I have written in journals very consistently since I was 9. My mother went to Utah on a trip and brought me back this beautiful white journal with a picture of a woman in a long flowing dress with long hair, a unicorn, a castle in the background, and a rainbow. This was right up my alley as a 9 year old. To make things better, it also had a lock that only I knew the code to.
I don't remember what it was about journaling at that age that so intrigued me, but I was hooked. I have filled up over 20 journals since that time, writing usually no longer than 2 or 3 days apart. I have written my heart over hundreds and hundreds of pages. As such, I consider myself a bit of a journaling expert, though I have to say that I'm certainly not a writing expert. Some of the journal entries are rather lame or poorly written, but that's okay by me. One doesn't have to be a good writer to be a good journaler.
I've decided to share a few of the things I've learned about the more practical side of journaling.
1. Pick a journal that you like. Lined, unlined, w/ a plain cover or a fancy one, on the computer? etc. I prefer journals with few pages because I can write through them faster and I tend to get bored with a certain one if I've written in it too long. Sometimes I like lines and other times I'd rather have the space to write however I want. (I'm really good at writing straight, though, so if this is a problem, you may want to go with lines).
2. Decide what/who your audience is. What is the greater purpose of this journal? This will guide how much self-censoring you’re comfortable with. My audience is often my journal. I call it “you.” Sometimes I am writing to myself. Sometimes I am writing to other people. You have the flexibility to write to whomever you want – and to switch it up whenever you want.
3. Find and be okay with your own journaling rhythm. Though I think that writing some what regularly has helped me the most in writing, there are times when this means writing once or twice a day and other times when it means writing once or twice every two weeks. If you want to set a goal about writing on a specific basis, make sure that your goal is reasonable and attainable. If you don’t write at all, it may be asking too much to start writing everyday. Or it may be just what you need. Try writing on a certain time schedule and see how it goes. Change it if you don’t like it. Mostly, you should write in your journal when you feel like it. Keep in mind that if you write more regularly, you most likely will want to write more regularly.
4. Don’t worry about following a thought or a story through. If you’re done with it, move on. Stop mid-sentence for all I care.
5. Don’t try to play catch up. If you haven’t written in a long time, it can be the kiss of death to try and recap everything that has happened since you last wrote, even the big things. If you must recap, keep it simple – a brief list will suffice. The reason to not recap too much is that you lose momentum. If you’re too busy writing about the past in your journal, you lose the time to write about the here and now, about the future, about things that you can still change.
6. Remember most of all: Journals are a safe place to explore, problem-solve, vent, clarify, explain, be creative, express yourself, learn, try on new thoughts and feelings, keep stories, be yourself, and to find yourself.
These are just suggestions. I write to share, not to prescribe. Your journal should be YOUR JOURNAL and thus can be whatever you want/need to it be.
