A place to start

Thirty prompts for the blank page.

From the world of How to Journal for Beginners. Print them, keep them by the kettle, start with whichever one feels smallest. One honest sentence counts.

Easy starts

  1. Right now, I notice…
  2. One sentence about today is…
  3. What is one thing you noticed today?
  4. Name something you can see right now.
  5. Finish the line: today felt…
  6. One word for this morning — then why.
  7. Write one sentence about right now.
  8. What did you see today?
  9. Describe the room you are in, one detail at a time.
  10. If I had to start badly, I would write…

Blank-page rescue

  1. Copy your last thought down exactly, then answer it.
  2. Something I keep coming back to lately is…
  3. What keeps showing up lately? Name the thread.
  4. Let the page run: start anywhere and keep going for three minutes.
  5. Before the day starts, empty a few lines onto the page.
  6. Put one thing down. Write what you are ready to set aside.
  7. Write anything, your way. Which method felt most like you?

Gratitude, without forcing it

  1. One small thing that went right today was…
  2. Name something ordinary that quietly holds your day together.
  3. Name something steady in your life.
  4. One thing you’re glad exists.
  5. Where did today surprise you, even a little?

Look back, look ahead

  1. This week, I noticed…
  2. What is one thing this month taught you, gently?
  3. Look back gently: what has this week taught you?
  4. What would you tell a friend who had your day?
  5. The next small step toward what I want is…
  6. Write one line to yourself a year from now.
  7. Say hello to yourself a year from now. One line.
  8. One word for today. Then one line about why.

These prompts come from the companion app to How to Journal for Beginners — a private, beginner-first journaling app. The book explains the methods behind them; the app helps you begin. You don’t need either to journal — a notebook is enough.