Did you know that many famous authors and writers kept diaries? It’s true! Authors like Virginia Wolf, Mark Twain, C.S. Lewis and many others have kept journals and diaries. Keeping a diary is one of the easiest ways to keep track of ideas and boost your writing skills. But sometimes, it can be difficult to know what to write, which is why I’m giving you even more diary entry prompts that you can implement in your diary/journal today!
5 Diary Entry Prompts That Boost Writing Skills
Bullet Point Ideas
Rather than simply write down full sentences, try to condense your ideas into bullet points. This can boost writing skills by forcing you to focus on the main idea of the thought, event, or idea. When you condense an idea, it is easier to identify what the main message should be and whether it is worth expanding.
What If
If you are really stumped for what to write in your diary, try creating a “what if” scenario. For example, if you visited the grocery store and nothing happened, try adding things to your day in “what if” fashion, such as “what if I had a flat tire?” This is an easy way to generate a lot of story ideas.
Write in the Dark
If you tend to get distracted when writing, writing in the dark is a helpful way around it. In the dark, it is harder to be distracted. Try to close your eyes and focus on what you are writing. This is, of course, easier if you have good handwriting. But even if you don’t, it is still helpful.
Make a Storyboard of Your Day
If you don’t have anything to say, transform it into picture form. Chop up your day or ideas into scenes and move them around to your liking. You could make a cartoon or write brief descriptions of each “panel” that happened during your day.
Write a Letter
I did this in my diary for years. Instead of writing a regular diary entry, I pretended I was writing to my long-distance boyfriend. It was easier to unlock true emotions that way. I still have those old diaries, but I sure can’t read my handwriting! Oh well. Yet another reason to make sure your handwriting is legible.
Want more diary entry prompts? Check these out!
More Writing Tips
Daily Mayo is all about having fun while reading, without rules! If you love books as much as I do, join the DM Book Lover's Club to keep up with the latest in the book world and get the DM Book Club Reading List.
Come get to know me and let's talk books!
These are some great tips. I love to write. I very seldom have writers block, but it does happen from time to time. I never have tried to write in the dark, but I can see how that would change everything.
Interesting article but very short. Keeping a diary really enhances writing skills. But you can use other methods to improve your writing skills. Many useful tips can be found on the Internet, but not all of them can give a positive effect. Personally, I prefer to write small essays. The theme for them I take from life. This allows me to look at some problem on the other hand, and also improves my skills in the ability to structure my thoughts into a logical document. Other methods can also be used. There are no specific tips, everything is individual. Writing a diary can help improving writing skills for someone. But for others, it doesn’t work.