Journaling

Up to now, the longest I’ve maintained a personal journal was when I was ages nine through twelve. At that time, it was a little pocket diary and my entries consisted of one or maybe two phrases. In my adult years, I’ve attempted and abandoned journal writing several times over. When it came to starting one, I usually had an idea of what I wanted to write about, but then my stamina just didn’t click-in. Who wants to waste time sitting with a journal when there’s no shortage of other things to do?

Plus, when it comes to actually writing the journal entry, doesn’t it feel awkward like you’ve been forced to engage one of those wallflower kids at the school dance? Or worse, you’re the wallflower kid getting pulled into conversation? Eeek!

Well, I’ve taken up journal writing once again. Now that I’m writing on a full time basis, I’ve found that keeping a journal serves to organize my thoughts, helps me work through writing blocks for specific projects, and is a place where I can store short blurbs that may be useful later on. In this post, I’ve included three tips that I use in order to help the words flow while writing in my journal. If these work for you, great.

Start Small

Just like the awkward wallflower encounter, you probably won’t be able to start off with a deep philosophical discussion. That comes later. Begin your journal writing, quite literally, with small talk in order to ease yourself in. Tell about your day, state a fun fact, or make a joke about how uncomfortable this feels. No matter how silly this seems, it is a great way to warm-up to the bigger and wider topics that your journal was meant to help you sort out.

And, yes, even if you need to resort to a little negativity in the beginning, it’s still something. I’ve started off journal entries by complaining that I haven’t spent enough time on my novel manuscript, but that’s important because then it opens the door for me to explore reasons as to why that’s the case. I have been able to work through writing blocks this way and it is amazing!

Take the Pressure Off

Did you ever have to do journal writing in school? And the teacher would set a minimum page count for each entry? Yuck! Don’t do that to yourself. This is your journal. Don’t set page minimums or maximums. Spelling? Grammar? Toss ‘em out the window. And although I’ve conducted a Google search to get the proper name or title of something that I want to include as a reference point, there is zero chance that I’d ever waste my time going back to revise an entry. No.

You’ll need to get into your own natural rhythm, so letting your words flow without monitoring a specified amount is imperative. Don’t try to replicate the method they used at school. Teachers don’t really know what works for you—journal writing was just another method for achieving quiet time in the classroom. This is your journal—and your life—so do it your way.

Keep it Private

Just like the above example, no one will be grading your entries. You may still feel a little uneasy about someone reading your stuff, though. In order to write freely, you need to secure your journal so that you know for certain that no one will read it. It is for your eyes only. When you take that worry away, the embarrassment drops and it is much easier to write. And it may just be that no one, including yourself, ends up reading most of the entries anyways.

If you’re concerned about someone in your household gaining access to your journal, then protect the document with a password or a lock. If it’s a hand-written booklet, use a lock box or lockable drawer. Don’t bother with those dollar store locked diaries. I know from experience that any nail file can open one… or a pair of scissors. That diary I had when I was twelve? Yeah, it was one of those.

Do you keep a journal? How do you stay consistent with writing in it? What do you struggle with in terms of writing entries? Start the discussion by sharing your comments below. Stay tuned for my next blog post. Wanna get it in your email inbox? Subscribe to stay informed of my newest articles, story reviews, updates, and more.

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