Journaling + Fiction – January 10

“Love all, trust a few, do wrong to none.”William Shakespeare Journal prompt: Spend at least 20 minutes writing about a moment of need when you did not show sufficient kindness to yourself. Fiction writing prompt: Write a scene in which your protagonist’s kindness is repaid with hostility.

Journaling + Fiction – January 9

“What is to give light must endure burning.”Viktor Frankl Journal prompt: Spend at least 20 minutes writing about a project or subject about which you have not been sufficiently persistent. Fiction writing prompt: Write a scene in which your protagonist gives up too soon.

Journaling + Fiction – January 8

“If you can let go of passion and follow your curiosity, your curiosity just might lead you to your passion.”Elizabeth Gilbert Journal prompt: Spend at least 20 minutes writing about something you’re curious to explore more deeply. Fiction writing prompt: Write a scene in which your protagonist’s passion interferes with the curiosity needed to understand a situation accurately.

Journaling + Fiction – January 7

“Moral excellence comes about as a result of habit. We become just by doing just acts, temperate by doing temperate acts, brave by doing brave acts.”Aristotle Journal prompt: Spend at least 20 minutes writing about a habit of yours that you worry is less than excellent. Fiction writing prompt: Write a scene in which your protagonist fails to practice a good habit s/he has adopted to replace a bad...

Journaling + Fiction – January 6

“I have always found that mercy bears richer fruits than strict justice.”Abraham Lincoln Journal prompt: Spend at least 20 minutes writing about a time you were shown mercy that you might not have deserved. Fiction writing prompt: Write a scene in which your protagonist receives justice from a person your protagonist had a chance to show mercy but did not.

Journaling + Fiction – January 5

“To be a good citizen, it’s important to be able to put yourself in other people’s shoes and see the big picture. If everything you see is rooted in your own identity, that becomes difficult or impossible.”Eli Pariser Journal prompt: Spend at least 20 minutes writing about the first time you realized that not everyone shares the same life experiences. Fiction writing prompt: Write a scene in...

Journaling + Fiction – January 4

“The greatest lesson in life is to know that even fools are right sometimes.”Winston Churchill Journal prompt: Reflect on your previous journal entries and spend at least 20 minutes writing about the subject of humility. Fiction writing prompt: Write a scene in which your protagonist learns a valuable lesson by being proved wrong.

Journaling + Fiction – January 3

“Love is of all passions the strongest, for it attacks simultaneously the head, the heart and the senses.”Lao Tzu Journal prompt: Spend at least 20 minutes writing about the first moment you experienced this kind of love. Fiction writing prompt: Write a scene in which your protagonist’s senses are overwhelmed by an attack on her/his head and heart.