The Book of Alchemy: A Creative Practice for an Inspired Life

The Book of Alchemy: A Creative Practice for an Inspired Life | Suleika Jaouad

My New Year‘s resolution (which I‘m hoping to put into effect before New Year‘s) is to start journaling.

Do any keen journalers have resources they love? I‘m open to whatever — specific notebook brands, pencils (not an inkling), advice about repeated prompts or a general structure that works for you, books about the topic, etc?

Thanks for helping me get excited!

TheBookHippie I‘ve journaled since I was 12 daily. I keep four going. All four use different mediums. I do monthly prompts on here if you want to be tagged. So I guess it‘s what type and how do you want to journal. 5d

dabbe @TheBookHippie is the best journalist ever! She has scores of fabulous ideas, and she provides us with monthly journaling prompts. I have a suggestion for a literal journal:
1. Choose a journal with lines and where the ink doesn't bleed through. NYT's Wirecutter has excellent ideas.
2. Each page is devoted to a book.
3. When you finish a book, record the title, author, date you finished, and 3-6 quotes from that book that spoke to you.
That's it! 5d

monalyisha Thanks, @dabbe & @TheBookHippie! I‘m not opposed to including book-related thoughts but I‘m imagining something more self-reflective and less of a reading tracker. Really, I want to get into the practice of consistently *writing.* This feels like a good first step, and I think it will probably be good for my mental health, too. 🩵 5d

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JamieArc Yes, @TheBookHippie provides some lovely prompts. I also do this one thing where I write the numbers 1-100 and have some question, like things that fill my soul, and quickly write what those are in each number, not thinking much about it. This usually gets me writing something. 5d

JamieArc Also, check out lectio divina. While it has been used in religious context, it doesn‘t need to be. It‘s basically taking some small passage or quote, writing it out, reflecting on it, and writing about it. It‘s a practice I always want to do more of. 5d

TheBookHippie @monalyisha mine is non book. My prompts are for free writing. 🙃 or whatever you want to do. I have rage journal to use when needed -a daily journal for anxiety-a collage journal and a free write from my prompts journal. Whew right? 5d

TheBookHippie @JamieArc I do this with poetry often. 5d

TheBookHippie Horror of all horrors I don‘t log or keep track of the books I read other than once and awhile I put my library books into StoryGraph to kinda see genre wise. 5d

TheBookHippie @monalyisha a lot of my personal journal is poetry I write. I will say this, it has helped my mental health for decades and when I am not writing I can feel it. 5d

monalyisha @TheBookHippie @JamieArc I kind of like the idea of a lectio divina poetry journal. Maybe I need two. 😜 (edited) 5d

monalyisha @TheBookHippie When I went to PEI with my friend this summer, she had a journal that she wrote in everyday, which was a practice suggested to her by her therapist. I think that‘s what inspired me initially. 5d

xicanti I kept a daily journal for twenty-five years straight, at which point I was like, “Yeah; good run” and I quit. If you also want to be daily about it, I think the best thing you can do is give yourself permission to half-ass it sometimes. Some days, you‘ll want to fill forty pages with deeply personal reflections and/or some artistic stuff. Others, you‘ll just wanna jot down something quick. Either one‘s fine. Do you. 5d

TheBookHippie @monalyisha It is the best thing for anxiety I‘ve ever found. 5d

monalyisha @xicanti I used to journal as a teen but I was always too embarrassed, looking back, to let the pages exist and I‘d inevitably destroy them. 😳 Kind of a red flag there, huh? 😅 At the very least, writing my thoughts down and letting them remain will be progress! 5d

AnnCrystal A friend was telling me about a The Shadow Work Journal.

Favorite pencil, General's® by the General Pencil Company

Been searching for a USA Eco notebook.. Decomposition and Northbooks both seem promising, but I haven't found either to try (yet). 5d

zezeki I have been journaling for years, but not daily. I have gratitude practise that I do daily, but I keep that in a separate notebook. I'd also recommend using journaling prompts, there's a YT channel called struthless, he also posts about jorunaling: https://youtu.be/U8RQsJ0Q3Mo?si=ryY1kQrFNzRoD8QW 5d

Chelsea.Poole I use the “one line a day” method so it‘s not intimidating. I find that it‘s something I can maintain if I‘m not feeling intimidated by a big ol blank page each day. Nor do I have the time to write more than a small paragraph daily. Anyhoo, I‘ve filled one of these up and just began a new one in 2025: https://a.co/d/9zeSDTf They come in a variety of styles. Plus you get to look back at the previous years‘ entires as it‘s a 5 year journal. 5d

yourfavouritemixtape I am bullet-journaling and really like Rhodia Notebooks. The paper is really nice to write on and they feel good in your hand too. 5d

Booksbymybed I have been journaling my entire life and having fun with is very important. Also fun supplies. My favorite brand for low pressure but high quality is Midori MD notebooks, excellent paper for pen or pencil. Additional things that make it fun are washi tape and stickers. I love Blackwing pencils, they have various types and hardness. Prompts, lists are an excellent way to start, I also like to include scraps of paper and small photos. 5d

monalyisha @AnnCrystal @zezeki @Chelsea.Poole @yourfavouritemixtape @Booksbymybed @TheBookHippie @xicanti @JamieArc @dabbe This has all been very helpful. Thank you! Lots to look into and I think I‘ve developed a practice to start with! I woke up this morning and got to work. Go me…and you all! 💞 5d

TheBookHippie @monalyisha 💕💕💕💕💕 5d

monalyisha @TheBookHippie I can absolutely do the work of looking through your monthly prompts. But if you have a master doc, I‘d be happy to be the recipient! I don‘t think I‘m going to use them (at least for now) but I think my mom would really benefit from them! I want to put together a journaling-themed Christmas present for her and would love to include your monthly prompts list. 📝 5d

AnnCrystal @monalyisha 💝💝💝. 5d

JamieArc @monalyisha I appreciated this because right before I read your post last night, I got out my journal and wrote for the first time in a very long time so it encourages me to continue. 5d

monalyisha @JamieArc I love that! 5d

TheBookHippie @monalyisha email me social@bookhippie.com I‘ll send everything I saved 5d

monalyisha @TheBookHippie Amazing! You got it. 5d

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merelybookish

The Book of Alchemy: A Creative Practice for an Inspired Life | Suleika Jaouad

Half of my books for #10beforetheend. I've been working away at the Nin & Pinkola Estes for a while.The other five include:
The Frequency of Former Things by Nick Fuller Googins
We Love You, Bunny by Mona Award
On the Calculation Of Vol. 3 by Solvej Balle
Big Kiss, Bye Bye by Claire-Louise Bennett
The Dead in their Vaulted Arches by Alan Bradley

@ChaoticMissAdventures

sarahbarnes Can‘t wait to see what you think of the new Awad! 3w

merelybookish @sarahbarnes My hold came in from the library so just need to finish current audio and then it's 🐰🐰🐰🐰 3w

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Floresj

The Book of Alchemy: A Creative Practice for an Inspired Life | Suleika Jaouad

pick

I never buy books (libraries for the win!), but I‘m buying this one. Loved the short essays as a daily prompt to write (or think) a bit. The essays were written by a range of interesting people- each with their own style. Loved this idea, loved the essays. Wonderful.

monalyisha Did you read Between Two Kingdoms? Do you feel like doing so would enhance one‘s reading of this? I keep wanting to snag this — and then thinking I should probably read the other first. 5d

Floresj @monalyisha I hadn‘t! I think it‘s a stand alone book as it‘s a compilation of essays that you can use to think or journal. I loved it! 7h

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ErikasMindfulShelf

The Book of Alchemy: A Creative Practice for an Inspired Life | Suleika Jaouad

#readinbracket2025

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ErikasMindfulShelf

The Book of Alchemy: A Creative Practice for an Inspired Life | Suleika Jaouad

pick

This was fantastic!! So many inspiring and thought provoking essays. I borrowed this from the library but will buy my own copy so I can go back to it over and over again.

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dabbe

The Book of Alchemy: A Creative Practice for an Inspired Life | Suleika Jaouad

#WondrousWednesday @Eggs (😍 for the tag!)

1. Tagged: THE BOOK OF ALCHEMY; it just came out. I learned about the author from an intriguing article in the NYT and just had to have it.
2. I keep two records of books I've read: #1: a journal where I write down favorite quotes that will hopefully help me remember the story and #2: a Litsy review. I love the required shortness of words; you have to really choose your words wisely.
You're all tagged!

Suet624 I agree with you about enjoying having to be brief in reviews. 6mo

dabbe @Suet624 What an exercise to try to teach my students! Write a literary analysis in less that 150 words! They're like 😳! Succinct word choice is so important! 🤩😍🤣 6mo

Suet624 What a great teaching opportunity. 6mo

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shortsarahrose I loved Suleika‘s first book (tagged) and have followed her newsletter for a couple years. Her new one is on my TBR, but I haven‘t gotten it yet!

Between Two Kingdoms: A Memoir of a Life Interrupted

6mo

peaKnit The author is incredible and married to John Batiste, hello, power couple of amazing humans. 6mo

BooksandCoffee4Me @dabbe Love this! Oh, if I was still teaching. 😊 6mo

dabbe @Suet624 🎯🩵🎯 6mo

BooksandCoffee4Me My husband and I each have kept chapbooks of quotes. In fact,, I made a Pinterest “chapbook” board for digital reading quotes. 6mo

dabbe @shortsarahrose Ooh, thanks for this! #stacked 6mo

dabbe @peaKnit How did I not know this? Love even more! 😍🤩😍 6mo

dabbe @BooksandCoffee4Me 🎯🩵🎯 I'm not either, and I miss this kind of teaching most! Grading essays and ornery parents? #notsomuch 🤣 6mo

dabbe @BooksandCoffee4Me I'd love to see it if you wouldn't mind sharing the link! 😍 6mo

BooksandCoffee4Me @dabbe I refer to it on Pinterest as a Commonplace book - similar purpose: https://www.pinterest.com/?boardId=126663876958866610 6mo

dabbe @BooksandCoffee4Me LOVE it! Thanks for sharing! 💜💚💜 6mo

Eggs Thanks for joining in 💛🧡💛 6mo

dabbe @Eggs 💛🩷💛 6mo

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