Thursday 11 April 2013

J is for Journaling

Image courtesy of Jomphong / freedigitalphotos.net
I have journaled on and off for many years, sometimes in a notebook, other times using a journaling site penzu.com or my current favourite 750words.com. The one thing that I have noticed over the years is that when I am journaling on a regular basis my writing improves dramatically, both in quantity and in quality.
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I use journaling as a way of working through any writing problems that I am having, as though I am talking it through with a friend, and very often the solution that has eluded me for days will suddenly become clear. I also use it to write out any personal issues I am having and find it the perfect place to vent any frustrations instead of taking it out on those around me.

I have found that when I use my journal to get out all the mental clutter and chatter going on inside my head, it leaves more room in there for the creativity to flow, almost like clearing a blocked drain.

Do you keep a journal? If so, do you find it helps with your writing? Let me know in the comments below, I'd love to hear from you.

I'm going to be away on holiday until 15th April, but I have scheduled all the posts for while I'm away. I will try and log in once a day to check everything is running smoothly and reply to as many comments as I can. If you leave a comment I will visit your blog when I return and reciprocate. Happy A to Z'ing.

5 comments:

  1. I usually journal over on Livejournal. But I used to keep a paper journal and have used Opendiary as well (years and years ago). My friends only Livejournal helps me sort out of my thoughts a lot and can be very useful when I need to let it out.

    -Kristen
    http://www.kristenduvall.com

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  2. I use journals for my writing projects. It's usually where the seed ideas go and how I build the story. I'll also use it to jot notes for the next story... if a series. And I keep an idea journal of little nuggets without a home.

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  3. I use a journal, but only for my personal journeys. It helps me get a better perspective on life and remember the things I don't want to forget happened, but I know I may forget.

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  4. I've always wanted to keep a personal journal for chronicling my life, but it ALWAYS just turns into another writing journal. Oh well, we are who we are. I can't wait to check out your links though...

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  5. Just came over from A to Z. This is a great post. Journaling helps us in so many ways.

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