<p>I decided to commit myself to daily journal writing to improve my writing and record my inner thoughts.
What would be a good word limit for this daily writing?
How can you prevent yourself from running out of writing ideas?
Thank you.</p>
<p>I commit to a certain amount of time, rather than a word limit. You might want to begin with a small amount of time, say 10 or 15 minutes.<br>
My goal when I’m writing in my journal is to just keep writing. I don’t worry about content or ideas. After all, I’m writing for me. One idea that works for me is simply to write “I can’t think of anything to say” if I run out of ideas, even if it means I write that again and again until something clicks and I find a thread to follow.<br>
Another suggestion is to keep a running of list of ideas you’d like to write about. Keep the list with you at all times so that when a topic comes to mind that you’d like to explore you can jot it down to save for when you do sit down to write in your journal.<br>
Somewhere in the back of my head is the idea that on some on-line journal sites there are daily prompts for writing. But I can’t really remember where I saw that. I’ll pop in and offer more suggestions when I have some more time.<br>
Good luck!</p>
<p>Bump… :)</p>
<p>It’s nice to hear your question. Many writers say that the most important thing is to write every day.</p>
<p>If you’re out of ideas, you can always fall back on these:</p>
<p>Describe something right in front of you.</p>
<p>Keep a walk-around memo pad. Then: eavesdrop and write down something you hear other people say (dialogue) in the pad. Later, when you’re at your journal, try to write a whole scene around that one overheard sentence or phrase.</p>
<p>Imagine a meaningful audience, someone you care about or admire, and write an entry as if it’s a letter to that person.</p>
<p>If you read something interesting that day, write a response to it.</p>
<p>If you liked the style of a book you’re reading, try to write like that style.</p>
<p>Start with a picture first (anything that comes into your head) and then caption it with a paragraph or so.</p>
<p>(I hope this helps. Writing is fun.)</p>
<p>Wow! You’re awesome, paying3tuitions. I really appreciate your suggestions. I can’t wait to try each and every one of them. :)</p>
<p>I carry an ‘idea’ book in my purse. But usually have plenty to journal about without going to it. Usually the journaling is venting., so therapeutic.
Sometimes it is purely fun.</p>
<p>My daughter maintains two journals, a personal pen-and-ink one, and an online one at Livejournal. It amazes me to look back and see six years of history on her Livejournal. (She has two parts to that, friends-only and public… I’m not a “friend” by my own requrest. TMI is TMI.)</p>
<p>She spends a minimum of 15 minutes per day… sometimes much more. Her journals include sketches, photos, quotations, poems, and daily trivia of the today’s weather type. She carries a tiny little camera with her (it fits in an Altoids tin) which makes it easy to include the photos.</p>
<p>I keep telling her it’s time to turn it into a book. Her comeback is always the same: “do you really want to read about what I thought of you when I was 15?”</p>