Guest Post: Springtime Journaling Prompt Grab Bag by Mari L. McCarthy

Springtime Journaling Prompt Grab Bag
by Mari L. McCarthy


Last year on this blog I was given the honor of guest posting A May Basket of Journaling Prompts and I'm really pleased Sue has invited CreateWriteNow back for a 2012 version.

Whether you're in the northern hemisphere and celebrating springtime or enjoying fall if you're south of the Equator, now is a transitional time. That means it's a good opportunity to open up to new possibilities, and a great way to do that is to explore impulses through your journaling.

Here are a few of my latest prompts to help get you going. Remember that the prompt is only a starting point: if you end up on the other side of the universe from where you started, that's more than acceptable.

• Go to an outside journaling spot, contemplate the scenery around you for a while, and then write about where you are today--spiritually, psychologically, mentally, physically. What are you aware of, inside and out? Savor being who you are right now.

• Choose one very small symbol of the season – perhaps a blossom in spring, or a colored leaf in fall – and one large one, like spilling outdoors in spring or cuddling by the fire in fall – and write about each. Then write about how they relate to one another; do a compare and contrast essay.

• Change hands. Write today's journal entry with your non-dominant hand. Before you stop, write about writing this way!

• Take your journal (and no inner critics) to a full length mirror. Spend a few moments just observing and breathing. Then write down what you are aware of.

• Sit down, close your eyes, and ask the question, "What one word best describes who I am today?" When you hear your word, go have a conversation with your journal about it.

• Open your journal to a fresh page and write the date. Invite your inner kid over to play in your journal with you. Close your eyes and picture your inner kid. He or she may be your actual child self, or the imaginary friend you used to have. Then PLAY!

• Have some fun with your journal for a change. Change venues. Take your journal shopping, to work, to a museum or restaurant, take it on a hiking trip or a visit to your doctor. You can write just about anywhere!


I hope you enjoy these prompts, and I certainly welcome you to add your own in the comments. Or tell us about your experience while following one of the prompts suggested here.

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Mari L. McCarthy, journaling therapy specialist and author, owns Create Write Now, a website dedicated to all things journaling. The site includes hundreds of journaling prompts (here's a brand new free collection of 143 Juicy Journaling Prompts!), personal journaling stories, interviews, a blog, and many other resources. Mari publishes many ebooks and e-
workbooks to help journalers accomplish amazing things. She also conducts online Challenges, and you won't want to miss her upcoming Start Journaling and Change Your Life in 7 Days Challenge, June 4-10.