If you don’t journal, I will assume you know what journaling is. There are numerous methods and variations in the way one journals, and the majority of the time, it is a matter of personal preference, with some aspects being unique to each individual. Whether you journal or not, I want to introduce you to fictional journaling. Not only have I found this helpful for my well being, but I have also found it helps with my writing. Let’s get into it.
You will need a new notebook for this, one that you dedicate to this specific type of journaling. This doesn’t come with a standard timing; you aren’t expected to do this at any point, but rather when you feel a little stressed or require some form of escape.
Step one
Pick a setting. This can be space, a dystopian future, or anything you desire. You can get creative with it and be a character stuck in a house, noting your discoveries and attempts at escape. You could be a ghost hunter, and these could be your journals or all the locations you visit. It's even possible that you work a regular office job and journal as part of your work routine. The only requirement here is that it's separate from your real life. If you find yourself saying something along the lines of ‘that’s too crazy’ or ‘that’ll never work’, then that’s the one you should probably do.
Step two
On the first page of your notebook, provide some background information and establish the scene. Then, on the next page, give yourself a character bio, and write it in first person. This means that we are writing outwardly to the world. You can embed as much truth as you want into this bio; you can use your own name or become somebody entirely different. Typically, the best fictional characters are based on factual people because having something to draw from makes it easier. If I were to go the haunted houses route, then my bio could appear like this:
My name is Ash Raymond James, and for almost a decade, I have been exploring haunted houses worldwide, assessing their danger. It has always been my job to ensure that these hauntings remain secret and out of the public eye. It feels counterproductive to start a journal about this, but lately I have felt as though I am being followed. The hauntings, as of late, have developed an abnormal feeling. If you find this, I urge you to return it to the address below. I fear the world may not be ready for the truth. I am keeping this for the sake of my sanity and to refer back to abnormalities. My memory is being tested by something. Please do not read on unless you are a person of the associated organisations. You know who you are.
Step three
Now we start journaling. It is up to you to structure this as you see fit. I keep a space journal that serves as a continuous timeline of my planet explorations, but you can choose the timeframe of the journaling. If we maintain the idea of the haunted houses, then it could be in segments.
The Mountain House / Night One / 7:34 pm
The Mountain House / Night One / 10:20 pm
The Mountain House / Day Two / 7:59 am
You could even add specific dates to these that correspond with the actual dates that you journal. As I said, this isn’t something you have to do every morning or every night; there is no framework that you MUST follow, but instead it is something you can do for relaxation or as a structured form of creativity. I have found myself doing this on trains or as a passenger in a car, instead of reaching for my phone. Here is an example of an entry.
The Mountain House / October 5th 2025 / Night One / 7:34 pm
Upon entry into the house, there is something immediately off-putting. The layout feels wrong for reasons I have yet to put my finger on. The doors are in strange positions, and despite being of normal height, the ceilings feel low. I find myself ducking with plenty of room above me for reasons that, as of now, escape me. The house is dated and seems to maintain its 1950s aesthetic. The house is also loud with age, which is unpleasant. A house like this could certainly stir up the imagination. Poor wiring, poorly lit, and deep, dark corners. The Mountain House is immensely terrifying, but it does not confirm a haunting as of yet, only a bad architect.
Step four
Have fun and keep this going. This is your personal storytelling space, and you have the freedom to go whichever direction calls you. Don’t put pressure on it being good writing or needing to have strong story elements; approach this as regular journaling and allow yourself to spill onto the page. Write yourself into corners; have inconsistencies, it really doesn’t matter. We are doing this to gently exercise our creativity and escape the world. My space journal has become a story, and every time I pick it up to write, I am transported to that world. I feel the tension and stress of the character I have made, and when the twenty-foot bird is chasing me, there is a genuine fear in me despite being safe in a chair. Throw yourself at this and believe it. Storytelling can be an extreme sport if you let yourself be truly immersed.
Step five
This is an optional step for anyone struggling to get started with this or for those who want more direction. There are these games classed as solo RPGs, with RPG meaning role playing games. The space adventure I am currently embarked on began as a play through or a game called ‘Alone Among The Stars’ and then evolved into a much bigger thing. This is great because it uses dice and cards to make random decisions that you have to write to. A number two card represents a discovery under the light of a moon, with the suits determining the type of discovery. You can download the game for free, but if you enjoy it and can spare a couple of bucks, consider giving them a donation, as they do great work. They have other adventures and even adaptations that allow you to play with a friend or a partner, which I will leave below.
Conclusion
The only limitation with this is your imagination. I gave myself a robot and determined that all of my crew were dead, and that we have lost Earth. I love fictional journaling so much that I am considering releasing them as stories at some point. You are inventing worlds, and this gives you the freedom to bend any rule you want. You can build an earth with twice as many trees, or the journaling could be told through a world that only rains. If rain were perpetual, how would the world survive? What jobs would that create? What if the dinosaurs naturally came back, and it was your job to find out why? What if poets replaced the entire political system? What are the advantages and disadvantages? You are creating a world, and you can do anything you want. If your week sucks, then give the ghost hunter a bad haunting. This isn’t entirely void of your life, but it is designed to be a step away from it. If you decide to give this a shot, I would love to know what you choose to be. I will leave some photos of my space journal and some playlists below.
Keep kind and stay true Woofenberry’s x
Space playlist
If you plan on doing any space adventure, then this playlist is great to have on in the background.
Ghost investigator playlist
Anything haunted, lower the volume and let this sink into the background. It will help with the spooky mindset.
Weird playlist
This one is lo-fi and definitely haunted, but in a bizarre way. If you are doing anything weird with your fictional journaling, then this is the one for you.