Journaling

I was once in a freewriting group with a woman who was a journalist but also a talented writer of fiction. In conversation, I said something about journaling and she went off on me. It wasn’t a real word, she said, and she got angry every time she heard someone use the word journaling. I thought she was being ridiculous. Every new edition of a dictionary has new words that have become part of the English lexicon. Writing in a journal, requires active participation, and journaling is definitely a verb.

Journals have become a legitimate part of the writing experience. It’s unfortunate that cutesy journals have become the default gift for that person who is impossible to buy for. Every writer I know who keeps a journal has a specific preference for size, type of paper, the spacing of the lines, or for no lines at all.

For myself, there’s a fine line between journaling and memoir. I have a memory that won’t work in a linear way, so my past (and there’s a lot of it) is a jumble. I started writing down scenes from my life, in no particular order. One memory would segue into another until I possessed a lot of fragments. I’m now slowly assembling them into a history.

Personal writing draws your attention inward. Most people move beyond the laundry list of daily accomplishments, although I have plenty of that in my old journals. You take that never-ending chatter going on inside your head and put the salient points down in writing. Watch for patterns. Watch for things that make you angry, and notice the topics that bring you joy. Have a conversation with yourself. No rewrites and no editing. Who will see it except you? Protect your journal’s privacy so you can be as straightforward with yourself as necessary.

I’m told a blog is supposed to have a focal point, but my mind wanders around and occasionally climbs a tree just for the view. So, in the interest of personal discipline and growth, I’ll add a suggestion for a writing exercise at the end of the posts. I’d be happy if anyone who participates would share their experience in the comments section. It could be fun or, at the very least, it would be interesting. (which is not nothing!)

•  Relax and close your eyes. Think back about a specific time in your life. (6^th grade, a family vacation, a neighbor, a date, something that hasn’t happened recently but is still with you) Open your eyes and start writing. Writing by hand will stimulate the creative part of your brain and will help you record your memory. Keep the pen moving without worrying about spelling or any of the other rules that bog us down. See if one scene leads to another.