Monday Morning Writing Prompt

It's all well and good to talk about journaling, but there are many of us who buy a journal or open a new document on our computer only to discover that we are suddenly tongue-tied and staring at a blank page. Writing prompts can often be the kick that we need to get the pen moving and the keyboard clicking. So each Monday morning we'll provide you with a prompt to help you get words on a page. At the risk of sounding repetitive, we believe every person has a story and that those stories are lost if they are not told. Sometimes, we tell the stories to a select audience (maybe only ourselves), but there are times when we desire to tell the stories to a wider audience. However you choose to tell your story is up to you, but we do encourage you to put pen to paper and say something. If nothing else it's good therapy, but who knows how it might impact someone if you choose to share it? So here is your Monday Morning Writing Prompt:

Think back to your best friend in elementary or middle school. Describe her and your friendship. What secrets did you share? What was your favorite thing to do together? How did that friendship shape you for life, or did it?

Now, write!

We love to read your stories, so if you want to share it with us send it to lisa@miamagazine.net.

Journaling

We took a stack of journals to the photo shoot for our Winter issue cover. We wanted to include a journal in the photo - not obvious, just a subtle nod to storytelling. That is, after all, the point of the magazine. I've posted the question on our facebook page: how do YOU journal? We first tell our stories to ourselves - a rehearsal of sorts - before we launch the stories to the world. It's not a rule, however. Some women just don't have time to sit every morning or evening and with pen write down the events and thoughts of a day into a thick journal. Honestly, I don't make the time, but instead find other ways to journal.

Some days I take a stack of photos with my IPhone - it's with me wherever I go, and the photos taken in the course of one day definitely tell a story. Other days I pull the thin, paper journal from my bag when I'm waiting somewhere and jot down three thoughts. The thoughts that cross my mind during a day also tell a story. About once a week, I try to post something significant on my blog - a longer, more polished form of journaling that (yikes!) the world can see. Some women seem to journal through facebook status updates and tweets. I'm not too good at this, so I'll let others tell their story through this form of social networking. I do like to read them, so I suppose in some way I'm participating in the social network storytelling process. For decades, my husband's grandparents wrote at least a two page letter every Thursday to their daughter who lived several states away. This most certainly qualified as journaling since the letters were filled with stories of the week and their thoughts and feelings about the events. I know some mothers who write a letter each week to their infants and young children, which is a great way to tell the story of motherhood and create a keepsake for a child.

There are many ways to journal. I've often given up on the process because I limited myself to one form - pencil, paper, and a block of time. But that doesn't often work for me, so I'm intent on finding creative ways to tell my own story that fit this season of my life.

We'd love to hear from you. How do you journal? You might even be journaling without realizing it! Think about it, then do a short form of journaling and send a comment to let me know how you tell your story. As you know by now, we love to read your stories - whether they are 1,100 words or only a few sentences.

-Lisa