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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Jobs
My first job after graduating from college was as a technical writer for a computer software company, but after a month in that position, I knew I didn’t want to make a career of writing user manuals. A few months later, I transferred to the sales and marketing side of things and spent the next three years writing promotional material. I was much happier and frankly, relieved, to be done with (what I thought was) the mundane, repetitious process of writing instructions.
Then, I spent much of last summer testing a computer software program and writing instructions to help our local high school students access the system. I knew our students would be computer-savvy enough to enter the data, but I also understood how busy they were and how they procrastinated on big projects. My instructions had to be clear and as user-friendly as the manuals I worked on 25 years ago.
It took me a long time to truly appreciate what I’d learned during my first six months of employment, and now, I wish I’d kept in touch with my supervisor so I could say “thank you.”
Journal Entry: Make a list of the jobs you’ve held, including a statement or two about your responsibilities and the company’s mission. Then, describe one aspect of one job that you didn’t appreciate at the time, but now, are thankful for the experience.
Interesting Note: According the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average person born in the latter years of the baby boom (1957-1964) held 11.3 jobs from age 18 to age 46. Nearly half of these jobs were held from ages 18 to 24. Read the 2012 report here.
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Do YOU have a writing prompt to share with Literary Mama readers? Send your 150- to 300-word narrative and associated writing prompt to lmblogeditor (at) literarymama (dot) com. We’d love to read your ideas!