Copyright 2005 Writer's Eye Advisory Service

Questions can be very effective in helping develop your journal technique. Exploring is part of the fun of journaling. Questions allow you to explore, develop and plan creative ideas, as well as solve problems. Just listen the people who are mostly likely to ask and answer questions: students, journalists, teachers and coaches. You can discover quite a bit of information about yourself and others just by asking questions. I've listed ten questions that you can use as your first journal prompts. Some questions might resonate more with you than others. Be sure to read the complete list before you start your journal entry.

Experiment with one question first. Answer it and see where it takes you. If your answer sparks your interest or gives you a new idea, reminds you of someone or sounds intriguing, continue writing until you've answered the question to the best of your ability. After answering a few of the questions, start creating some of your own, watch and see where the questions lead you. You can discover quite a bit just from working through one simple question and answer session.

Remember than when you are done with this list, you can write your own question prompt list. You can develop a theme, interview yourself, interview someone else, script an important conversation or eavesdrop on others' questions, then rewrite and answer them in a new sequence. Formulate question prompts exploring several levels of your theme. For example, What's your favorite cake? ( general information) What do you like best about carrot cake?(detailed information) What is your favorite memory about eating carrot cake? (ifocusing on memories: it was my thirteenth birthday) What were you wearing the first time you ate carrot cake?(focusing on senses: a pretty white dress with red rose design) Who gave you your first piece of carrot cake?(focusing on relationships: my mother) The more directions that you explore with your question and answer prompts, the more informative your journal entry will be.

Enjoy writing and discovering more about using question and answer journal prompts

Here is the list:

What really made you happy today?

How do you encourage your friend in hard times?

What is one of your worst pet peeves?

What do you draw when you doodle?

What creative idea did you remember today?

What is your favorite success story?

How do you create new ideas from your mistakes?

What did you see when you looked out of your window?

Where would you go on a dream vacation?

What do you like to do to relax?