Journaling + Fiction – February 18

“But I know, somehow, that only when it is dark enough can you see the stars.”Martin Luther King, Jr. Journal prompt: Spend at least 20 minutes writing about a time in your life when dawn broke after it was darkest. Fiction writing prompt: Write a scene in which your protagonist refuses to see the light at the end of the tunnel.

Journaling + Fiction – February 17

“To handle yourself, use your head; to handle others, use your heart.”Eleanor Roosevelt Journal prompt: Spend at least 20 minutes writing about an experience in which you observed the impact of using the head when the heart was called for, or using the heart when the head was called for. Fiction writing prompt: Write a scene in which your protagonist arouses a hostile response by applying his/her head...

Journaling + Fiction – February 16

“The pessimist complains about the wind. The optimist expects it to change. The leader adjusts the sails.”John Maxwell Journal prompt: Spend at least 20 minutes writing about a challenge in your life to which you should change your approach. Fiction writing prompt: Write a scene in which your protagonist gets a stern lecture from a respected elder for whining instead of adapting.

Journaling + Fiction – February 15

“If you’re going through hell, keep going.”Winston Churchill Journal prompt: Reflect on your previous journal entries and spend at least 20 minutes writing about a time you believe you gave up too soon. Fiction writing prompt: Write a scene in which your protagonist stops short of her/his goal.

Journaling + Fiction – Valentine’s Day

“When people talk, listen completely.”Ernest Hemingway Journal prompt: Spend at least 20 minutes writing about how you made the person with whom you were talking feel the last time you didn’t listen completely. Fiction writing prompt: Write a scene in which your protagonist is talking but not being heard.

Journaling + Fiction – February 13

“The integrity of men is to be measured by their conduct, not by their professions.”Junius Journal prompt: Spend at least 20 minutes writing about a situation in which you were surprised by the integrity (or lack of it) of someone doing a job for you. Fiction writing prompt: Write a scene in which your protagonist is put in jeopardy by a colleague’s lack of integrity.

Journaling + Fiction – February 12

“Be curious, not judgmental.”Walt Whitman Journal prompt: Spend at least 20 minutes writing about the important distinctions between curiosity and judgment. Fiction writing prompt: Write a scene in which your protagonist’s lack of curiosity causes him/her to miss the opportunity to make a good judgment.

Journaling + Fiction – February 11

“When I started counting my blessings, my whole life turned around.”Willie Nelson Journal prompt: Spend at least 20 minutes writing about something you now consider a blessing that didn’t originally seem to be a positive development. Fiction writing prompt: Write a scene in which your protagonist refuses to see a blessing for what it is.