Journal Writing/Thinking Ideas
1) Draw a map of your neighborhood and show where important things have happened in your life. (Just like author Jack Gantos did!)
2) Write about something you put on your neighborhood map. Use enough detail so that it’s obvious to the reader why it earned a spot on your map!
3) Describe the worst thing you ever had to eat at one of your relative’s houses.
4) Without using swear words or anybody’s name, write a paragraph telling off someone who bullied you or was mean to you in any way.
5) Describe something you once did that you knew you would hate but you did it anyway to be nice to someone.
6) An old man who lives down the street passed away. Everyone thought he was strange. But now, weeks after his death, the whole town considers him a hero. What did they find in his house that changed everybody’s minds?
7) Describe a time when you begged for something and when you finally got it you looked it over, set it aside and never touched it again.
8) Describe everyone you know using only one word per person. Start with your family and then move on to relatives and friends. Their names DO NOT count! And don’t use any word more than once.
9) Imagine your bedroom right at this moment. Now imagine you are 25 years older and describing your childhood bedroom to a good friend. What’s the one thing you will be sure to describe in great detail? Why?
10) What’s one thing you’ve ever said that you regret and wish you could take back? Who did you say it to? What was the result? Why do you want to take back what you said?
11) Would you rather be really smart or really famous? Why?
12) Pretend Google will last forever, then consider this question: What would someone find out about you if they Googled your name 25 years from now?
13) If you have a favorite pet, think about its qualities and what makes it unique. Then, describe what kind of person it would become if it magically turned human but kept the same qualities. What would it look like? What would its name be? What would it do for a living? Would it be kind? Mean? Rich? Poor?
14) Think about a trip to your favorite store or restaurant. Now write about it but ONLY by describing the people you see there. Can you describe them in such a way that the reader will know exactly what place you are talking about?
15)Write about something that you imagined before it actually happened. Which was better, the version you imagined or the real one? Why?