Journal Prompt and Peer Review Guiding Questions
You will need a sheet of paper and pen/pencil. Select one of the following journal prompts and write a short
1-2 paragraph response with the following requirements included. Please check that the journal prompt entry
has the following requirements:
1. Must include at least 5 complex sentences.
2. No linking verbs.
3. At least 5 of the following vocab words (if you’re unsure of the definition, please look it up in the
dictionary before using).
4. Use at least one semicolon correctly ( ; )
5. Use at least one colon correctly ( : )
Vocab Word List
captivate
sustenance
bravado
liberate
artifice
harbinger
merciful
epicure
resilience
raillery
conciliate
deteriorate
bleak
gastronomy
credible
vociferous
misapprehend
imperil
conscientious
intricate
originate
ebullient
volatile
imminence
enfeeble
phenomenon
admonish
hysteria
shrewd
guile
intimidate
resplendent
confidant
abstruse infest
mishap
peter
permeate
iridescent
malign
accommodate
boorish
disconsolate
predicament
imminent
contort
harass
conjecture
excitable
incite
transmute
befog
ecstatic
avert
rampant
infringe
pastoral
seethe
suave
encroach
specter
indignant
landmark
irate
affluence
punctilious
fervor
persuade
solicitude
counter-claim
infamous
rampant
illusory
abrogate
annihilate
resurgent
culprit
static
suppress
conjoin
malevolent
contemplate
abstain
deter
dissemble
mandate
vigilant
denounce
ostentatious
epidemic
venture
bemoan
benevolent
detest
decamp
gusto
preternatural
clamorous
confront
immense
Journal Prompts
Choose one of the following journal prompts to write your entry on:
Quotes: Choose a quote and talk about what it means to you. Try to relate it to something important to your
own life. There are no right or wrong answers. Remember to include the aforementioned requirements.
Please write out the quote at the top of your paper.
1. “Half our life is spent trying to find something to do with the time we have rushed through life trying to save.”
~ Will Rogers
2. “The most important thing in communication is hearing what isn’t being said.” ~ Anonymous
3. “They always say ‘Time changes things,’ but you actually have to change them yourself.” ~ Andy Warhol
4. “When you can’t have what you want, it’s time to start wanting what you have.” ~ Kathleen A. Sutton
5. “Creativity is allowing yourself to make mistakes. Art is knowing which ones to keep.” ~ Scott Adams
6. “I once complained of having no shoes until I met a man with no feet.” ~ Anonymous
7. “It’s belonging, not belongings, that make one truly happy.” ~ Anonymous
8. “Your children will become what you are; so be what you want them to become.” ~ David Bly
9. “After a storm comes a calm.” ~ Matthew Henry
10. “Either you run the day or the day runs you.” ~ Jim Rohn
Deep Thinking Questions: Answer the following questions and be sure to include all of the requirements for journal
writing. There are no right or wrong answers. Please write out the question at the top of your paper.
1. For what in life do you feel most grateful?
2. If you could wake up tomorrow having gained one new ability or characteristic, what would it be and
why?
3. Whom do you admire most? Do you have a personal hero/role model? How have they influenced you?
4. What does the color purple smell like?
5. What things motivate you most in life? Explain.
6. What are two important choices or decisions you’ve recently made? One smart one and one dumb one.
7. List and explain five ways that you relieve stress.
8. Describe a dream that you had recently. Provide as many details as possible.
9. Do you believe in love at first sight? Explain why or why not.
10. Where do you see yourself in 20 years?
Story starters: Select one of the following to create an imaginative story using the aforementioned requirements. Your
story must begin with one of the following:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
It was a dark and stormy night…
Suddenly, I turned around to see…
The veteran baseball star scribbled a note in a neat closet for the FBI.
"That will show them," I thought as I hammered the last nail into place.
Everyone had a partner but me. What was I supposed to do now?
He was afraid, but he called upon all his courage as...
Her eyes were glazed with a fever, making her...
I looked around the room. Nothing seemed unusual, but then…
I never expected that one day I'd open my closet and find...
It was quiet.... too quiet. That could only mean that...