365 Days of Creative Writing

By Rosemary Augustine

Even when journaling on a daily basis, the writer is often faced with writer’s block. Using journal prompts gives your writing a boost whether you are journaling at 6:00 am or writing at midnight. Prompts help you break through patterns, toxic relationships or expand your creativity using journaling as a means of going deep inside and finding answers that never can be found externally. The more you journal, the more creative you become, and the more creative you become the more productive you become with your writing practice. Funny how something so simple is often so feared. By journaling, your writing feeds your mind and heals your soul. Use journal prompts to stimulate your writing rather than staring at a blank page early in the morning and wondering what on earth do you write about... often wasting time and never writing. Prompts make use of limited time and helps you get right to the point of the question. Journal prompts help you get out of your comfort zone. With journal prompts, you are often asked questions you wouldn’t think of, questions that may offer a different perspective on your thinking, or may bring to the forefront issues like your thoughts about God, recognizing a toxic relationship or facing your fears. The best part of this, is you write it and can decide from there of any changes you want to make... sort of like a practice run. Journal prompts give you an opportunity to stretch your writing skills by quickly moving to the right side of your brain. Only then can your creativity begin to emerge. With a daily writing practice you increase your creativity and begin to release a stream of consciousness. Then watch how your life becomes more creative overall, and your writing productivity increasing as a result. It’s subtle but most effective. Journal prompts help you get issues out on the table, resolve life’s complexities on the page, and lets the paper absorb your fears, anger and resentments so you can let go and move on. For some it’s scary, for most it’s a very powerful tool. Journal prompts help you work through grief, depression or disappointment helping you see where you can make changes and experiment with making those changes with analyzing them on paper. An important factor when wanting to make changes in your life and fear holds you back. It’s been proven that journaling stimulates the right side of the brain which is your creative side helping you see things more clearly by developing your gut feelings (or intuitive side). By working through issues of repeated patterns and correcting bad behavior, some doors close and many others open, since with journaling you are able to focus more clearly. Journal prompts are easy exercises that can be used in conjunction with therapy and even aide in the recovery of trauma, loss, grief, disappointment and childhood hurts. What is most important about journaling is that you hand write your thoughts not keyboard your response. Scientific evidence shows that the handwriting of these thoughts goes deep into the psyche drawing upon a level of consciousness never able to be reached through keyboarding. This book offers 365 prompts for daily writing whether you work the prompts in order or open randomly to a selection.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Rosemary Augustine
• Release date: Dec 5, 2012
• ISBN: 9780964471139

Rosemary Augustine

A native of Southern New Jersey, Rosemary Augustine spent most of her adult life living in Colorado and returned to the Philadelphia area in 2001. However, when Rosemary relocated from her home in Denver to the New Jersey / Pennsylvania area, something different happened besides a change of address. Rosemary embraced the culture of the northeast with a flair for creativity which opened a new direction for her as an artist and writer. Rosemary calls herself a Journal Aficionado – her License Plate reads: “Journal” ... She offers many creative workshops focused on art-filled play and creative writing taking your spirit to new levels. Her artistic endeavors include acrylic and watercolor painting, designing and developing hand-crafted journals as well as a daily writing practice. Rosemary helps you get focused through an age-old medium that generates ideas, breaks through writer's block and opens doors never imagined – all through creativity using art and writing as the base. Many people feel they are not creative, and have great fear around using paint, crayons or markers and especially around journal writing. Rosemary has a unique ability to put her audience at ease with simple right-brain exercises that result in pure creative expression. Rosemary has numerous accolades awarded her since 1991 as an author, coach, facilitator and speaker. Her proudest include listings in Who’s Who of American Women and Who’s Who in the World and, of course, being an author. Rosemary released her first book in 1995 titled Facing Changes In Employment and continues to work as a Career Coach from 1991. She released her second book titled How To Live and Work Your Passion in 2000. Through this book and her website, she continues to inspire others to follow their passion. Rosemary’s third book is titled: 365 Days of Creative Writing. She has also written Secrets I Learned From Ordinary House Cats, 29 Things To Do and Journal to a More Creative Self. Rosemary spent 20 years in Corporate America and another 20 years helping people transition out of Corporate America. During her days in Corporate, she hired, managed and trained individuals. She worked for such companies as Integrated Resources, The Coach Store, Prudential Insurance and Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation. Beginning in 1980, she spent 10 years in the financial services industry, holding a NASD Series 7 Stock Broker’s License and later worked as Director of Investor Relations for a Denver-based brokerage firm. Rosemary continues to joke today about how she ever survived Corporate America – especially 20 years! Today, she operates her life from a 2nd story flat and shares her home with a feisty feline named Ziggy, who has his own Facebook page: www.facebook.com/mycoolcatziggy. Ziggy is an inspiration for her art and writing. Rosemary is the owner of Blue Spruce Publishing and began her writing and consulting business in 1991. Today, she spends her time writing, painting and honoring her creative spirit. She now makes her home in Melbourne, FL.

Book preview

INTRODUCTION

What Is Creative Writing?

For me, creative writing is just about any kind of writing - fiction or non-fiction; poetry or prose, sci-fi, mysteries, bio’s and more. Even letters and business correspondence can sometimes come from a creative spark using writing as the base. Simply stated, creative writing gives you the inspiration your need to write in these genres and more.

When writing outside the bounds of journalistic or academic literature, you write outside the box with no right or wrong way of writing - loose, free and with a stream of consciousness, letting the writing flow from you freely and easily. This gives you a foundation for building your writing projects.

How Does Creative Writing Work?

As a writer, creative writing stretches my imagination with thoughts, ideas, prompts and free writing exercises that then may develop into an article, blog, newsletter, chapter or even a book. With creative writing, I’ve created my own writing style, and I’m never at a loss for words - whether writing at 6 AM or midnight. I am writing and that’s what is important.

Creative writing offers a chance to write when blocked, write when troubled, write when happy and write for no reason at all. Writing tells a story, helps identify patterns, resolve issues, provide personal and professional growth and more - all through using creative writing as part of the process.

How Do I Use The Prompts In This eBook?

The prompts in this ebook are designed to spark ideas, thoughts and inspiration. Pick a prompt, write about the thoughts or inspiration the prompt creates for you. Let the writing flow and don’t be concerned if your writing takes you off task of the prompt you selected. It’s OK. Remember, there is no right or wrong way to the creative writing process. Your daily prompt writings should last about 5-15 minutes. If you are concerned for time, set a timer for 15 minutes and start writing. I suggest using a separate notebook/journal for this process for deeper access to your consciousness.

Some of the prompts may be interpreted as metaphors. Words like garden, road trip, trucks, etc. can be interesting prompts when used as metaphors. Weeding your garden may include weeding