Having thoughts and/or feelings? Work ’em out with my December journal prompts. (If we haven’t met, I’m a trained facilitator and author who knows that words solve problems.) I’ll be journaling daily-ish this month but you don’t have to; grab any one of these December journal prompts at any time and let it support you. Follow your pace and your curiosity.
Journaling can help you make friends, or stay friends, with writing. And with yourself. And maybe even with the world.
I don’t always journal, but I’m experimenting this month.
I’m figuring out which kinds of prompts unlock the most, and the best way to learn that is to take it to the page.
If you’d like to join me, here’s what I’ll be writing about.
PS. A useful strategy is to let your hand move and sort it all out later. When you’ve “finished,” take just a minute to reread and underline or circle anything that feels especially vital or alive. Don’t worry about making sense or being good or right… unless those worries bring you joy, in which case have at it! It’s your page. If my December journal prompts can help bring you to that page (or help you fill it), rock on.
December Journal Prompts Printable
Click here for a printable .pdf file of all 31 December journal prompts.
You can also scroll down to read them on this page.
If you’d like to set a mood, here’s my journaling playlist:
December Journal Prompts
1. What action can I take today that will matter in a hundred years?
2. What action can I take today that feels meaningful, but might matter only to me?
3. If I could be someone else for the rest of today, which person would it teach me a lot to be?
4. What can I accept more of today?
5. What will I refuse to accept any more of today?
6. What scent on the wind would pull me forward towards it like Toucan Sam “following his nose” in those old cartoon commercials?
7. Whose approval do I crave, and/or who craves approval from me?
8. If I actually ran the entire world, what would I do?
9. What will never save my life?
10. How can I deepen my friendships?
11. How many people, places, things, activities, goals, truths, and/or values can I list that LIGHT ME UP?
12. Looking at yesterday’s list, pick out one or two and circle them. How can I get more of that thing into today? How can I get more of it into my life?
13. What brings out my boldness?
14. What makes me hide? What (if anything) do I want to do about this?
15. What is needed right now?
16. What am I afraid I’ll forget about?
17. What would I like to send out to sea on an ice floe to die in the dark of an arctic night so I’ll simply never have to face or deal with it again?
18. What are the biggest feelings I can stand right now?
19. What do I wish nobody would ever say to me again? How could I grant this wish?
20. What am I tired of saying? What ways can I see to reduce the number of times I might need to say this in future?
21. What secrets are all mine (and I like it that way?) What secrets are all mine that I should DEFINITELY tell someone?
22. How do I like to hear bad news?
23. How do I like to hear good news?
24. What helps I take feedback well?
25. What do I worry about? Just let it out.
26. What’s getting easier? Can I name anything that might be making it that way?
27. What seems a bit more difficult than usual recently? Any guesses why?
28. What’s the cost/benefit analysis on being really lonely? Everything has upsides and downsides.
29. What do I wish everybody on the planet knew? How could I tell them? (Just give it a try.)
30. What do I hope never changes?
31. What do I want to change right now?
Thanks for giving this a few minutes. Those are my December journal prompts. I don’t officially do journal prompts every month, but maybe I’ll start. I hope you found something you liked!
xo, megan
These (hopefully) really quite helpful creative writing tips offer what I’ve learned as an award-winning author who writes a million words a year, and what I’ve learned about supporting others as a private writing coach.
There’s no one way to write. There’s only your way. I hope some of my tactics and ideas can help you find it.
Yup, I’m a writing coach.
I work with folks at all levels of experience and all levels of income. My writers range from unhoused teens living on the streets to C-suite executives who want to up-level their communication. If you want a private coaching session but can’t afford it, email megan@howtowritesomething.com and ask for scholarship info.
curious/confused?: what does a writing coach do (and not do)
THANK YOU to this month’s generously supportive patrons who are helping me build a digital library of free writing resources to support writers with different access needs! Three cheers for A.J., Dan, Jason, Jennifer, Jessica, Josh, Katherine, Kathleen, Marianna, Nell, Sarah, and some anonymous folks who’ve asked not to be named. Come on in, the Patreon’s fine.