There are three journal actions that you should take when writing a journal entry. You should stop. You should look, and then you should listen. In order to write a journal entry you need to be aware of what's going on inside and outside of you. After practicing these three actions you will become more aware of everything around you.

STOP: Prepare yourself to write, finish up the work in front of you. Find your journal and pen or pencil. Take a deep breath, shrug your shoulders and relax.

LOOK: Look at your journal page. Take in everything about the page, including margins, whether the page is ruled or unruled and how much space you have from the top to the bottom of the page. Then think about the issue(s)s that you want to discuss. Choose one subject. Jot the other topics in a short list somewhere for later use. Here's are some suggestions for choosing a topic.

-- Make a list of positive words or phrases that you read when you need some encouragement.

--Make a page of your favorite drawings to motivate you in to create your art.

--Write a page about one of your strongest feelings, such as anger or sadness.

--Write a list of all that you accomplished in one day, week, month or year/

--Write a to-do list.
--Write a list of dreams.
--Write a list of goals.
--Write a list of short prayers.
--Write a list of your favorite books.
--Write a shopping list.

LISTEN: Listen to your intuition, that small voice that you hear when you are making a decision. Listen to God. Listen to people you trust. Listen to the five w's, who, what ,when where and why. Write the words that you hear. Identify the voice that is speaking to you. Have a brief conversation with the voice. Stop writing when you are both finished. You may run out of words to say, feel tired or have writer's cramp. Some examples of when you may be finished: You may run out of words, feel tired or have writer's cramp.

Congratulations! You've written your first journal entry. You can repeat this exercise any time, to help you write new entries.

Happy Journaling!

Copyright 2005 Writer's Eye Advisory Service