Pocket Journal & Scrapping

Yes, this post should have gone up by yesterday (Monday) at the latest but life got in the way. And I have a number of things to take care of before I go for surgery first thing Thursday. So, how are you doing with the summer challenge? Seriously, how hard is it to jot down a couple thoughts,comments about life, reflections - whatever - every day? I'll give you a few more journal prompts but really you can write about anything. It need not be soul searching or deep, but it certainly can be. Let's start with something easy like My Favorite Place - where is it? what makes it special to you? What's the first thing that comes to mind when it's mentioned? Here's the beginning of a sentence: In this life . . . Continue writing with the first thing that pops into your head. How about a What If question? What if you could live anywhere in the world - no worries about restrictions of any kind, financial or otherwise. Where would you live? would you like a fiction writing prompt? How about writing a scene in a restaurant. Many of us do not like the names we were given at birth but few get a formal name change. What if you had an option to change your name today with no fuss and bother? What would your new name be? Or write about something you regret.

The other day, I said I waas going to talk to you about freewriting. This is an easy technique I taught my writing students and if you are ready to move on to doing more writing, you will find it helpful. What you need: blank paper, your favorite writing instrument (I prefer gel pens because they don't drag), a timer of some sort, a place to sit comfortably and write without interruption. How to: 1. Set a time for how long you will write. you might want to start with 10 minutes. Set a kitchen timer or other device so you won't be distracted by having to check your watch or a clock. 2. If you want to focus on a particular topic, write that at the top of the page, otherwise leave it blank. What you end up with may surprise you whether you start with a topic or not. 3. Start the timer and begin writing. Just write down whatever comes to mind, quickly. If you can't think of anything, write that or, if you had written something before you got stuck, just repeat the last few words. 4. Do NOT stop writing until the timer goes off. The way I was told is, Don't take your pen off the page. 5. Do NOT worry about spelling, punctuation, or grammer. Just keep going. 6. Don't read anything you've written until you're done and don't judge or censor. Just write whatever comes to mind. 7. After the timer goes off, only then can you read what you've written.Be prepared for it to be sloppy. Circle or underline ideas that you like or that you think might be useful in some project. 8. You might want to group the ideas you've circled or underlined and see where that takes you. 9. Know that there may be surprises. Silencing your inner critic may lead to discoveries. Benefits: Freewriting bypasses your inner censor who tells you you can't write and/or stops you from writing about things that are sensitive or that your censor thinks is inappropriate in some way. It can release inner tensions. It helps you become more comfortable with the act of writing and can indirectly improve your formal writing. It can help you discover what to write about or how you feel about a given topic. It can help you beat "writer's block." And it's fun!

Here is a preview of this week's Pocket Journal zip:

Pick it up here: http://www.4shared.com/zip/Oy7KF7zVba/PocketJournal_wk2.html? I also have a scrapbook mini kit freebie for you

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