Writing Mindset is a blog for everyone that focuses on using a notebook to build a more positive life.

Stephanie Hampton

Let’s write about life together.

On the blog, I talk about journaling, planning, and I review products that I love. When I am not journaling, you can find me talking about teaching, cooking up a new recipe from Pinterest, and enjoying a fresh cup of coffee. Click below to sign up for the newsletter to get a jump start to your writing each week!

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Recent Posts

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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

Dear Acorn (Love, Oak): Journaling Through Connection and Growth
Dear Acorn (Love, Oak): Journaling Through Connection and Growth

Joyce Sidman and Melissa Sweet’s Dear Acorn (Love, Oak) is a gentle and poetic exploration of connection, patience, and transformation. Told through a series of tender letters from an old oak tree to a newly fallen acorn, this picture book beautifully captures the rhythm of life cycles—growth, waiting, change, and renewal. Through Sidman’s lyrical language and Sweet’s rich mixed-media illustrations, readers are invited to consider how all things in nature are intertwined. On the blog, I have been a huge fan of the illustrations from Melissa Sweet. How to Write a Poem by Kwame Alexander and How to Read a Book by Kwame Alexander are two of the first picture books I recommend to teachers to lead conversations about reading and writing in their classrooms at any level.

For writers and journalers alike, Dear Acorn is an invitation to reflect on relationships, resilience, and the quiet passage of time. It reminds us that even the smallest beginnings hold the promise of something enduring and strong. In Dear Acorn the lost art of letter writing can help writers tap into new ideas and people working in a journal to access different parts of the world around them.

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

Seeing Ourselves in Metaphor: Journaling with A Face is a Poem
Seeing Ourselves in Metaphor: Journaling with A Face is a Poem

Julie Morstad’s picture book A Face is a Poem offers readers a playful and poetic way of seeing something familiar—our own faces. Instead of describing features literally, Morstad leans on metaphor: freckles as sprinkles, flowery faces, faces that you find in the clouds. Each page invites readers to view the ordinary as extraordinary. I actually paused in the bookstore when I saw the cover of this book because the colors and imagery were so beautiful.

For writers, this text is a gift. It reminds us that description doesn’t have to be technical—it can be imaginative, metaphorical, and deeply personal. For journalers, it opens the door to self-reflection and self-expression through the lens of poetry. This post serves as a how-to guide for using this text in multiple ways: in the classroom, at home, or within your own notebook.

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

Chic Sparrow Traveler's Notebook Covers (5 Different Sizes!)
Chic Sparrow Traveler's Notebook Covers (5 Different Sizes!)

Chic Sparrow is a leather goods company that began as a small Etsy shop creating handcrafted journal covers—and has since grown into a beloved brand known for its beautiful lines of notebook covers and journaling accessories. While there are many notebook cover options on the market across a wide range of price points, Chic Sparrow sits comfortably on the higher end—and for good reason. Their covers are made from genuine, high-quality leather that only becomes more beautiful with time and use. I really love using these because they make journaling feel like a special ritual.

With Chic Sparrow, you can find a cover you love in the exact size and style that fits your journaling needs. Traditional traveler’s notebook covers feature elastic strings that allow you to insert multiple notebooks or planners at once and swap them out as needed—keeping your cover consistent while refreshing what’s inside. You can also choose from other options such as folios that hold the covers of your notebook in pockets. Personally, I’ve collected several of their covers over the years in B5, A5, Traveler’s Notebook, B6, and Weeks sizes, and each one feels like a piece of craftsmanship that grows more personal with every use. This post is a review of the covers themselves, but also a walkthrough of my notebook ecosystem of how I use different notebooks in different sizes to complement my own journaling routine.

Cozy Fall Journaling for Everyone
Cozy Fall Journaling for Everyone

Everything that reminds me of journaling also reminds me of fall types of things. This may be the best season for grabbing a notebook and getting ready to write.

Hot beverages.

Warm blankets.

Red leaves.

Lit candles.

Crisp mornings.

Sunlight in windows.

Nanowrimo.

Brain-dumping worries.

Moving a little bit slower in life.

Thinking about how the goals for the year are going so far.

Getting ready to think about goals for the new year.

Whether you like the fall for the football, changing leaves, or pumpkin spice lattes, journaling has a place in your everyday routine. This post is an ode to fall journaling. Think of it like a fall journaling toolkit. These are all easy things you can add to your journaling routine to get the most out of fall. Included in this post, you will find an update on my fall journaling routine, cozy fall music links to set the vibe, fun accessories and stickers, and reflective prompts to get you thinking.

Butler Banana Bread (with a Brown Butter Edit!)
Butler Banana Bread (with a Brown Butter Edit!)

I’m not someone who claims to be a fabulous chef by any means. For the first seven years of my relationship, it was my husband who did the majority of the cooking. I’ve had to work at cooking the same way I’ve had to work at learning how to be a teacher. Over the past ten years or so, I’ve made an effort to learn recipes I’ve found on Pinterest and keep track of the dishes I feel I’m starting to improve at with practice. Sometimes, the things that matter most take time to learn.

I do remember one recipe I used to make when I was 15 years old. I would watch my mom bake this bread, then write down the recipe for my own use. I’ve kept that same recipe card all these years. Now, whenever I’m feeling a bit nostalgic, I’ll make banana bread—the Butler way.

 

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Watching my 4-year-old learn to write before she can read has been fascinating. Writing is her first entry point into literacy—a way to explore ideas, express herself, and make sense of the world. At this stage, she’s not just practicin
🌿 There’s a rock out there just for you. On the blog, I explore how When You Find the Right Rock by Mary Lyn Ray and @felicita.sala invites us to slow down, connect with nature, and see ourselves in the small things. Whether you’re jou
🍂 Big and small, connected after all. In a new blog post I dive into how @joycesidman and @melissasweetillustrator book, Dear Acorn (Love, Oak) shows us that even the tiniest acorn and the mightiest oak have stories worth telling—and writing.
🌟 See yourself with new eyes… In my latest blog post I explore how the picture book A Face is a Poem by @juliemorstad invites us to view our features—and ourselves—in metaphor and wonder. From freckles to hair, every detail becom