Journaling & Writing Prompts

I don’t know why I love putting together letters, cards, and packages to send through the mail.

Maybe it’s because my mom worked for the U.S. Postal Service for 30 years?

Maybe because I was always the family member that would check the mail first every day?

Maybe because I think getting letters in the mail is like getting little surprise gifts?

Whatever the reason, I am a Snail Mail Fan through and through.

So, it should come as no surprise that the limited-time Special Offer I’m giving to $10+ members of my new journaling club is a journaling care package via snail mail!

The theme is Autumn Nature and each care package will include beautiful stationery and stickers with butterflies, mushrooms, animals, birds, and foliage like the ones in the photo.

Simply join at the Forest tier level ($10) or higher and a care package will be on its way to you.

Today is the last day to get in on this special offer. Pledges must be made by 9PM PDT / Midnight EDT!

February 2021 Update: My journaling club is now closed.

Peg Cheng is the author of Rebel Millionaire, a guide for how to retire as a millionaire even if you make a modest income, co-owner of Plaid Frog Press, and a career coach combining intellect with intuition. Born in Southern California to Taiwanese parents, Peg lives in Seattle.

My Patreon is LIVE!

When I first thought about creating a Patreon–a membership platform that allows patrons and creators to support and connect with each other–I figured I’d use it to share writing prompts every week because that’s what people have been asking me about for years.

But as I started creating my Patreon, I realized that writing prompts and journaling wasn’t just something that I could share with others, it was something that had saved me and served me for the past 40 years.

Through journaling for four decades, I discovered that the process of taking what’s in my mind, heart, and soul and putting it on the page was healing.

Creating something with my hands that brings my inner world into the physical world is a form of magic.

I want to give to others what I’ve given myself: using writing to heal, and using paper and ink to create magic.

On my Patreon, you’ll find that every tier level includes two offerings: a touchstone reading every Sunday inspired by a tarot or oracle card, and three writing prompts every Monday based on the touchstone reading.

To give you an idea of what these offerings are all about, here’s the touchstone reading I posted for this week, August 30 – September 5, 2020, and three writing prompts based on the reading.

The CHERRY: Live an Extraordinary Life card jumped out of the Secret Language of Color Cards as soon as I started shuffling. Cherry is a deep, dark, rich red and, like your heart, it wants you to truly appreciate what it means to be alive. It wants you to listen to your deepest desires, live life to the max, and to borrow from the dudes of This is Spinal Tap, turn your life “up to eleven.”

This week is the time to commit to living an extraordinary life. Buy some cherries this week if you can and while you eat them, mindfully taste and savor their sweetness. Then, make a list of ten extraordinary things you want to do in the next year. Set your intentions and make a commitment to go for what you want in life. This is not a time to hold back. This is the time to give yourself full permission to embark on the journey that’s been calling to you.

Question(s) to ask this week: If I were granted all the courage I needed, what dreams, goals, or desires would I make into a reality?

Deck: The Secret Language of Color Cards by Inna Segal

Get out your pen and journal and write whatever comes to you when you read the following prompts. You can do all three in one sitting or do one a day–totally up to you. Do not edit while you write. Let whatever wants to come out, come out!

If I could attract three things to my life…

My heart is begging me to…

Transforming myself from ordinary to extraordinary…

Do these posts make you want to start writing?

If you answered yes (or YAAS!), then take a look at my Patreon and choose the tier level that fits you and your budget. Every level includes weekly touchstone readings and writing prompts, and some levels also include behind-the-scenes peeks into my creative process and exclusive videos.

You can edit or cancel your pledge at anytime. I deeply appreciate your support, no matter for how much or how long.

SPECIAL OFFER: Pledge at the Forest tier level ($10) or above by Wednesday, September 9, 2020 (9:00pm PDT) and you’ll receive a journaling care package via snail mail. Can’t wait to send these out.

Give yourself the gift of writing more and creating more and join my journaling club today!

February 2021 Update: My journaling club is now closed.

Peg Cheng is the author of Rebel Millionaire, a guide for how to retire as a millionaire even if you make a modest income, co-owner of Plaid Frog Press, and a career coach combining intellect with intuition. Born in Southern California to Taiwanese parents, Peg lives in Seattle.

Journaling saved me. Again and again and again.

When I was a kid and feeling sad and alone, I journaled to an imaginary friend and it made me feel better.

When I was a teenager and dealing with criticism from my parents and nastiness at school, I journaled and it made me feel better.

When I was a young adult facing fear and uncertainty, I journaled about a hopeful future and it made me feel better.

Now, as a grown woman, I journal to learn more about myself and my stories, and it always, always, always makes me feel better.

What I’ve discovered from journaling over the last 40 years is the process of taking what’s in your mind, heart, and soul and putting it on the page is healing. Creating something with your hands that brings your inner world into the physical world is a form of magic.

Since journaling has both saved me and served me, I’ve created an online journaling club to share journaling techniques–both written and visual–with people all over the world.

My journaling club is hosted on Patreon, a membership platform that enables creators and patrons to support and connect with each other. Patrons pledge an amount of money every month and in return, they receive exclusive content, access, updates, and the joy of knowing they’re fueling work they value and care about.

I’m offering tier levels starting at $5 per month that come with various benefits including touchstone readings, behind-the-scenes peeks into my creative process, and exclusive videos.

One key benefit I’m offering are writing prompts. Over the years, many of you who’ve taken my Fear & Writing workshop have asked me how to find more writing prompts and I never had a good answer for you…until now. I’m happy to let you know that every tier level includes 3 writing prompts per week. Yep, that’s 12 to 15 writing prompts every month!

Sound good to you?

ps. SPECIAL OFFER: Pledge at the Forest tier level ($10+) by September 9, 2020 (9pm PDT) and you’ll receive a Journaling Care Package in the mail! ?

February 2021 Update: My journaling club is now closed.

Peg Cheng is the author of Rebel Millionaire, a guide for how to retire as a millionaire even if you make a modest income, co-owner of Plaid Frog Press, and a career coach combining intellect with intuition. Born in Southern California to Taiwanese parents, Peg lives in Seattle.

 

One of my favorite writing prompts is, “My soul whispers…”

I ask students that take my Fear & Writing course and Fear & Writing workshop to freewrite to this prompt and it always seems to bring up good stuff.

In case you’re not sure what it is, freewriting is when you allow yourself to write anything that comes up (preferably with pen and paper) in response to a prompt and you don’t edit as you write. You can time yourself or not.

Here’s what came up when I freewrote to this prompt earlier this summer. What you see below is exactly what I wrote–I didn’t edit any of it.

MY SOUL WHISPERS…don’t give up, Peg.

Yes, you’ve had some major setbacks with your writing but this is all par for the course. You’re doing the work you need to do to prepare for challenging projects coming up. You’re in training for a major event and it can take years to train.

It feels frustrating, I know, to keep writing novels, screenplays, stories, and they don’t lead to tangible results. Much of what you’ve written has not been seen by anyone except a few beta readers.

It’s hard. I know you want your stuff out there. I know you want to communicate with people and help them in some way. Just know that you are doing that now with your blog posts and your newsletters, and someday, you will do that with your books and possibly, your scripts too.

Just please don’t give up hope, and please don’t stop trying. It’s tiring, it’s frustrating, it’s depressing, I know. But it won’t always be this way.

You need to know how to keep writing no matter what. No matter if no one is reading your stories or millions of people are reading your stories, you need to keep writing.

This period of time is about developing your rock solid discipline, about practicing your craft, and about listening to yourself and knowing when you need self-care. This time is about building a strong and bulletproof foundation.

You can do this and you will be able to handle anything that comes your way, whether good, bad, or something in between. This is about trusting yourself, trusting the Universe, and having the courage to take that step forward every day.

If it were easy, everyone would be doing it. But they aren’t. YOU’RE doing it. I am SO PROUD of you. KEEP GOING, PEG!

This message feels especially poignant as I’m riding the high of having successfully launched my first Kickstarter campaign (thanks to every marvelous human who pledged!). The high won’t last long. It never does. After it dissipates, it’s back to work, and it’s back to facing fears and doubts as I move forward one step, one sentence, at a time.

If you’re at a crossroads in your life, or need some help from your inner wise self, give this prompt a try. Put pen to paper and find out: what is your soul whispering to you?

Peg Cheng is the author of The Contenders, a novel that asks, can enemies become friends? She is currently writing a book about how to retire as a millionaire even if you make a modest income. Peg is also the creator of Fear & Writing, a workshop for procrastinating writers from all walks of life.

Photo by Thought Catalog on Unsplash