The Fine Art of Journaling
For me, a journal is a rather messy way of recording my thoughts & feelings, a way to rant, rave and vent (see my post "Only In Hell Would This Be Funny), to record random quotes and creative inklings (in the hope that one day that might lead to something else). It doesn't have to be organized and since it isn't for anyone else, it doesn't have to be neat or make sense to anyone but me. While I have thoroughly enjoyed my relatively new foray into blogging, for me true journaling occurs with pen and paper. Yes, I know that sounds rather old fashioned in this technological age, but when I write something by hand I find it far more satisfying & cathartic than typing (or keyboarding). I love the sensation, the connection between my thoughts and the paper seem somehow more real when I write them by hand. Some of the poetry entries on this blog were first written by hand and then transferred here.
I can't even tell you how many different journals that I've had in my life, but sometimes the journal itself is inspiring. Some have had quotes on the pages, others had paper that was itself soft and comforting and others still were chosen for their beautiful covers that just spoke to me somehow, sparked some interest, some creative craving. One time I had a "Grateful Journal" when the goal each day was to come up with 3 different things that I had to be grateful for. Sometimes, I wish I still had one of those journals. When I was feeling down, it could be a challenge to come up with entries, but when I looked back through the previous pages, I was reminded in all the small & big ways that my life was truly blessed.
I can't even tell you how many different journals that I've had in my life, but sometimes the journal itself is inspiring. Some have had quotes on the pages, others had paper that was itself soft and comforting and others still were chosen for their beautiful covers that just spoke to me somehow, sparked some interest, some creative craving. One time I had a "Grateful Journal" when the goal each day was to come up with 3 different things that I had to be grateful for. Sometimes, I wish I still had one of those journals. When I was feeling down, it could be a challenge to come up with entries, but when I looked back through the previous pages, I was reminded in all the small & big ways that my life was truly blessed.
posted by Hope at 7:26 PM
5 Comments:
Hi Hope
Yeah! and it's really tough to doodle on one of these things...it's funny how something as simple as "the feel of paper" can make all the difference...like you can curl up with a good e-book but it just isn't the same and the monitor on my lap just doesn't work for me...
Absolutely! I find that if I have a fragment in my head that I am much more likely to get it to go somewhere if I'm using pen and paper than hacking away at the keyboard!
Every new year, one of my new year's resolution is to start a journal but after a few days, I forget to write on my fancy new notebook. Maybe that's why blogging is a much better medium for me. If I don't write after a week or so, I get an email from blog friends asking if I was ok... so I get motivated to write and do an update.
When I went back to my parents' house last December and went to my old stuff in my old room, I saw one of my journals from when I was a teen-ager. They are all about boys! I guess nothing much has changed :-)
Like missy, I find it easier to journal online that on a book. Stray thoughts get written of scraps of paper (there's a symetry there, I know), and collecte into a shoebox. Once in a while I comb through the box, seeing if any stray thoughts have collected in the corners.
I've been by no means faithful in keeping a journal over my lifetime! But I do what I can! I do love blogging, but I don't think I'll ever give up pen & paper.
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