The Writer's Journal

"I don't wait to be struck by lightning and I don't need certain slants of light in order to write"

                         ~Toni Morrison

Discussion

Why keep a writing journal? What purpose does it serve in the greater scheme of life?

(reasons are listed in no particular order)

• To increase your powers of observation
• To help you develop your own writing style
• To “get the juices flowing”
• To get those haunting phrases out of your system
• To provide raw material for future writing (aka: throwing spaghetti at the wall)
• To provide an alternative to napkins, backs of bank statements, etc.
• To work through a tough spot in a story
• To get over "writer's block"

(some of the above came from “A Writer’s Journal” by Mary Phraner Warren. The Writer, June 1982: 18-20)

What is your ideal journal?

Pros and cons of using a journal...

How can a writing prompt help?

What are your writing habits?

Writing:

1. After listening to and participating in the discussion, address the following quesitons in your journal:

What are your current writing habits? How are they going to change based on the discussion we've had?

What does (will) your journal look like?

Where do (will) you keep your journal?

Who do (will) you allow to read your journal?

When do (will) you write in your journal?

How can you make your journal work for you in the future, based on our discussion?

2. Make a list (also in your journal) of all your current works in progress (wip). What is the status of each work?

Resources:

Daily writing prompts