The biggest obstacle when writing is writer's block. Sometimes when we sit down to write, our minds go blank. Not only do we not know what to write specifically, we don't even know how to start. This is a very common occurrence. There is no need to worry that you lack 'the writing skill', just because you fall into a rut. Most writers do get writer's block once and a while.
When keeping a journal, your potential to hit writer's block goes up considerably. If you are writing a novel or working on a series of short stories or essays, you work on that topic and then get back to it the next time you write. You know what you're writing about and keep going. You may still hit writer's block, but even when you do, you still have the main idea of what you are supposed to be doing and can get back it pretty quickly.
Writing in a journal is a much different story. For most journal writer's, the topic changes from day to day. You might write about your bad experience one day and a couple of poems the next. You don't have a concrete idea of what you are writing on a daily basis. This can be harsh in promoting your writer's block. Fortunately, this can be helped. If you have a heavy source of journal writing topics, you can go to them whenever you fall prey to writer's block.
Where can you find journal writing topics? There are so many sources of topics for writing all over the place. You can pick up the January copy of Writer's Digest for a daily calendar of writing topics, or you can do a search online. This are all good ideas, but I much prefer another. A great way to always have an idea is to come up with them yourself. Get a small notebook, and whenever you think of a possible writing idea, write it down. If you are board one day, just sit and write different topics. You can even make the act of writing down topics your journal writing topic for the day.
Be creative in the topics you write. Write about what you ate for breakfast. Write a description of how to do something like 'how to each chocolate' and be creative with it. Write about your favorite childhood memory. Watch a couple of people having a conversation, write down the first couple lines of their conversation, and then finish it with your own creative words and style. Take these ideas as just a starting point and fill your topic journal to ensure you never run out of ideas.
