I think I first started journaling when I was 10. Back then, I used a little pink and black Paris-themed journal with a heart-shaped lock. I kept that (not very) consistently for about two years. When I finally got through that, I moved on to another journal. From there, another, etc. All in all, I've had 6, soon to be 7, journals. And most of them I filled up in a matter of 5-8 months. (Then the conservative side of my brain kicked in and told me I didn't have to journal every day if it was only going to be, "July 5th: Super tired." XD).
And honestly? I think it helped me in my writing more than I ever could've imagined.
Don't believe me?
Let me give you an example.
Over a quarter of my entries across all of my journals were scenes I had thought of (some of which made it into other stories). More still were entries describing dreams (that created whole new stories). And with each scene I wrote, each dream I described, I got better and better at description, dialogue, emotions. If you start journaling, it will change your life for the better—you will never look back.
How to Journal: A Step-by-Step Guide
Grab an empty notebook.
Grab a pen (or pencil if ye so choose).
Start writing.
It can be about the weather, about what you wore today, a new story idea you had. You could be venting about how you positively abhor avocado, and your sister ate one in front of you (no, I have never had that happen to me, but ya never know—also I love avocados 😉).
How to Start Your Entries
Okay, this may not be that big of a deal to you, but for me it was always a challenge. "Do I just write the day? Should I include the month? What about the year? Do I just abbreviate?"
To be honest, I have no idea where my entry headings came from—it just sort of clicked, and I've been using it ever since. But here's how I set mine up—
January 16th—Mon—2023 2:39 pm
Then I continue writing as so.
I've used this to head my entries very near three years now. And I love it. But, if you don't much care for it, feel free to think of any other ideas you may happen to have 😉.
The Nitty-Gritty: When You Can't
"Okay," you say, folding your arms. "But I'm terrible at writing out my emotions on page."
"Oh, really?" I challenge. "Then word vomit."
word vom·it
[ˈvämət]
NOUN
The words that come out of your mouth without any thought or criticism
I am not joking. Just start writing. It could be rubbish—a whole bunch of goblety-gook. It could literally go from a song lyric straight into complaining about Algebra then right back to a book you just read and loved. Then, before you know it—*gasp*—you're journaling!
The One Rule
There is only one rule when it comes to journaling: There are no rules!
Seriously.
Your journal is your special place, your private brain-dump. There will be terrible handwriting, atrocious grammar, run-on sentences, horrific spelling, and ill-formed sentences.
But that's okay.
Really.
Remember when I said it's your special place? Well, that means that you are free to toss rules out the window. Pile on the inconsistencies, use the Oxford comma on and off, blabber and rant,
35 Ideas of What to Journal About
The weather
A writing prompt
The lyrics to a song you've been loving
A list of 5 things you're thankful for
A poem you've created (this does not have to rhyme)
A recipe you want to try
A book you love
A movie you like! (Or hate ;P)
Hair products
Animals
Plants
Family
Fashion you love/fashion you hate
Politics
Rearranging furniture
Houses
Random people
A Bible verse/chapter/book you love!
Random, and spontaneous Chaos
Room decor
Random stores
Puppies! 🤩
About (or in) a different language
Frogs (cuz why not?)
School
Stress
(Bonus points if you combine the two 😜)
WWII Codes
Newspapers
Snowflakes
The terrain around where you live
Your hobbies
The ocean floor
Socks
How things are made
And there ya have it! I hope this helps all y'all out there who are skeptical about journaling, and even those who have been journaling for a while!
Do you journal? If so,
how long have you been doing it?
If not, what has been
holding you back?
I have a few journals including my writing journal and my bullet journal. (-;
Fantastic post, Deigan!! I love journaling, but I haven't done it in forever! You've inspired me to get back into it! <3
I love journaling!! I try to do it every Sunday afternoon, and then throughout the week when I get a chance XD For the heading, I always write the date, the day of the week, the time, and the weather...not sure why, but I guess because it's fun looking back and knowing that it was raining or sunny on that day. 😂 But anyway, thank you for this awesome post!!!