(3 min read.) You can use this set of guided journaling prompts for creative writers as a writing warm-up, or as a standalone exercise if you’re feeling blocked or stuck and need some fresh energy and vision. If you’re setting new goals, trying to get your spark back after burnout, or just wondering which path to take, try taking twenty-ish minutes to simply really work your way through this hands-on guided writing exercise.
From my years of experience as a writing coach, I offer these seven questions as journaling prompts in an intentional order that can help you make fresh connections about your writing. You know all this stuff in your gut. But putting it into words can bring clarity or surprise, especially when you lay it out one answer after another.
I suggest pen and paper. Even if your handwriting is messy scrawl, handwriting activates the mind and memory differently than typing (science fact), so go for it if you can. (But as always: type or dictate if that’s best for your access needs.) Whatever tools you choose: see if you can keep the words flowing (even if they don’t seem to make sense) and simply stay open to whatever pops out of your mind.
Try to spend about three minutes on each question. It won’t feel like enough time. It’s not! The goal with these prompts isn’t to find answers; it’s to stir up new thoughts and ideas that can ignite your creativity and open fresh possibilities.
You can use your own timer, or if you have Spotify, you can listen to Meg’s Journaling Playlist and simply switch questions every time the music changes.
Guided Journaling Prompts for Writers
1. Whose writing have I loved reading, and why did it matter to me?
2. What comes easily for me as a writer?
3. What feels hard for me as a writer?
4. What non-writing activities do I easily succeed at?
5. What helps me succeed at those things, and how can I bring some of those qualities to my writing practice?
6. What am I proud of having written, and why?
7. What have I enjoyed writing the most, and how can I make my next project more like that?
Okay, now you’ve journaled.
You may immediately know what to do. Sometimes just writing it down makes everything obvious. Every time you journal, you give the brain a chance to blow you away.
But if nothing felt bright or strong or actionable from today’s exercise, an outside eye can speed things up. If you’d like some help turning insights into action, come see me for one affordable (sliding scale) private hour where we can talk frankly about your writing and how to take it where you want to go.
But if talking to a coach isn’t your style: I invite you to re-read your answers to the above questions (or write new ones!) about once a week. It’s a free, relatively easy way to self-coach your way to a more satisfying writing life. You can do this, you just need to engage your intelligence and give it space to work.
The brain’s natural desire is to solve and organize, so if you’re not getting results today, try again later. Give it time. By repeatedly asking your brain to solve and organize your thoughts about writing, you create the conditions where your intelligence will gently start to sort confused muddles into simplicity and insight. Good ideas can’t be lost, but they do take a while to show up if you don’t prompt them, so: prompt good ideas as often as you can.
xo, megan
Thanks for giving this a few minutes. I hope it felt supportive.
I’m a f*ckin’ friendly writing coach.
Let’s see what an hour with me can do for you. Get treated with honesty and respect. Bring your work-in-progress, your goals, or your frustrated blank page. Sliding scale; no ongoing commitment; just an hour to work on your writing. See me in a private zoom to put my 20+ years of experience on your side.
curious/confused?: what does a writing coach do (and not do)
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