love and care? What could you begin to do to intentionally take care of yourself?

6. Poetry

Poetry can also be incredibly inspiring for journal writing. It can connect you to and bring forth emotions that you might not even know were there prior. Below are 3 of my favorite poems that you can use to bring your pen to the page:

be softer with you
you are a breathing thing
a memory for someone
a home to a life
   

 -Nayyirah Waheed

Perhaps we should love ourselves
so fiercely,
that when other see us
they know exactly 
how it should be done

-Rudy Francisco

And some days I forget
what it is to be gentle with myself-
how to look at myself with kind eyes
and speak to myself with soft words
Forget that I am my home
and a temple worthy of worship

-Becca Lee

7. Tarot /Oracle Cards

My final creative journal prompt option for you is to use tarot or oracle cards. I love using my tarot and oracle cards to give me guidance in life. WHen I pull a card that is especially helpful for my current circumstances, I like to write it down in my journal. 

The three decks that I use are The Rider-Waite Tarot Deck, which is one of the most popular tarot decks, my new favorite, The Starseed Oracle Deck, and The Daily Crystal Inspiration Deck.

When using my oracle cards as prompts, I will ask either for general guidance, or for more specific guidance, such as “What should I do to transition in my career?” Then I will pull one card, read its description, and journal about whatever comes to mind based on the card pulled. I’m always surprised at how much insight I gain from writing about my oracle cards.

Here are some questions to consider when using your oracle cards as journal prompts:

• What comes to mind when you first pull your card?
• How are the messages from this card showing up in your life?
• How can you use this card to act in your highest interest?

ARE YOU READY TO HARNESS THE POWER OF JOURNALING PROMPTS?

Journaling can be so much more than simply writing down your daily experiences. There are a wide variety of journaling prompts you can use to take your journaling practice to the next level. Whether you use journaling prompts every day, or when you need some extra motivation, you are sure to gain insight from adding them into your journaling practice.