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2 hours ago
1
2025-10-07
Introduction
A few of you have written to ask whether I had any prompts to hand that could be used for writing two-sentence journal entries. When those messages first arrived, I didn't have any prompts to share – I don't follow any such directions when I write in my own journal, because I never have trouble devising topics to write about. But I've been thinking about those unfulfilled requests ever since...
And now I finally have a selection of prompts to offer!
I developed these prompts by going through my own journal, identifying common themes and approaches that I've noticed among the entries I've written, and posing the questions that my entries have appeared to answer.
List of Prompts
Here is the list of prompts I've compiled. I elaborate on each one under the corresponding topic heading for those of you who would like additional details.
- What was the most interesting thing that happened to you today?
- What was most emblematic of the kind of day you had?
- Did you attain, approach, or screw up a long-term goal?
- Did something from the day resonate with past entries?
- Did you form a new opinion today, and if so, what led to it?
- Did something happen that reinforced an existing opinion?
- Did you try a new thing? Why? What was the thing?
- Did you meet anybody new? What did you think of them?
- Did you see an old friend or family member? How are they different from the last time you saw them?
- What was an ordinary or regular occurrence that nonetheless brought you comfort or pleasure?
- Did something occur that reminded you of something from your past?
- Did something about current events move you?
An Aside on Writing Good Journal Entries
One piece of advice I'd offer regardless of the prompt you select: To produce the best entry possible, follow Proust's example, and let your watchword be "mais précis."
Yes, it's odd to point to, of all people, Marcel Proust – the man famous for writing a seven-volume novel about eating a madeleine – when our objective is not to exceed two sentences. Yet the central insight that informs his methods can serve us well. As Alain de Botton explains in How Proust Can Change Your Life:
In 1919 the young diplomat Harold Nicolson was introduced to Proust at a party at the Ritz. Nicolson had been posted to Paris with the British Delegation at the peace conference following the Great War, an assignment he found interesting, but clearly not as interesting as Proust ended up finding it. In his diary, Nicolson reported of the party:
A swell affair. Proust is white, unshaven, grubby, slip-faced. He asks me questions. Will I please tell him how the committees work. I say, "Well, we generally meet at 10.00, there are secretaries behind..." "Mais non, mais non, vouz allez trop vite. Recommencez. Vous prenez la voiture de la Délégation. Vous descendez au Quai d'Orsay. Vous montez l'escalier. Vous entrez dans la salle. Et alors? Précizes, mon cher, précisez." So I tell him everything. The sham cordiality of it all: the handshakes: the maps: the rustle of papers: the tea in the next room: the macaroons. He listens enthralled, interrupting from time to time—"Mais précisez, mon cher monsieur, n'allez pas trop vite."
It might be a Proustian slogan: n'allez pas trop vite. And an advantage of not going by too fast is that the world has a chance of becoming more interesting in the process. For Nicolson, an early morning that had been summed up by the terse statement "Well we generally meet at 10.00" had been expanded to reveal handshakes and maps, rustling papers and macaroons—the macaroon acting as a useful symbol, in its seductive sweetness, of what gets noticed when we don't go by trop vite.
When you're describing your day, specificity always beats generality. The true experience of a thing is captured not via a broad and abstract overview, but through its details. For example, "I had a bad day" says far less than "My car wouldn't start, so I was late for work, and my boss scolded me." The former is a judgment, pre-digested in a way that shuts out the reader; the latter invites the reader in so that they may form their own impressions. If you want to remember your days when you go back and read your journal, or let your readers experience those days for themselves, then specificity is the most useful tool to that end.
Without further ado, let's delve into the prompts.
Detailed Prompt Descriptions
Here are some further words on each of the prompts from the list.
What was the most interesting thing that happened to you today?
The key to this prompt is to construe "interesting" as broadly as possible. To that end, you might interpret it as superlative: the funniest, the strangest, the most memorable, the most unusual, etc. The point is to grab hold of anything that differentiated the day from an average one, and articulate what made it unique.
What was most emblematic of the kind of day you had?
On occasion, something will happen to you that perfectly encapsulates the tenor of the day. Perhaps you're already having a bad time at work, and return home only to find that your water heater is broken. Maybe you're in a good mood throughout the morning, and someone close to you surprises you with something nice in the afternoon. Moments like those provide an excellent shorthand means of capturing an entire day's texture, making them ideal topics for a short journal entry.
Did you attain, approach, or screw up a long-term goal?
Progress toward one's goals (whether that be something concrete like a project, or something more abstract like maintaining a habit) is not always linear – and not always positive. Recording the twists and turns on your way to your goals makes for an interesting journal topic, especially if there's a specific benchmark or obstacle involved. This can give you an opportunity to look back on your journey later. And if you happen to reach your goal, it's always worthwhile to commemorate it!
Did something from the day resonate with past entries?
If you revisit your previous journal entries, you might notice that certain themes or recurring interests emerge. Has a certain person reappeared frequently? Do you often find yourself writing about particular places, actions, or thoughts? Perhaps something from your day builds upon or confounds those trends. If so, consider writing about it – and what it means to you.
Did you form a new opinion today, and if so, what led to it?
A journal doesn't have to be a chronicle of events or actions. It can also be a record of one's thoughts. Alexander Herzen's My Past and Thoughts, for example, crafts a classic memoir out of the gradual evolution of its author's beliefs. To fit this in a two-sentence format, I've had success when I take note of a novel thought that occurred to me during the day, along with whatever occurrence prompted it. (Not always in that order, however – I'll more often go with the event first, then offer the opinion that resulted from thinking about it.)
Did something happen that reinforced an existing opinion?
This is essentially a variation on the previous example. Sometimes events or actions confirm your suspicions or intuitions. Those are worth writing about, too! Like with the preceding example, joining the event or occurrence to your interpretation thereof is often an effective formula.
Did you try a new thing? Why? What was the thing?
New experiences are an essential part of life, so why not write about them? If you did (or tried to do) something new, take note of the thing in your journal. It's also worth recording what motivated you to pursue the new experience, since it can be difficult to recapture that mindset later on.
Did you meet anybody new? What did you think of them?
When Ernest Hemingway compiled his list of essential readings for aspiring writers, he included George Moore's lengthy autobiography Hail and Farewell. Having read the book, I can see why Hemingway chose to include it. Moore provides a master class in writing evocative sketches of real people (including some amusing portrayals of W. B. Yeats), which is a skill every writer ought to cultivate.
You can practice this skill in your two-sentence journal by writing about the people you encounter, whether they're new acquaintances or already close to you. Record your impressions of them, or try to characterize them based on their habits, comportment, or general vibe. If they become recurring characters in your life story, these initial assessments will be great fun to look back on!
Did you see an old friend or family member? How are they different from the last time you saw them?
When I read Anthony Powell's epic A Dance to the Music of Time, I deeply appreciated its core insight that one experiences time most acutely through other people. I'd urge you to put this to use in your journal. If you saw someone close to you for the first time in a while, pay attention to how they're different from your last encounter (if at all). Any changes (or lack thereof) can tell you a lot about the trajectory of their life – and yours.
What was an ordinary or regular occurrence that nonetheless brought you comfort or pleasure?
Routine is often more representative of a life than divergence from routine. These commonplace occurrences are worth putting in your journal, particularly if they provide you a source of stability or happiness. Write about what they are, why you do them, or what they mean to you. You'll be glad to have recorded them, especially if a change in circumstances prevents you from doing them for a while.
Did something occur that reminded you of something from your past?
A while back, Heidi Julavits published a fascinating pseudo-memoir called The Folded Clock. It purports to be a diary on the cover, but that isn't entirely accurate. The book charts a succession of days, but Julavits spends most of it reflecting upon memories that the given day's events summon – hence the central image of a clock folded upon itself, a physical representation of times that overlap.
Julavits's method is an effective tactic for your own journal entries. Perhaps something from your day feels noteworthy not because of what happened in the moment, but because of how it relates to something from the past. Write those events down, and explore their connection. Why do they seem joined? What does that tell you – about the connected things, or about yourself?
Did something about current events move you?
It's good to keep track of the things in your orbit, but there's a whole world out there, too. If you found a current event meaningful or moving, it can be worth writing about the event and your reaction to it. Historians love such documents – you'll be doing them a favor! (But take care not to let your journal devolve into a Twitter-esque take machine.)
Parting Thoughts
That's all I have for now! Let me once again note that these prompts are meant to be neither exhaustive nor prescriptive. There are many ways one can approach writing a two-sentence journal, and you should do whatever works best for you.
I'll end this with a mailbag invitation: If you have some effective journal prompts, or journal entries inspired by them that you're willing to share, let me know! (And also please note whether I should include a name and link to your site, or whether you'd prefer to remain anonymous.) If enough people contribute, I'll round up the best submissions in a future blog post.
