Many of you know that a few weeks ago I lost my scrappy little dog, Kelly. One of the first things I did was to write about him. Why? Because writing is a way to clear my mind. It's a way to get my feelings uncluttered and down on paper. Writing is therapeutic to me.
I chose to share my writing but the beauty of most journals is that they are not intended for an audience. They are, however, a good way to get rid of anger, take a close look at fear, or simply follow a vacation with words that won't be forgotten. Journals are a very good way to learn more about who you are and how you react to different situations.
Obviously, I love journals. Journals can be written in thousands of ways. Every journal can be unique to its author. It can start from writing prompts like: The most important thing that happened today was____________________.
or simply Guess what?
Writing prompts usually get the mind engaged but they're not necessary. Sometimes you'll discover that something you wrote and planned to keep to yourself is worthy of publication. You'll want to share what you wrote.
Journals are fun. Writing is fun. With journals, anything goes!
Do you already keep a journal? Has it helped you or your writing in general? If you have children, I've got loads of ideas for journal writing that are creative and quick. Let me know if you'd like any of them!
10 comments:
I really wish I'd kept a journal when I was younger - you forget so much.
I always kept, or rather we kept a vacation journal. We would take turns writing it based on who was driving etc. We kept track of what we saw, how much money we spent, where we stopped for gas and lunch and things like that. As Chrissy got older she participated in them too.
One year I typed one of the journals up as a gift for hubby. These were when we would go camping, hiking, etc. for 3 weeks out west. Hum...wonder where the one I typed up is. You've got me thinking now...need to search around for it.
We didn't do much of that after we stopped camping. During those long trips, we spend more quiet time at the picnic table at the camp site as well as lots of road time so it was perfect for that.
Super post
Sandy
I don't keep a journal. I have started to journal many different times. But it always seemed to pointless. If I wasn't going to share these thoughts, I would think to myself, then why bother? I already knew what had happened, what was said, what I felt, so I have given up journal writing. But, somewhere inside me there is a person screaming right now to keep a journal. Go figure!
My blogs are my journals. I can't write for very long without my fingers hurting. But I can't type as long as I want most days! I have a few private thoughts I didn't post, but they're electronic too!
Hi
I have a BIG question that I have wondered about.
What is the difference between a DIARY and a JOURNAL? I hear people talking that Diarys were ment to be secret and that a lock needed to be put in it. I don't mean to be non- trusting- but how do you keep a journal private so no one else can read it? I bet someone else has wondered this. Do you put a big padlock on it?
If someone "accidently" read my thoughts, they might lock me up.
What do you think?
xoxox
tweedles
I haven't got myself a Journal and from what know journals are just like diaries where you can keep all the things important or not so important daily activities. Do I need to write all of them? Well okay, I write them through blogging but only those which I can share publicly...private ones are kept in my mind:)
And thanks for visiting my blog.
AL
I believe that a journal refers to any daily written record. It could include, for example, a daily list of weather conditions for a sailor. A diary is a personal journal. I think that these definitions have become blurred and people now talk about "journaling" when they mean keeping a diary.
I have journaled and I do journal but I'm not stringent about it. I journal when I want to or when I have something I need to express or to vent. It's a great tool to vent and find inner peace again.
I'm journaling about my beekeeping right now on my beekeeping blog - but that is intended for myself for reference - transcribing all my notes from meetings, etc., and also hopefully to help educate the public.
With my children's book I've been writing I have started keeping little journal books everywhere so I won't miss an inspiration. All these notes are mixed up with revelations I've written about, meeting minutes and deep thoughts and questions about life. I often take excerpts out to put in my book - that was something surprising that I didn't expect.
I think journals and dairies are the same thing. I think it's a matter of what word one choices. Journals and diaries can be private with a key, and both can be open as well. I think both mean writing things down you want to write down...be they everyday things, things of importance, things you're thinking about, or things that have actually happened.
I think doing it is cool,and have gone back and read mine several years after the fact and find that enjoyable, sometimes it's funny to read them later and sometimes it's insightful.
I think the difference between a diary and journal is that a diary is related to a specific date, meaning a person would write in a diary that such and such occurred today. I think the word has rather 'old fashioned' connotations - I picture a teenage girl writing in a pink book that has a lock and key.
I also think many blogs are a form of a journal. Hmm. Time for the dictionary!
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