What to Write in a Journal (When You Don’t Know Where to Start)
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Stillnest Letter — for the woman standing at the edge of a blank page
There is a particular kind of silence
that comes before writing.
Not emptiness.
Not failure.
Just the pause of someone who has carried a lot,
and is not sure how to begin placing it down.
If you have opened a journal and felt unsure,
if the page has looked back at you like a question —
you are not alone.
Most people do not struggle because they have nothing to say.
They struggle because what they feel is still wordless.
So here are a few gentle beginnings.
Not prompts as pressure.
Just openings.
1. Write what is true, not what is impressive
You do not need a perfect thought.
You do not need wisdom.
You can simply begin with:
- Today feels…
- Right now, I am carrying…
- I don’t know what I need, but I know…
Truth is always enough.
2. Describe the moment you are in
Sometimes journaling is not about the past or future.
It is about returning to the present.
Write what is around you:
The light through the window.
The sound in the room.
The weather pressing softly against the day.
A journal can begin as noticing.
3. Write the thing you haven’t said out loud
Not for anyone else.
Not for explanation.
Just for release.
- What I wish someone understood is…
- What I am afraid to admit is…
- What I miss is…
A page can hold what the world cannot.
4. Ask yourself one honest question
You do not have to answer it fully.
Just let it sit beside you.
- What am I longing for?
-What am I ready to let go of?
- What do I need more of this year?
- What is quietly ending?
Sometimes the question is the writing.
5. Begin with memory, if the present is too much
Write about something small:
A kitchen table.
A walk you took.
A season you survived.
A moment you felt briefly like yourself again.
Memory is often the first doorway back.
6. Make lists that are not practical, but human
Lists can be prayers in plain clothing.
Try:
- Things that comfort me
- Things I am learning
- Things I want to remember
- Things I am no longer available for
- Things that still feel possible
7. Let it be unfinished
You do not have to write every day.
You do not have to fill pages.
A journal is not a task.
It is a place.
Some weeks you will write a paragraph.
Some weeks, only a sentence.
That is still a life being witnessed.
If you feel overwhelmed by a blank page… begin somewhere else
For many people, journaling does not start at a desk.
It starts outside.
Go for a walk.
Let the air loosen you.
Notice one small thing —
a bird shifting on a branch,
the weight of the sky,
the quiet persistence of a tree.
Then come home.
And write only this:
-What I saw…
-What I felt…
-What stayed with me…
A notebook becomes beginner-friendly
when it is not a demand for answers,
but a place to place what life has already offered.
The page does not have to be filled.
It only has to be touched.
A simple beginning with Stillnest
The Nature’s Messengers notebooks were created for this kind of return
not for perfect journaling,
but for small, honest noticing.
A few lines after a walk.
A moment held before it disappears.
→ Explore the notebooks here
Nature’s Messengers Series – stillnest press
And when you want more guidance…
The Soul Ledger offers gentle structure —
a midway companion for those who want a little prompting,
without losing spaciousness.
→ Discover The Soul Ledger
The soul Ledger – stillnest press
A blank page is not asking you to be profound.
It is only asking you to arrive.
Even softly.
Even imperfectly.
That is how journaling begins.
- Deborah Lynch - Le moine