Express yourself!
The inner storyteller in you loves to be stimulated. The more curious and adventurous you are, the more creative things you’ll have to write in your journal.
Creative journal writing can become an amazing way to document your personal growth and development journey.
Stories fascinate everyone. This is why Hollywood is always going to be in business. They’ve perfected the art of sharing stories that evoke emotional responses in the viewer. Watching other people and learning from their experiences is a fast track way of learning what to do and what not to do.
Why you should start a creative journal
Tapping into your power to keep yourself entertained is no easy feat, however, practice makes it easier.
When you’ve mastered the art to keep yourself intrigued, you’ll never suffer from boredom. Think about it, if you’re constantly doing something that piques your interest and then creatively writing about it, you’re creating never-ending cycles of experiences and storytelling.
Your friends, family, kids, and -eventually- grandkids will find all your stories inspiring because you’ve solidified that it’s more than okay to indulge your curiosity to learn something new.
Ideas on what to write a creative story about
Writing down your experiences creatively is only one way to approach creative writing. Tapping into your imagination and bringing those stories to life is a whole new and exciting way to express yourself.
Here a few topics you could start writing about
- Your cat. They’re such fascinating creatures with so much personality, you’ll never run out of things to write.
- Struggles and difficulties you’ve faced in life and what you’ve learned from them.
- The journeys you’ve taken to achieve your goals and dreams.
- Your experiences trying things you’ve never done.
Never limit yourself, your possibilities are endless!
How to start a creative journal
Keep a Separate journal for your creations
When starting a creative writing journal, I suggest keep a book that’s specifically for your creative writings. Unlike the goals and dreams gratitude journal which can be seamlessly incorporated into your general journal, your creative writing journal should be separate, this will allow you to better organize your writings and keep your creations in one place.
Write with a pen in a physical book
Studies have shown that physically writing with a pencil or pen on paper helps our brains to retain information. It also adds your personal touch to your writings. A computer does make your words legible but since you’re writing for yourself in a physical book, legibility shouldn’t be a deciding factor.
Schedule your writing times
When something is on your schedule you’re more likely to stick with it. Schedule everything so it forces you to set aside the time. Keep the writing time short if your schedule doesn’t permit you to spend longer periods writing. Ten to twenty minutes of quick writing every day will stimulate your creativity and keep the ideas flowing.
Be creative
The primary purpose of a creative writing journal is to be creative so let your imagination run wild. Exaggerate things to make it more exciting, change the tone to make it cheerful or dark. You’re in total control of the worlds you’re creating.
Creative writing exercise
Rules
Do this exercise every morning before you do anything
Make sure the object you choose to write about is a physical object
Set a timer for 10 minutes
Write nonstop for the entire ten minutes. Be as descriptive as you possibly can by using all your senses. How does what you’re writing about look, sound, feel, smell, and taste?
Include the object in your story at least once.
When the timer stops, stop writing, even if you’re in the middle of a word, STOP writing.
Here’s an example of this writing exercise in action to get your creative juices flowing.
Note, it has been edited for grammatical errors.
Date: 8:58 am October 22, 2019
Object: Bottle
As it rises, the sun calmly touches my skin, bringing back the warmth into a night that was too cold to sleep. I begin to daydream about the sunny beaches that I could be frolicking in; warm water that seems to hug my every curve, coaxing me to stay a little longer.
I open my eyes to the feel of a warm smooth surface on my face and instinctively inched forward to feel more. I looked around, scanning the area to gather my bearings. My partner and I were at the top of a mountain breathing air so crisp my lungs were doing a backflip.
My mind goes back to the warm smooth surface that just caressed my face, I needed to feel it once again. I slowly got out of our tent and walked to the edge of the cliff, we were on top of the world and nothing else mattered.
Sun salutations begin to move my body. I was giving thanks to be able to experience such bliss, such peace, such warmth, such love.
I was right where I needed to be, with my water bottle in hand. I began to drink the nectar of life and felt my body supercharge. Nothing can stop me now, all fear is behind me and all the lessons learned.
We suited up in our gear and dove off the side of the mountain, we were free. The rushing wind hitting our faces as we glide into the lush field waiting for our arrival. Free as birds, free as humans should be.
Now go forth and create!
Photo composer: Atrice
