College English Journal Prompts Writing for the Soul (and for the grade!) Copyright 2008 PresentationFx.com | Redistribution Prohibited | Image © 2008 Thomas Brian | This text section may be deleted for presentation.PresentationFx.com

Entry #1 Create a short story beginning with a phrase such as: “The last time I saw her, she...” “From the back of the truck...” “On the night of the full moon...” “The one thing I know for sure…” Copyright 2008 PresentationFx.com | Redistribution Prohibited | Image © 2008 Thomas Brian | This text section may be deleted for presentation.PresentationFx.com

Entry #2 Copyright 2008 PresentationFx.com | Redistribution Prohibited | Image © 2008 Thomas Brian | This text section may be deleted for presentation.PresentationFx.com Complete the following metaphor and be sure to explain your answer: Writing an essay is like _____ (pulling teeth? Swimming? Building a model airplane? Baking a cake? Enduring torture?) Don’t use these— just to help you start thinking!

Write a letter to yourself that you will read 10 or 20 years from now. What do you want to say to yourself? What are your goals, dreams, and fears? What advice would you give yourself? Entry #3

Entry #4 Describe a memorable event, positive or negative, and how it felt to you, but do not name the feeling. Instead, tell how it felt in your body (damp hands, metallic taste, tight throat, wobbly knees, etc.).

Entry #5 Describe what Tamaqua would look like through a foreigner’s eyes.

Entry #6 Discuss the following quote in your journal entry, making sure you add how it applies to your own life. We need to teach a highly educated person that it is not a disgrace to fail and that he must analyze every failure to find its cause. He must learn how to fail intelligently, for failing is one of the greatest arts of the world. ~Charles F. Kettering

Entry #7 Write an entry from an inanimate object’s point of view. What would this object see, hear, and do all day long? (You might want to make this inanimate object something in school. That object would see and hear lots!)

Entry #8 Once you complete your college education, would you return to your hometown to begin your adult life? Why or why not? W and M

Entry #9 Describe your absolute favorite childhood memory.

Entry #10 According to Stephen Carter, we can admire those with integrity even if we disagree with them. Are there people you admire even though you deeply disagree with them? What do you admire about them? How do you reconcile this apparent contradiction in your assessment? DUKE

Entry #11 You have just completed your 300-page autobiography. Please submit page 217. PSU

Entry #12 If you could see your name in the newspaper for something, anything, what would it be? Write the newspaper article as your journal entry.

Entry #13 Write about a person that really annoyed you this week (and it cannot be your English teacher!!) Write down why this person annoyed you so much. Then, write about a person that really made you happy this week. What did you learn from both experiences? (You don’t need to use names!)

Entry #14 Describe a situation in which your values or beliefs were challenged. How did you react? NYU

Entry #15 What invention would the world be better off without, and why? Kalamazoo

Entry #16 Discuss a song that makes you think of a specific time in your life. What is the connection between this song and your life? How does it make you feel today?

Entry #17 What confuses you most in life, and why? U of VA

Entry #18 What single adjective do you think would be most frequently used to describe you by those who know you best? Briefly explain. Stanford

Entry #19 Choose ONE of the following prompts: What is something you appreciate about your parents or guardians? What will you do differently than your parents when you become a parent yourself? Be sure to explain your answer in detail.

Entry #20 This is an abstract journal prompt. Just draw. (You will have to write about it if you choose this entry for your portfolio project).

Entry #21 This is a free write. You may write about anything you wish.

Entry #22 Write a 20-line poem about loving or hating school. (No rhymes!)

Entry #23 Make a list of 10 things you would like to do. Treat it as a bucket list. Be creative, and be honest. What are 10 things you would do if you had all the resources necessary to complete them?

Entry #24 Write a 26-sentence story. Each sentence must begin with a different letter of the alphabet. If you want to get really crazy, make up other rules for yourself, like you must use at least 3 question marks, 4 semicolons. ORRR….3 simple sentences, 5 compound, 7 complex, and 9 compound- complex!!!!! Fun!!!!!!

Entry #25 Create a metaphor about yourself using something you would find in your kitchen or in your garage. Explain how this object is a good representation of who you are as a person.

Entry #26 Why did you do it? Don’t sit there looking at me…just write! And don’t stop!

Entry #27 Write a short story (2ish paragraphs about an extremely important moment in your life.

Entry #28 You are going to use the story you wrote about for the last entry. You have 10 words. Tell the same story. For sale: Baby shoes, never worn.