What journal prompts are and how to use them?

A journal prompt is a call to action, it is asking you, the writer, to write down how you feel about a topic, discuss a subject and to mind dump what is going on in your thoughts at that moment. I rarely look back at what I have written, but in the moment it is a great way of consolidating what is happening right now.

If I have worked on a particular theme e.g. releasing or letting go of the past, or manifesting and wishing for something to happen or come to me in the future, then writing down my thoughts on it can be quite frankly, freeing.

You can make your own journal prompts on to help you focus and take in the theme or issue that you are working on at that time.

Quite often it will begin with questioning words such as:

How does that make you feel?

Where do you stand on this decision?

What is it you truly desire?

How can you release and let go?

Leading you into an invitation to write down your thoughts. The art of journal prompts is just to start writing without overthinking. In many circles I have attended, I have found that journal prompts work two ways:

1. Those that just start writing straight away, rarely pause in their writing and then put their pen down once finished.
2. Those that just don't know where to start with writing, really consider the question being asked and with pen hovering over the page just seem to stall. When they do begin to write they stop and consider what they are going to write down next and it can look laboured. They often, once starting to write take a long time to write down each of the journal prompts.

Online circle writing

When using journal prompts in this online circle, you can always come back to the journal prompts. You can write them down in your book, or print them off.

In person circle writing

This needs to facilitated and handled skillfully, reading out the journal prompt in a measured tone so that it can be heard easily. Giving everyone an idea of how long they will be given to write the answer to the prompt and explaining the prompt using different language may be called for. Also, if you can see someone is struggling with it, give them a gentle suggestion of doodling instead so that they are not just sitting there whilst everyone is working.

Giving people a warning that the time is about to end so that they can tidy up lose ends and get things down and giving permission for them to go back to the journal prompts and add to them at a later time.