Welcome to Prompt 10 of the Summer Journal! Are you looking for a bite-sized taste of inspiration to get your creative mind flowing? Dip your pen into this inkwell of opportunity today and start. If you want more information before beginning, head over to the SJ 2025 Page.
Otherwise, open to a blank page, we’ve got work to do…and it will be happiness to your writerly heart.
OK, this prompt, I confess, is straight-up for the book lovers, of which, I also confess I am. Book nerd, book lover, bookish, however you want to describe the love of books. I am guilty as charged. I believe, one can never have too many. Now that that’s out of the way, let’s dive in to the prompt.
Option 1: Tell Me All About It. I know you have a stack of books by your bed, on your nightstand, or somewhere in that nest of yours. Write the obvious, which is what you are reading now. Ask yourself the following: Am I enjoying this book? Why or why not? Describe what you like, or don’t like about the writing, the story, or specific content. Will you finish the book or ditch it? Tell me (technically, your journal) EVERYTHING!
Option 2: The Book Shelf. Go to your bookshelf, or any shelf where you can peruse book titles. Or you can pick one of the stacks in your nest (don’t deny it, you know you have many stacks). Check out each title, and choose one to three that could work as a prompt together or separately. Respond in your journal to the self-made prompt. You could try to create a poem or random prompt to jump off of with any combination of words OR titles. Open your mind, have fun, be creative (Yes, you are creative-because you are a creation yourself).
Option 3: NEXT! Write about the books you want to read. This can be a list of titles, as long or short as you would like (or time allows). If you journal out a longer list you could further break down your book list into into seasonal categories. Choosing which season you want to read which books. Or create a short Summer Reading list for yourself, include a new genre if possible. Since you’re just writing there’s no judgement and no one to see whether or not you read every book on the list, so surprise yourself with a few possibilities for consideration, if they are on your radar. See what comes to mind.
alternatively, PERSUADE me (your journal- but use whatever audience in your mind helps get the job done!) to read a book that you love, or would happily re-read. Write all the ways and whys of your love for your chosen title!
OR
For the crafty reader: TOP TEN- Make a book collage in your journal of your 10 favorite books of all time. Draw them or copy, paste the images into your journal. Be as creative as you are led to do. You could also sketch out your Top Five latest reads so far for 2025.
I hope you find something enjoyable to ponder in these prompts today, until next time- Happy journaling!
Enthusiastically, Dawn 