Journaling (again)

So, you want to keep a journal. How do you begin?

You need a journal. This can be as simple as a simple 10 cent notebook from Wal-Mart or as fancy as a leatherbound book. It might be a weblog or an online journal, or just a document on your computer. Find what fits you best - some of us write better by hand, others find typing easier - and start writing!

And write.

And write.

Write when you can. Don't beat yourself if a month goes by before you get another chance to write; just pick up the book and start writing again. I've found that I put off starting up again because I feel like I have to recap the missing weeks between now and the last time I wrote. If that's holding you back, don't worry about it. Forget about going into all the details of life. If you must recap, keep it short, brief and sweet. If not, just skip it. Skip it and move on to what is happening now.

Write short entries. Yeah, details are great. But sometimes details hinder you from writing. If you are short on time, short entries are awesome. Ten short entries are better than nothing! And sometimes the brief entries are the most poignant and memorable.

Write longer entries, too. Okay, so that sounds like an oxymoron. If you do have the time, include the details. Even if they seem silly. Looking back, details can be great! Details aren't necessary, but they are...icing on the cake. Cake is delicious, but the frosting completes it. Details finish off the story - and yes, that's what you're writing. The story of your life!

If you have trouble coming up with what to write about...

- write about daily life. So maybe it's boring, but see how you can make it interesting. Little vignettes about your world...someday that will be interesting!

- write about what you see. People watch. Listen. Learn. Now write about it!

- take a headline from the newspaper and write about it. What are your thoughts on the current politics? The latest media craze?

- journal about...your thoughts on life. What has God been teaching you? What has grabbed your attention the most while reading His Word?

- journal your prayers. Some of the best entries will be your prayers. They don't have to be eloquent, just heart-felt.

The biggest key is:

write.

Just write. When you can. Where you can. It's hard to find the time, but if you really want it, you will find it.

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The Art of Keeping a Journal

"I never travel without my diary. One should always have something sensational to read in the train."
- Oscar Wilde, “The Importance of Being Earnest”

As a writer, I find myself loving words, loving nearly anything that has to do with the art of creating words, creating stories, reading...just about anything about stories and words, words, words.

I just don't mean to make people feel guilty or weird or stupid if they aren't as crazy about them as I am. Take journaling, for instance. I absolutely love journaling and have kept up a journal of some sort for most of my life; for me, journaling has come in the form of pen on paper, but also in the form of an online journal for friends to read and comment on. Journaling is just something I have always done because I enjoy it. I love writing. I love journaling for many, many reasons.

But I know that it isn't for everyone. Not everyone likes to write. And not everyone likes to journal.

That caveat aside, this post is about journaling and most definitely is pro-journaling. Why? Because...well, I love journaling and want to offer up a few reasons why you *might* want to keep a journal.

Journal…

1) for posterity. It’s true. Even if your life feels the most boring on earth, we are living through a time period that future generations will look back on as HISTORY. We are living in historic times, people! For the first time ever in American history, we have a black president – that mere fact alone is history. We are living during one of the worst economic recessions since the Great Depression. It isn’t fun; it can be depressing. But it is history. Tell your journal about it. Tell your journal what you think about it.

Journal about every day life for you and how what is happening affects you. My journal entries lately have told stories about my family and friends, but also about how my job situation has changed because of the economy. I’ve clipped articles out of the paper and tucked them in between pages, too. Someday, it may be interesting to look back on and see how my references to the economy pertain to these news clippings.

2) for yourself. A journal can be a wonderful way to work out things in your life. A journal is a quiet place, where nobody else can comment or criticize. Your journal can be the place to sort out things in your spiritual life with God.

Recently, I went back and read a journal I kept last summer and realized that events that occurred laid a bit of the foundation of things that are occurring in my life right now. Without my journal, I might not have realized quite as fully when and how these things began. A journal gives you an opportunity to keep a record of the intricate threads God sows into your life on a daily basis. Some of them may blossom into glorious things…others into hard times, but it is always amazing to see where God is leading.

3) for writing material. Write about the people you see waiting for the bus every morning as you travel to work. Jot down conversations you hear, amusing and intriguing tidbits. As a writer, these notes could one day prove to be invaluable, a ready source of material for stories and articles.

There are a million reasons to keep a journal. The key isn’t so much to figure out why you keep a journal, but to keep one. Keep one for yourself or for family members or just because. But if you keep a journal, write. Write what you see and hear and think. Just write. That’s all it takes to keep a journal.

To be continued…

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