For Your Journal: Writing Prompt
Do you keep a journal – or wish you could get one started? Literary Mama wants to help.
Three times a month, I’ll post a writing prompt. Open a notebook and write for 10 minutes. Don’t worry about grammar or punctuation – just write. Then let the writing simmer and your mind wander for awhile.
And who knows? Maybe you’ll discover a character for your next short story or a theme for a narrative essay. Or maybe you’ll use the idea to create a special holiday card or photo album for someone in your family. However you decide to use your journal entry, I know you’ll enjoy re-reading it months–and years–down the road.
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From the American Folklife Center —
Folklife is the everyday and intimate creativity that all of us share and pass on to the next generation including:
- The traditional songs we sing, listen and dance to
- Fairy tales, stories, ghost tales and personal histories
- Riddles, proverbs, figures of speech, jokes and special ways of speaking
- Our childhood games and rhymes
- The way we celebrate life
– from birthing our babies to honoring our dead - The entire range of our personal and collective beliefs
– religious, medical, magical, and social - Our handed-down recipes and everyday mealtime traditions
- The way we decorate our world
– from patchwork patterns on our quilts to plastic flamingoes in our yards, to tattoos on - our bodies
- The crafts we create by hand
– crocheted afghans, wooden spoons, cane bottoms on chairs - Patterns and traditions of work
– from factory to office cubicle - The many creative ways we express ourselves as members of our family, our community, our geographical region, our ethnic group, our religious congregation, or our occupational group
Folklife is part of everyone’s life. It is as constant as a ballad, as changeable as fashion trends. It is as intimate as a lullaby, and as public as a parade.
Journal Entry: What do you want your children to know about your life, your culture, your philosophy of living? What advice do you want to share? List 10 songs, stories, celebrations, recipes, or hobbies you want to pass on to your children. Then, list 10 pieces of advice specific to your son and/or 10 pieces of advice specific to your daughter.