Journaling and Writing
As a writer, journaling is part of my everyday life. While I know this isn’t the case for everyone, I wanted to share some tips and insights into how journaling can benefit your writing. Also, journaling can be done in many ways!
Journaling is essentially a writer’s sketchbook. It’s a place to put your thoughts down, doodle story ideas, and simply write. You can journal about your day, thoughts, events, curiosities, ideas, and more. An important and difficult thing to remember is that your journal is YOURS. It can be messy, silly, unimportant, and imperfect. It can be a diary. It can be a place to scribble. It can be whatever you want it to be, free of judgement.
Why do I Journal?
I think this is an important question to answer so you can understand where I am coming from. My purpose in journaling has changed many times. As a kid, I listed what I did and who I saw but mostly (as a videogame nerd) focused on keeping diaries about the condition of my farm in Harvest Moon or writing dramatic reimaginings about The Legend of Zelda games.
I was obsessed with cataloguing every detail in my life which led to unhealthy expectations and unhappy writing if I did not keep up with those daily logs.
I picked up journaling again in college and viewed it as a way to exercise my thoughts. I would unburden my mind by emptying my thoughts onto the pages while I geared up to work on any essays or writing. It was an excellent writing warm-up.
Personally, even though I journal randomly and without much direction nowadays, this has been a centerpiece in my own health, routine, and well-being. But that’s what we all expect out of journaling, right? The entire “Dear Diary” schtick?
The Warm-up
When working on a story, do you ever feel like you are in a slump? If your mind feels slow and the words are scarce, it’s good to take a break. In these instances, I use journaling to warm-up my thoughts and get those words flowing.
When you feel sluggish or are having trouble writing, the best advice is to just start writing. Get those words flowing. Maybe write about what you had for breakfast or the weather. Write down a joke you heard or something that happened on the news. If you can’t think about what to write, pick an object nearby and describe it.
Sometimes I journal about being stuck in a story I am writing and use that as a way to transition my journaling back into the act of writing. If this is the case, here are some good questions to ask yourself and answer in your journal:
What am I writing?
Where am I stuck?
What am I stuck on?
Am I confused about what I should write next?
Do I not know what to do?
Write out all your options good or bad.
And so on. Vent, complain, brainstorm about these ideas and just maybe before you know it, you might start writing.
Journals Don’t Have to be a “Journal”
Journals can be anything you want. Giving yourself the space to be freely creative without any bounds is essential. Stretch those creative muscles, practice, and explore.
Here are ways you can journal—there are so many! Find your favorite and come up with your own. (Trying new journaling styles is a great way to rejuvenate your journaling experience too.)
Lists! List 5 good things that happened that day (or things of note. This is good for reflection.)
Color Code: To spruce up my journal and make it more inviting, I focused on writing only random, unconnected events, or favorite memories. I boxed each one in a specific color to label them: worries in gray, romance in pink, adventures in green, and positive quotes in yellow.
Scrapbooking: Taping or gluing in scraps, pictures, stickers, tickets and more is a great creative stimulant. It’s a fun way to make your diary pages more interesting.
Art: Color, doodle, decorate, or scribble. A journal doesn’t have to be only words. Sometimes I fill pages with literal scribbles or doodles depending on my mood. I use pens, crayons, stickers, and more when I want to smile.
Just Write
In your journal, there are no rules or expectations. Pick out a notebook or journal to be your space to mess around in or to be a place where your creativity can guide you. This is a valuable asset and learning how to write with no bounds will help strengthen your voice as a writer. When you write, if there is something that makes you ask yourself, “Can I really say that?” because you might be worried about what others think—just do it. Be true to yourself and let your voice shine. Writers take risks but that doesn’t mean we take them blindly. Get used to writing without any rules and soon, you might find yourself more comfortable with the pen in your hand no matter where or what you are working on.
Conclusion
I often get asked if I ever feel lost or stuck when writing. Quite honestly, it isn’t a common feeling because over the years I’ve developed or practiced many steps to get unstuck and tricks to move the process along. At the same time, I’ve always practiced my motto of “just write.” An author once told me you will have to tie yourself (glue yourself, bind yourself) to a chair in order to write. You have to sit down and do it, or it will never happen. Those are all true. I think journaling is a wonderful gateway into this ability because it is a place where you can freely practice writing without any repercussions. There is a wonderful group all over the world that practices this idea called Shut Up and Write. Have you ever heard of them? I recommend looking into it!
Best,
Danni Lynn, Evangeline40003