"Everyone knows somebody that needs to read this book (Perseverance) !" –Kathie Lee Gifford, Live on NBC’s Today Show
"Perseverance offers… profound insight for all of us seeking to lead a meaningful life." –Daniel H. Pink, New York Times bestselling author of A Whole New Mind
»More Reviews
Buy Perseverance
Pen & Paper: The Power of Quotes
Welcome to this month’s Pen & Paper: Living Between the Lines written by the amazing Hope Wallace Karney. To learn more about Hope and the column, please check out the announcement post!
Not everyone always has heart-breaking or soul-soaring topics to journal about, and a lot of people think that is the only time they should journal, so I am often asked:
How do you know what to journal about?
A lot of people who sign up for my classes want to know what to journal about when everyday life is mundane – when they think they do not have anything exciting to share. I happen to be a person who is always questioning and thinking, I have a big interest in some heavy topics and find myself pondering my place in the universe and journaling helps with that. But sometimes I still wish to journal and not be so deep – or even hit a wall when my mind keeps circling around the same ideas and cannot move forward. There is one technique I use to unclog my mind, and that I always tell others to try when faced with a blank journal page and not knowing what to write about.
I pick a quote. It can be one someone famous said, or even a line I heard a favourite character utter on a television show I watched last night. It could be something a friend said to me, or heartwarming words from my mother.
But to start, it is easiest to pick a quote that jumps out at you – that once you finish reading the last word you sit back and think, “ah, I know how that feels.”
Then I take the time to write out the quote on a crisp blank journal page – sometimes I will use fancy lettering, other times I won’t – it is all up to you and how you are feeling (and if you like to incorporate art into your journals or not).
Once I have the quote down – I start to think about it a bit, I ask myself questions, and then the journaling starts flowing and before I know it I have a lot to write about.
Here are some questions to get you started after you find a quote to work with:
- What drew you to this particular quote?
- Is this a new quote you just found or an old one you always loved?
- Have you ever heard of the person who said it? You may want to google their name to get more insight into their character – is there anything you see in them that you see in yourself? Do you like what you know about this person, or are you shocked that you are drawn to something they said?
- Are their certain words in the quote that speak to you specifically? What are they (hint: if you are unsure you may notice you write some words with more care than others – perhaps because they mean something to you?)
- How does it make you feel to read the quote?
- Does it bring you back to a different time in your life? If so, what was going on with you at that time?
- Does it make you want to be a better person? To reach some achievement you have long striven for?
- Do the words hold a secret meaning to you, unseen by others? What is it?
Don’t be surprised if more questions start popping up as you work on these – that is the best part – this simple exercise can get you journaling without even realizing it. You can even start with the same quote once a month, and see how your words have changed, your perception of the quote could be altered a month from now for various reasons.
The most important thing is to remember to not hold back – this is your journal, your safe place, where you can be 100% yourself.
Tips on finding quotes to use
Several sites let you search by topic or author, so you can find quotes on something that is capturing your interest at the moment (such as gardening or friendship), or you can use one from someone who you admire (an author, philosopher, etc).
Here are some sites to help you find quotes:
Besottment Quotes
This is where I stash quotes I stumble upon online that speak to me – feel free to browse them and grab any that you love.
Tiny Buddha Quote Archive
Simple wisdom for complex lives
Bartleby
Books, verse, quotes, etc
The Quotations Page
Database of quotes, can be searched by author or subject
Do you have any resources for finding quotes you would like to share? Or how about any tips for the people wanting to know what to journal about when faced with the blank page?
Related "ripples" you might enjoy:
- Pen & Paper: The Power of Questions
- Pen & Paper: Overcoming Your Journaling Fears
- Pen & Paper: How to Cultivate Your Own Style
- Pen & Paper: 13 Books for Journaling Inspiration
- Pen & Paper: My Cup of Tea
This entry was posted on Tuesday, March 22nd, 2011 at 7:00 am and is filed under Creative, Creativity & Inspiration, Guest Bloggers, Pen & Paper, When You Feel. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
11 Responses to “Pen & Paper: The Power of Quotes”
Leave a Reply
I just printed this post! I have always wanted to try and journal but sometimes the blank white paper can be intimidating. The steps you discussed really resonated with me.
Twitter: paperrelics
says:
Yay Julie! I promise – this is a great way to banish blank page intimidation! Stop back and let us know how it goes!
Twitter: HJudeBoudreaux
says:
I started my own google document of quotes that I love so that I can get to them anytime and share them easily. I’m up over 180 thanks to your resources! They’re so great at inspiring blog posts, journal topics, anything!
[...] Pen & Paper: The Power of Quotes « A Beautiful Ripple Effect [...]
One of my favorite finds is http://www.inspirationpeak.com It’s fabulous!
I love quotes with a passion! I’m a blogger and love to sprinkle quotes throughout my pages. If they make me happy they must make other quotations lovers happy too! :)
Sylvia´s last blog ..Her Written Words Remain
(Just stumbled across your blog–love it!).
Anyway, I use a free program called Evernote: http://www.evernote.com/. You can drop entire webpages into your notebook if you want, or just write little notes to yourself. And you can access your notebook from any computer, anywhere. I’ve been using it for about a month and it is so helpful–pretty much ANY time I come across a quote that I love, I copy & paste it into my evernote. It just really helps me to have one spot where I can keep everything & reach it from other computers.
And I’m sure there are other programs like evernote–it’s just the one that I happened to find & use.
Any time I find an inspiring blog that I love, I subscribe to their email list, because a lot of them will have awesome quotes in their newsletters–I usually come across at least one gem a day that way.
Jessica Morrow´s last blog ..sunday works in process- week 1
Twitter: carolynr
says:
I am also addicted to Evernote, Jessica :)! I use it for everything (from class notes to blog posts to gift ideas and journaling)!!
Twitter: clearlycomposed
says:
I love to journal based on a quote! That whole blank page thing disappears when you start with that little something and it can be amazing to see where you take a topic when you just let the words flow and don’t edit. Thanks so much for the links. I know I will put them to good use. :)
Clearly Composed´s last blog .. Sometimes Greed is Good…
Twitter: davidLFBreathe
says:
Thanks for some great ideas to kickstart some indepth thinking about quotes.
There are countless quotes out there, and so there are countless ways to learn more about ourselves as we reflect on why we feel the way we do when reading them.
Why do we feel encouraged or inspired when we read certain words? Why do some words have more impact on us than others?
David | Listen Feel Breathe´s last blog ..Finding Greatness- free e-book
Twitter: bbravo
says:
I took a great visual journaling class with Lisa Sonora Beam where we painted the pages of our journal (the whole page) before we added images and words. It can be more inviting to be faced with a hand-painted pink, purple, yellow, or green page than a white one (:
Britt Bravo´s last blog ..15 Qualities of 20 Juicy Blogs a Giveaway
famous quotes…
Pen & Paper: The Power of Quotes « A Beautiful Ripple Effect…