Journaling Prompts

Have you ever tried using a journaling prompt to get you started with a page? Most of us probably let the photos or a layout sketch guide our scrapping, but many times the story behind the photos (or the story that lacks a photo to go with it) gets left behind. Here's a personal challenge: for every 5 pages you scrap, make sure one of them begins with the story.

This is a tough challenge for me, because more often than not I'm seriously lacking in the journaling department. I look through my books and wonder how I left out so many important details. I have notebooks and journals filled with memories but I can't quite get them on the page. Funny, because I am so drawn to scrappers who tell the whole story with their pages, including lots of writing along with important dates and people's names. I admire it, but I haven't made it a priority.

So... try starting your scrapping with words instead of photos! Explore this by writing in a cheap-y notebook that you can keep in your purse. When you think of something or a memory pops in your head, grab that trusty notebook and jot it down... not in a fancy way or anything. Even a bullet list will do. Then, when you're ready to start a new page, grab the notebook. Here are a few prompts that I thought might help you get started:

• My favorite teacher in school was _____ because he/she...
  
• Every night before I go to bed I...
• When I grow up I want to be (kid version & revised adult version)
  
• My children bring out this (bad) thing in me...
  
• I believe in this very strongly:

I would love to do pages with all 5 journaling prompts. The fun thing will be taking those ideas and finding the photos to match. In my mind I'm imagining finding that one random childhood photo of myself or another one of a million cute theme-less photos of my kids, and pairing it with one of these prompts. It will bring those odd photos out of the shoebox and into my albums. And my memories will have a place to be seen as well. :)

Edited to add: Hey! I have an idea! Just for fun and to get to know each other better, in your comments why not tell us a little about yourself based on one of the five prompts above? I'll start: Every night before I go to bed I... 1. Pray 2. Apply Burt's Bees lip balm 3. Take all my jewelry off 4. Put socks on. ;)