Freaky Friday #16

Today is Friday and that means it's Freaky Friday. If you need to know more about this journal writing challenge please read Freaky Friday #1.

Think about a time you've received less than great service for something. You made a purchase for goods or services and you were treated poorly, in your view, by the staff or contractor. I know just about every one of us has some story about slack customer service, so this shouldn't be too difficult.

Once you have your moment think about the person who failed to deliver adequate service. Try to think of a reason they failed to do so. Today, I want you to slip inside their shoes and write a journal entry from their perspective of the transaction. This is a great opportunity to tune into what makes other people tick, but also to see yourself in a new light. Try to avoid being too nice about yourself. This is their view, their story, and you may look bad to them.

I hope you enjoy this journal writing prompt. Please leave any comments in the section below.

Heather
Photo used with permission from stock.xchng

Freaky Friday #15

Today is Friday and that means it's Freaky Friday. If you need to know more about this journal writing challenge please read Freaky Friday #1.

Today I was thinking about pioneer diaries. I'm sure you've read at least one, possibly more, journals from people making a start in just about any country, new or old. If you haven't, try these links and read a few for yourself.


Historical Pioneer Journals
Pioneer Journals
Emigrant Narratives & Biographies

The challenge today is to write as if you are a pioneer. Write a journal entry as if you are there making a new life with your partner, or family. Try to leave out any references and knowledge of the day you now live in. Write down all the things you would love a future generation to know. Answer the questions you've had on reading pioneer journals. What will you include in your journal that you never read in previous journals?

If you come across some good websites with pioneer journals, diaries and letters for readers to view please let me know. I'd love to add to my list. I didn't seem to come up with too many results tonight.

Heather
Photo used with permission from stock.xchng

Freaky Friday #14

Today is Friday. That means it's Freaky Friday. If you need to know more about this journal writing challenge please read Freaky Friday #1.

With the popularity of TV series featuring cartoon characters I felt it might be good to slip into the shoes of one of them for today's challenge. Check out the character bios for The Simpsons, Futurama and The Family Guy. I'm sure there are others, but you will need to do your own research as I'm just sticking with the ones I can think of right now.

Pick a character and write a journal entry in the voice of that character. You might like to write specifically about a problem you're dealing with. Have that character let you know what they think about the problem and how you're handling it. If you watch the TV programme the characters are from you should find this easy.

I hope you gain insight into an area of your life by allowing these cartoon characters to help you gain a fresh perspective. Please leave any comments in the section below.

Heather
Image used with permission from stock.xchng

Freaky Friday #13

Today is Friday and that means it's Freaky Friday. If you need to know more about this journal writing challenge please read Freaky Friday #1.

This story is the most comprehensive online news item I could find on the murder of a teen girl in a small south-west town in my state. The news has shocked and upset many West Australians with continual updates as more is revealed on the story*.

It seems the poor young girl was murdered by her best friends. Of course, this leaves a lot of questions, especially for parents. But the purpose of me mentioning this news in the latest Freaky Friday was to bring yet another journal writing challenge your way.

Today, write a journal entry as if you are your best friend. You may want to write what your best friend thinks about you. Or perhaps you may want to understand something your friend is currently going through that you haven't fully grasped. Feel free to write on anything you like. These are simply suggestions.

I'm not implying either you or your best friend have murder in mind. The news, as mentioned above, had me thinking about best friends since yesterday.

*This is from an older journal entry from my previous blog

I hope you enjoy this journal writing challenge. Please leave any comments in the section below.

Heather
Photo used with permission from stock.xchng

Freaky Friday #12

Today is Friday and that means it's Freaky Friday. If you need to know more about this journal writing challenge please read Freaky Friday #1.

This week I have another unusual journal writing prompt idea. Those familiar with the popular TV series The X-Files will understand what I'm asking you to do today much quicker. For those who need the information, read a description of the TV series here.

The two main characters represent different two extreme perspectives when it comes to the supernatural. One is a firm believer in supernatural activity. The other character is a true skeptic and needs further explanation, a logical way to answer the problems they encounter in the course of their investigations.

Today try to identify which character you are more like. Once you've decided this write a journal entry about your reaction to a specific supernatural event from the other character's point of view. You may choose one of the topics covered in the TV series or some other in the news lately.

I hope you have fun with this one. Please leave any comments in the section below.

Heather
Photo used with permission from stock.xchng

Freaky Friday #11

Today is Friday. That means it's Freaky Friday. If you need to know more about this journal writing challenge please read Freaky Friday #1.

Today I challenge you to take some time to write in your journal as if you are your partner. That may be your husband or wife, or, if you aren't in a relationship, your ideal partner. Let them have a say on the issues you've been dealing with together lately. Try to get a sense of how it feels to be them and see things from their perspective.

I often use this journal writing prompt when my husband and I have a disagreement. I find it always helps me see what he's been trying to tell me in words. I highly recommend this one journal writing prompt as a good way to resolve consistent issues for couples.

I hope you enjoy this journal writing challenge. Please leave any comments in the section below.

Heather
Photo used with permission from stock.xchng

Freaky Friday #10

It's Friday and that means it's Freaky Friday. Please read Freaky Friday #1 to learn more about this journal writing challenge.

Today I want to challenge you to think about your ego. I heard the news*, or perhaps rumour, that Oprah and David Letterman were interested in interviewing the rescued miners from Beaconsfield, Tasmania. It made me think how it would feel to be in that place; the one being interviewed on TV.

Today write as if you have done some noteworthy activity and you are on either the Late Show or Oprah. You may decide to be a known author, movie star/director or singer/performer for this journal writing exercise, but perhaps you'd prefer to be yourself for this one. The only difference is that you have achieved your dream, whatever that might be. You are there in the spotlight answering questions. What do you discuss? How does this make you feel? Go into detail. Describe everything. It matters little if you don't know what it's really like. Use your imagination. Have fun with this one.

Heather
*This is an older entry from my other blog
Photo used with permission from stock.xchng

Freaky Friday #9

Today is Friday which means it's Freaky Friday. If you need to know more about this journal writing challenge please read Freaky Friday #1. I thought of this journal writing challenge for today* when I heard the news that one of Australia's leading climbers, Lincoln Hall, had died on Everest and felt a pang of sorrow for his family. Just how would you feel to hear your loved one had died on Mt Everest, of all places? That treacherous mountain many have died trying to conquer. How tragic; to lose a loved one doing the one thing they were driven to achieve. My interest sparked, though, this afternoon when I heard that he was supposedly alive.

Write in your journal as if someone you have loved and is no longer living is somehow now alive. What would you tell them? Would you treat them differently? Write it all down in your journal. There are no rules to this challenge. This is a chance to take a different perspective on your life.

I hope you enjoy this journal writing challenge. Please leave any photos in the comment section.

Heather
*This is an old entry from my previous blog
Photo used with permission from stock.xchng

Freaky Friday #8

Today is Friday and that means it's Freaky Friday. If you need to know more about this journal writing challenge please read Freaky Friday #1.

This week I'm challenging you to write as if you could grant wishes and bestow money on others in the manner of Oprah. The TV hostess is famous for her benevolence. For this Freaky Friday you are Oprah, or someone very like her, and you grant the wishes of any or all of your friends and family. Who would you give money to? Who would you leave off your list? Make a list, include your true self (remember you are Oprah today) of those you would bless and what you would give. Write how this would alter their lives. Would this be for better or would the gift change their lives drastically? How does being able to give make you feel?

I hope you enjoy this journal writing challeng. Please leave any comments in the section below.

Heather
Photo used with permission from stock.xchng

Freaky Friday #6

Today is Friday and that means it's Freaky Friday. If you need to know more about this journal writing challenge please read Freaky Friday #1.

Since Anzac Day, April 25, Australians have watched and waited for the fate of the men trapped in a Tasmanian mine. For the latest news on the story follow this link. For full details, click on the Multimedia link titled Trapped Underground. This will take you to a day by day slide show presentation on all that's happened and more.

This Freaky Friday write as if you are one of these men trapped underground. What are your thoughts? What words do you share with the other man? Describe your reaction to the first contact from above ground. Please share your thoughts and responses in the comments section and please pray for the safety of these two trapped men.

Heather
This story was in the news April & May 2006
Photo used with permission from Julia Freeman-Woolpert from stock.xchng

Freaky Friday #5

Today is Friday and that means it's Freaky Friday. If you need to know more about this journal writing challenge please read Freaky Friday #1.



Private Jake Kovco was the first Aussie killed during recent clashes in Iraq*. Read more about the no cover up claims, investigations into his death and how his body was lost returning to Australia for burial.

For this journal writing challenge write as if you were a member of the private's family. Of course Jake's death is tragic and I hope we don't see many more families suffer such losses. I'm challenging you to focus on the bungle over losing the body of an honoured soldier. How does this make you feel? Write as if you are close enough to know him well. You could even write as if Jake was a friend or fellow soldier fighting alongside you. Investigate your emotions in this journal writing challenge.

Heather
Photo used with permission from stock.xchng
*This story was from April 2006

Freaky Friday #4

Today is Friday and that means it's Freaky Friday. If you need to know more about this journal writing challenge please read Freaky Friday #1.

Today I came across an interesting book; 80. In this book 80 famous people write about turning 80. It's really quite fascinating. Use this idea and write in your journal about what you will have to say when you're 80. It doesn't matter what your age is right now, you can write as if you are 80 looking back over your life. I hope you try this journal writing challenge today.



Heather
Photo used with permission from stock.xchng

Freaky Friday #3

Today is Friday and that means it's Freaky Friday. If you need to know more about this journal writing challenge please read Freaky Friday #1.

This week's challenge is to choose someone involved in the Easter story and write from their perspective about the unfolding drama. You may choose to be Jesus, Mary, a disciple, or any of the many others involved in the story. Remember this journal writing exercise is more about the person you choose to write about than the actual events as we know them. Try to get under this person's skin and see and feel what they might have at this time.

If you don't feel familiar enough with the Easter story read John chapters 18 - 20 in a New International Version of the bible or simply click on the link.

Heather
Photo used with permission from stock.xchng

Freaky Friday #2

Today is Friday so that means it's Freaky Friday. To learn more about this journal writing challenge please read Freaky Friday #1.

This week I'm challenging you to step inside your five year old self. This might be a difficult task for some of you. If you feel writing from yourself at this age is simply too daunting, please choose a happy moment to recall and write about. If you feel it's too much, please choose another age or person for today. My desire is to help you capture some of your innocence at that point of time.

I was inspired by a photo on my whiteboard of my daughter in pre-primary school. She wore her hair loose around her face, something she never does now at 20, and her face was painted as a lion. It made me realise how much she had changed and yet how much she had remained the same. Write in your journal about yourself at this age and see what you come up with.

If you feel inspired, please share your response in the comments section below, or a link to your blog.

Heather
Photo used with permission from stock.xchng

Freaky Friday #1

I'm going to republish the Freaky Friday prompts I originally began at A Creative Journal here because they've proved really popular with journal writers & bloggers alike. Occasionally they may seem dated. Where possible I will update them, but may leave some as they are just to give us a slice of the past.



Today is Friday. In honour of this day I've decided to create Freaky Friday for you. I'm hoping you've seen the film Freaky Friday. If so you'll easily fall into what I intend to do here each Friday. If not, well, perhaps I'll need to explain more. Freaky Friday, either version, is the story of a mother and daughter who literally swap roles for a short time. Several films have been made with this premise. Some kind of magical intervention creates this situation for the two to swap spirits or souls and live in the body of the other for some time.

The basic moral of the film Freaky Friday is for the main characters get a chance to experience first hand how it is to live someone else's life, to discover all there is to know about them, to see things from their point of view. Of course the films always end with the characters understanding and accepting the other's differences and working out whatever problems they have in the beginning of the film. I'm not suggesting this journal writing exercise will solve all your problems in a similar way, but I am hoping you'll come to understand other people and why they think the way they do.

For the first Freaky Friday journal prompt I'm asking you to step inside the shoes of a member of Pro Hart's family, since the artist has recently died*. It doesn't matter which family member you select. Read the Broken Hill's Art & Soul news story through to the end and write a journal entry from the perspective of one of the family members involved.

I hope you enjoy this prompt and return for next week's Freaky Friday prompt. Please feel free to share your response in the comments below, or supply a link to your own blog or online journal.

Heather
*Pro Hart died March 28 2006
Photo ©2003 Walt Disney Pictures.