A Jumpstart Guide to Journaling Lingo

Journaling
Written By Stephanie Hampton

Let’s Breakdown the World of Journaling!

In 2017, when I started my first bullet journal, I was captivated by all of the terms and different ways that people could use journals and the bullet journaling system. It felt like a whole new planner, but one that you create on your own.

Almost like the ultimate journal or planner.

The best planner or journal of all time.

The perfect way to find balance, organization, and peace.

I began to see over the years that journaling can be made into your own unique needed system. You can take from one style of journaling, and then add it to another. You can mix and match. You find what works for you. The only issue with this is that it is sometimes difficult to keep all of the terms and lingo clear in your mind. This post contains a quick two-page dictionary for understanding the world of journaling. You can also check out the Introduction to Journaling that I have posted here, a free 73+ page guide on how to introduce (or reintroduce) yourself to journaling.

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Discounts & Codes on My Favorite Notebooks

Journaling Dictionary

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Journaling Dictionary 〰️

journaling lingo
journaling lingo

Where Do I Start?

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When You Find the Right Rock: Journaling with Wonder, Belonging, and Connection
When You Find the Right Rock: Journaling with Wonder, Belonging, and Connection

Mary Lyn Ray and Felicita Sala’s When You Find the Right Rock is a quiet celebration of attention and belonging—of the small, ordinary things that feel extraordinary when noticed with care. Through poetic language and luminous illustrations, Ray and Sala capture the simple act of finding a rock and transform it into something magical: a story about connection, grounding, and discovery. I think one of my favorite parts of this book when reading it to our little one was pausing on lines like,

“Still, there might be times when rocks don’t seem like much to look at. But then one will surprise you—like when you notice something special about you that surprises you. Just when you were maybe feeling sort of ordinary, there it is.”

For writers and journalers, this book is a meditation on presence. It reminds us that meaning often hides in small moments—holding a smooth rock, feeling its weight, noticing its color or warmth. When You Find the Right Rock invites us to pause, look closer, and find joy in what fits just right in our hands and hearts.

In this post, you can find…

  • Tips for using this book as a mentor text for writing

  • Ways to use the book with preschoolers, grades k-5, grades 6-8, grades 9-12, and for disciplinary literacy projects

  • Journaling prompts linked to the book (including nature journaling)

  • One grammar exercise to access grammar instruction

Read more →
102 & While You’re Asleep: Writing Through Wonder, Possibility, and What We Don’t See
102 & While You’re Asleep: Writing Through Wonder, Possibility, and What We Don’t See

Both texts in this mentor text pairing share something important: they invite readers to think about possibilities and connections between people. Each story is set during nighttime—centered on sleeping, dreaming, and what might be happening beyond our awareness.

102 and While You’re Asleep both draw readers into a space of curiosity, asking us to imagine what exists just beyond what we can immediately see. Young readers will also appreciate that both authors illustrate their own stories, reinforcing the idea that storytelling is both written and visual. (102, notably, was created entirely with ballpoint pen.)

In 102, Matthew Cordell plays with the idea that even when we count and feel certain, there is always more—more to notice, more to discover, and more just outside our awareness. In While You’re Asleep, Emmy Kastner explores what might be happening in the quiet hours of the night, suggesting that the world continues in small, surprising ways while we rest.

Together, these books remind us that the world is full of hidden moments, unseen details, and endless possibility.

For writers, they offer an invitation to explore imagination, curiosity, and the idea that there is always more beneath the surface.

In this post, you can find…

  • Tips for using this book as a mentor text for writing

  • Ways to use the book with preschoolers, grades k-5, grades 6-8, grades 9-12, and for disciplinary literacy projects

  • Journaling prompts linked to the book (including nature journaling)

  • One grammar exercise to access grammar instruction

Read more →
Nobody Hugs a Cactus: Writing About Who We Are and How We Change
Nobody Hugs a Cactus: Writing About Who We Are and How We Change

Nobody Hugs a Cactus is a humorous and heartfelt story about Hank, a cactus who prefers to be left alone—until loneliness begins to change his perspective. With expressive illustrations and minimal text, Goodrich captures the tension between independence and connection in a way that feels both playful and deeply relatable. Also, the grumpy cactus might be the cutest thing you have seen in a long while.

This story reminds us that sometimes what we think we want (space, quiet, distance) isn’t what we truly need. For writers, Nobody Hugs a Cactus becomes an entry point into exploring character, perspective, and internal change, showing how feelings shift over time and how those shifts shape our actions.

In this post, you can find…

  • Tips for using this book as a mentor text for writing

  • Ways to use the book with preschoolers, grades k-5, grades 6-8, grades 9-12, and for disciplinary literacy projects

  • Journaling prompts linked to the book (including nature journaling)

  • One grammar exercise to access grammar instruction

  • and LOTS of pictures of cacti from right here in Arizona

Read more →
Outside In: Writing Through Boundaries, Connection, and Awareness
Outside In: Writing Through Boundaries, Connection, and Awareness

Outside In, written by Deborah Underwood and illustrated by Cindy Derby, is a poetic meditation on the quiet, persistent ways the natural world moves through our lives—even when we think we are separated from it. I would argue this is the perfect mentor text for a teacher that feels they cannot get outside in nature or wants to do more outside work with kids, but perhaps cannot because of time, budget, or access to natural spaces.

Through rhythmic, lyrical language and richly textured illustrations, the book shows how “outside” is never truly outside. It seeps in through light, sound, memory, breath, and presence. The world is always reaching us, even in stillness.

For writers, Outside In becomes an invitation to explore observation, contrast, and connection—especially the invisible threads between environments, emotions, and experience.

In this post, you can find…

  • Tips for using this book as a mentor text for writing

  • Ways to use the book with preschoolers, grades k-5, grades 6-8, grades 9-12, and for disciplinary literacy projects

  • Journaling prompts linked to the book (including nature journaling)

  • One grammar exercise to access grammar instruction

Read more →
The Tree in Me: Writing with Metaphor and Meaning
The Tree in Me: Writing with Metaphor and Meaning

The Tree in Me is a quiet, powerful exploration of growth, change, and the deep connections between humans and the natural world. Through lyrical language and expressive illustrations, Luyken invites readers to see themselves reflected in trees—rooted, reaching, bending, and growing.

I especially love the colors throughout this book. The pages evoke a pink sunset, with bright oranges and pinks that seem to jump off the page.

This book reminds us that growth is not always linear. Like trees, we stretch toward the light, weather storms, and change with the seasons. For writers, The Tree in Me becomes an entry point into reflective and metaphorical writing, where personal experience connects to the natural world.

While the book primarily focuses on the trees within us, these ideas can extend to other elements of nature as well. We might consider the storms within us, the flowers that grow inside us, or the gardens we cultivate with our thoughts. In this way, we are deeply connected to the natural world and to one another.

In this post, you can find…

  • Tips for using this book as a mentor text for writing

  • Ways to use the book with preschoolers, grades k-5, grades 6-8, grades 9-12, and for disciplinary literacy projects

  • Journaling prompts linked to the book (including nature journaling)

  • One grammar exercise to access grammar instruction

Read more →
Why the Sterling Ink N2 Size Notebook is Essential in My Journaling System
Why the Sterling Ink N2 Size Notebook is Essential in My Journaling System

I spent a couple of months using the Sterling Ink N2 Common Planner because I was searching for something smaller, lighter, and easier to carry. At the time, my Sterling Ink B6 Common Planner was starting to feel bulky—especially once it filled out and became my everything book.

And while the N2 did solve the portability problem, it created a different one:

It limited how I think on paper.

That’s when my system shifted.

Instead of trying to make one planner do everything, I moved to a two-book system:

  • A B6 Common Planner for structured planning and long-form space

  • A N2 Weeks Size Notebook (or jotbook/quick notes journal) for daily capture, thinking, and overflow

Now, the two work in tandem—and honestly, it feels much more aligned with how I actually live and write.

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Remember: Writing Through Memory, Identity, and the Natural World
Remember: Writing Through Memory, Identity, and the Natural World

Remember, by Joy Harjo and illustrations by Michaela Goade, is an invitation to reflect on who we are, where we come from, and how we are connected to the world around us. Through Harjo’s poetic repetition and grounding language, readers are reminded that memory is not just something we recall—it is something we carry.

The text moves gently through reminders of connection: to the earth, to ancestors, to breath, to belonging.

This book encourages us to slow down, to listen inward, and to recognize that our stories are part of something larger. For writers, Remember becomes an entry point into reflective writing, where memory, identity, and observation can meet.

In this post, you can find…

  • Tips for using this book as a mentor text for writing

  • Ways to use the book with preschoolers, grades k-5, grades 6-8, grades 9-12, and for disciplinary literacy projects

  • Journaling prompts linked to the book (including nature journaling)

  • One grammar exercise to access grammar instruction

Read more →
The Daily “Who I Am” Habit: Writing & Speaking Words That Shape Who We Are
The Daily “Who I Am” Habit: Writing & Speaking Words That Shape Who We Are

I start each day in a very similar way. After getting up and getting ready, I help our preschool-aged daughter prepare for school. As part of our daily hair routine, we always say our affirmations. These words set the tone for each day, and it is a non-negotiable part of our routine.

I want her to know what to say to herself when she doubts she can do something or feels unsure. I want her to be able to remind herself of how great she already is and how wonderful a person she is becoming.

Affirmations are more than flowery phrases—they are the inner dialogue we create for ourselves. Who I Am: Words I Tell Myself, by Susan Verde and illustrated by Peter H. Reynolds, is a powerful exploration of identity and the quiet language we carry within ourselves. Through simple, intentional phrases, the book reminds readers that the words we repeat internally shape how we see ourselves and who we are becoming.

Each line invites reflection:
I am strong.
I am creative.
I am enough.

This text is both grounding and expansive. It creates space for readers to notice their inner voice and begin to shape it with care. This book is not just something to read—it is something to return to. It becomes a mirror for identity and a starting point for daily reflection.

For writers, journalers, students, and caregivers, Who I Am offers an invitation to build a daily practice of affirmation writing—using a notebook or journal as a place to shape identity through language.

In this post, you can find…

  • Tips for using this book as a mentor text for writing

  • Ways to use the book with preschoolers, grades k-5, grades 6-8, grades 9-12, and for disciplinary literacy projects

  • Journaling prompts linked to the book (including nature journaling)

  • One grammar exercise to access grammar instruction

Read more →

Writing Mindset Reflection: What journaling terms do you run across the most? Which one do you think is the most confusing to new journal lovers?

journaling dictionary
Stephanie Hampton

A dedicated educator with over a decade of experience in public education, specializing in English Language Arts, writing instruction, and using mentor texts in the classroom. Stephanie currently works as an educational consultant. When she isn’t talking about teaching, she is with her family, spending time journaling, and enjoying a fresh cup of coffee.

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