I’ve kept journals off and on throughout my life, but on March 3, 2016, I restarted journaling in full force and have been writing nearly every day since.
Daily journaling has had a huge impact on my life, so I thought I would share some benefits I discovered and tips and inspiration I have for those starting a journal.
Benefits of Journaling
- Record your life! Journals create vivid daily snapshots and act as time capsules into your history. It’s cool to look back on old journals and see how much you’ve learned and grown. They act as time capsules into your history.
- Process your thoughts. Writing about your experiences, emotions, and the good and bad things you go through helps you better understand your mind and better express your feelings. Getting your thoughts out on paper also benefits your mental health and can reduce stress and anxiety.
- Practice writing! Just like artists keep a sketchbook, writers keep Writer’s Journals. They are places to jot down inspiration, but also to help you improve word choice and structure and get a better understanding of the writing craft. Since you have no rules or guidelines to follow and don’t have to worry about anyone else reading it, a journal is a place to freely experiment in new styles and forms and get ideas out on paper.
Tips for Journaling
- Get into a writing routine. Start small, whether it means a page, half a page, or even a few sentences. For some people, they write best at a certain time of day, whether it’s in the morning or right before going to bed. Some write in a specific spot. Others write wherever and whenever they can (that’s me!). What matters most is you find what works best for your writing rhythm.
- Personalize journaling for you! Choose a nice notebook and quality writing utensils. You don’t have to strictly write about the events of your day—write about ideas, questions, interesting discoveries, or even test out new story ideas. If you like to draw, draw in your journal. If you like scrapbooking, glue things into your journal. Write poetry, lists, or fill a page with interesting quotes. If you don’t like the name “journal,” call it something else! Don’t make journaling a chore; make it something you look forward to.
- Most of all, don’t worry about if you miss a day (or more) or don’t think you’re “doing it right.” Journals are personal, and there’s no set way to keep one. Journaling should not be a cause of stress, it should be an enjoyable place that feels like home.
Inspiration
A lot of people don’t know what to write in their journal. That is normal because everyone has a different idea of what a journal is. But if you need a few ideas to get started, here is some inspiration:
- Jot down interesting snippets of conversations you hear, and incorporate them into a story.
- Find an object that is often overlooked or ignored. Describe it vividly and make it have greater importance than one would notice at first glance (a pillow that opens a portal, an eraser that can remove things from existence…) .
- Write down a true adventure or misadventure that you had recently. Try to make it as dramatic, exciting, or comedic as possible while still sticking to the facts.
- Write about ‘first impressions,’ real or fictional.
- “Who knew that _____________ could save the world?”
- Practice “Free Writing!” I first heard about this activity in High School English. Set an amount of time (five minutes, ten minutes, even twenty minutes if you’re up for a challenge), and write nonstop. Don’t let your pencil stop moving, don’t erase, don’t pause to read over what you just wrote. The rule is you must keep writing, even if you write “I don’t know what to write” over and over and over again for the whole time! This helps you get into a routine of writing and keeps you from dismissing the crazy, random ideas that come as you write (after all, the most unusual things often make the best stories!).
I hope these ideas inspire you in your writing. Happy journaling!
Abby Ciona 