Journaling

Essays, Journal Prompts, Interviews, Literary Responses, Critical Reviews

The following prompts are from the book, Rain, Steam, and Speed: Building Fluency in Adolescent Writers by Gerald Fleming and Meredith Pike-Baky

FIRST DAY

1. (First journal entry)

Have you written in journals before, either at home or in school?

What was the nature of your writing: was it on particular subjects, or was it simply "freewrites," where you wrote what you felt like writing?

If you had journals in school, how did the teacher structure them? Were you satisfied with the process? Did you feel as if you did well, or were you unsatisfied? And what about this journal process this year? Are you feeling a little overwhelmed, or are you confident? Are you eager to write about lots of things, or are you anxious (nervous)? Write about journals today.

RELATIONSHIPS

2. (Defining a Good Friend)

What's a good friend? Some people say that a real friend is someone who tells you everything about himself or herself, someone to whom you tell everything about yourself. Others disagree, and say that some things are private, and that its not always important to share everything with friends-even good friends.

What do you think? Is a good friend someone who supports you no matter what, or is a good friend someone who tells you the truth, no matter what? Should a friend be similar to you-dress the way you dress, like the same things you like-or is it possible to have a good friend who's very unlike you?

What is your idea of what this "friendship thing" is all about? Write about it and give some examples.

3. Betrayal

Have you ever been betrayed by a friend, in a large or small way? Being betrayed by a friend can be a shocking thing, whether that betrayal was in love ("She stole my boyfriend!") or situations less passionate ("You told the teacher!").

What happened? What did the betrayal feel like? Did it change your relationship, or did neither of you mention it, and life just went on? Or did talking about it-confronting your friend in his or her betrayal-make your relationship better? And what about you: have you ever betrayed a friend, knowingly or unknowingly? Write about it.

4. (Hurt Feelings-Intentional or Not)

Have you ever hurt someone's feelings deeply? Maybe that person was an adult, maybe a friend, maybe a relative.

Was your hurt intentional-on purpose-or was it done accidentally, almost unconsciously? Did the person you hurt know right away, or find out later? How did you know the person's feelings were hurt? And did you do anything to make the situation better? (Maybe you were glad their feelings were hurt?) Finally, what did they do in response? Cry? Get angry? Become cold to you forever? Write about it.