When You're Considering Journaling

by James E. Miller

Know that a journal is not a diary.

     A diary is a day-to-day record of how you spend your time. It focuses on the outward events of your life—where you went and when, what you did and with whom, what you saw and heard and said. While a diary may include your reflections about anything that’s happened, that is not its main purpose.
     A journal is different. It focuses on the writer’s interior life—how you feel about something at the moment, or what you think about some matter that has grabbed your attention. It may involve your memories about something that once happened, or your thoughts about what you hope will happen. A journal is always personal in nature. It’s written for no one but you. It’s an expression of who you have been, who you are, and who you are becoming.
     The French writer Anaïs Nin, who kept journals from the time she was a girl, described her journaling this way: "I chose the event of the day that I felt most strongly about, the most vivid one, the warmest one, the nearest one, the strongest one." When you journal, you don’t attempt to cover every aspect of your life—you cover what you want to, what you’re led to, what means most to you as you sit down and begin.
     Your journal may bear some similarities to a diary. You may choose to write in it every day. (Then again, you may not.) You may refer to what’s going on with the day at hand. (Or you may not.) One practice used in diary keeping I’d encourage is to date every entry you make. Doing so will locate your reflections in time and help you monitor those changes that occur with the passage of time. I write the day of the week, the date, and the hour at the top of each entry. If I’m away from home, I note where I happen to be.
     You will have your own reasons to begin writing if you’re new to this process, or to continue your writing if it’s already a part of your life. If you haven’t yet discovered this, you will: journaling is very much like taking a journey. You start in one place, you go awhile, and then you end up somewhere else. You can’t always predict what will happen along the way—it’s an adventure. But whatever happens, you’ll be the wiser and the better for writing about it. And if you’re fortunate, you’ll be the happier for it too.
     So do this: keep not so much a diary as a journal. Let it take shape in the way it wants. Let it grow in the way it will. Whatever else you do, make it no one else’s but yours.

Select your writing tools with care.

     A journal is not a throwaway. You’ll probably keep it a long time, perhaps as long as you live. Succeeding generations may read it. You may carry your journal with you to distant places, and you may use it in a variety of settings. Those are reasons enough to purchase a well-made journal, one that will last. Still, there are more reasons to choose a book that’s substantial. Your writings are important—they deserve a worthy home. And chances are you’ll be spending a number of hours before those open pages. So make this a pleasurable time you can look forward to in as many ways as you can. Make your journal something you’ll be proud of and happy with.
     A hard cover journal will better withstand wear and tear. It will also be more comfortable to use if you’re not at a desk or table. A book which can lie flat when it’s opened is easier to write in, wherever it’s placed. It shouldn’t be too small—5"x 7" is a good minimum size. Bound books which are 7"x 10" and 8 1/2" x11" are commonly available and large enough to support one’s moving hand. Some people prefer loose-leaf binders so they can organize their pages and insert other types of material—envelopes to hold keepsakes, for instance, or oversize pages for drawings or clippings. Other possibilities include spiral bound notebooks, sketch pads, and handmade books.
     Pens come in even more assortments than journals. There are ball points, rollerballs, and felt tips in a host of styles, sizes, and colors. Fountain pens have made a strong comeback in recent years. A writing instrument should feel right in your hand and it should look right to you as it moves across the page. My favorite journaling pen has a very fine point, uses blue ink, and costs 29 cents at the drug store. The $150 rollerball I was once given on a special occasion doesn’t quite work for this purpose.
     Nowadays we dare not forget that some journals are not books at all. When my wife developed a life-threatening disease, she decided she wanted to create a record of what she thought and felt as the weeks progressed. So she chose to write on a laptop computer. It’s faster than handwriting for her, and the words seem to flow more smoothly. Also, it was convenient to use as she lay in bed. Her journal is now stored on her computer and sometimes it appears on a monitor, while other times she prints it out on paper. She’s not alone—it appears more and more people are taking the technological route.
     Whatever writing tools you select, make them suit you, your needs, and your purposes. It matters not a whit what others think. This isn’t their affair—it’s entirely yours.

This writing is excerpted from Jim Miller’s book The Rewarding Practice of Journal Writing: A Guide for Starting and Keeping Your Personal Journal. In it Jim offers dozens and dozens of ideas for using one’s journal as a vehicle for self-expression and self-knowledge. You can learn more about this resource, as well as other Willowgreen resources, here.

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