“The habit of writing for my eye is good practice. It loosens the ligaments.” – Virginia Woolf
Do you keep a journal? I've spent years writing in journals of various forms and it's my favourite writing practice. In this short post, I explain why you should start one too.
1. Journal writing can help you think things through.
Writing about your inner life is a useful practice for getting ideas out of your head and onto the blank page without expectations or judgements.
Journal about problems you're having in your personal life, business or elsewhere. You can even use journaling to work on messy first drafts before turning them into Steemit posts later on.
2. Journal writing is like having a personal therapist on retainer.
Anger.
Jealousy.
Disappointment.
These emotions surprised me while journal writing because I thought all was rosy in the garden before sitting down to write.
At first, I found negative thought patterns alarming. I even considered hiring an expert to help me work through these problems.
Then I realised it's okay to leave negative thoughts on the page because nobody else will read them.
Plus it's cheaper than handing over thousands of dollars to a fancy therapist!
3. Journaling gets you into the habit of writing regularly.
If you haven't journaled before, being honest on the blank page is tough. It can also take you a bit of time to develop a habit of writing entries regularly.
However, you don't have to worry about publication criticisms or editing. So, you can write without expectations or fears. After all, who doesn't like to talk about themselves!
4. Journal writing is an ancient practice.
You’re in good company.
Marcus Aurelius, Seneca, Raymond Carver, John Cheever, Herman Miller and Virginia Woolf all kept journals.
And they did alright!
So, if you want to document your progress or even see how your creative craft is developing, keep a journal too.
5. It's fun to read old entries.
Our memories have ways of playing tricks on us. We imagine things that didn't happen. We think back on Bitcoin hitting nearly $20,000 with nostalgia. Or we tell ourselves it was a great holiday when in reality, we hated every moment.
When you read back on a journal entry, there's a where you think, "Oh yeah, that's how it was. It's also bizarre to read back on events you'd long forgotten like the time you broke up with an ex-girlfriend over text message.
6. Journal writing is a way of expressing gratitude.
At the end of each journal entry I write down three things I'm grateful for. Sometimes these are high-level things like my health or having a job. On other occasions, I'm grateful for simple things like the sweet taste of a cup of strong coffee or an insightful reply to a post I wrote.
Expressing gratitude at the end of a journal entry is also an alternative to ranting and raving about your latest slight.
7. Journalling will help you find ideas for things to write about.
New writers, bloggers and artists often worry that they don't have ideas, are struggling writer’s block or haven't got anything good to write about.
Journal consistently and you'll discover anecdotes you can use in your fiction and non-fiction.
Your brain or your subconscious will start to look out for ideas if you prompt it with introspection regularly (the brain is a funny organ like that).
Plus, if you write just 300-words a day, you'll write 3000-words in 10 days and, possibly, a book within a year.
Sure a lot of those entries will be personal, but you'll find a Bitcoin in the compost bin… if you know where to look.