28Feb
Little man watching as I write
It is easy to say you want to write, but it is much harder to find the time; or find the time when you feel inspired or motivated. Frequently when I feel inspired to write (like now) I feel guilty that I should be doing something else like tidying, cleaning or looking after baby!
Recently I’ve been reviewing one of my old journals and notice this is not a new challenge. And that was before I had children…
Thursday
11th March 2004
22:45
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Possible solutions: ... Read more 588 words, 1 image
- Write at fixed time each day
- Sneak writing time whenever possible
- Write one evening a week
- Go on a writing holiday
- Join a writing group
- Do writing exercises
- Collect story ideas and gradually build them up
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I think the first three are the most suitable, I don’t know which is best. I think I need to try them all out and see which works best. However, I expect once I start writing I will probably find myself doing all three. |
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Monday
14th June 2004
22:45
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I want to write, but I can’t seem to actually do it anymore. I’m even finding it difficult to write my diary regularly and that used to be my contact with writing. I write a diary entry most days so I am a writer. I’ve tried to do exercises, write a paragraph every day, write down all my ideas, write a book, but it doesn’t matter. I don’t think it is because I kept excited by something else or I particularly lose interest I just stop. It just hasn’t become part of my being yet. I haven’t got the habit. That’s it habit. It takes 6 weeks of doing something every day to become a habit, that’s 42 times. Why don’t I do what I do best and keep a writing chart I get to colour in once I’ve done some writing. Lets see if I can get up to 42 times. |
Tags: blogging, extract, journal, journalling, resolutions, writing
08Jan
There is an expectation that journals should start on 1st January, however there is no reason why you can’t start on any day of the year. Here are some ideas on starting you journal if you’ve just missed the beginning of January, although they could be adapted for any time of year.
Photo by retro traveller
- Use a page a day diary and use the first few pages to write information you may not include otherwise e.g. description of current situation such as where you live, your job, list of what you want to achieve this year, description of the people who may make an appearance, or create an index so you can easily refer to key events / emotions in the future
- Use a page a day diary and ignore the first few pages, there is no reason why they should be filled in just because they’ve been printed
- Use an undated page a day diary, these are hard to find, but do exist in UK and USA
Photo taken by petit hiboux
- Use a normal notebook, you could still use one page a day or just let yourself write as much as you want each day without being limited by the end of the page
- Use word processor so you can create your own structure
- Stick in a photograph taken on each missed day
- Use journalling software such as Lifejournal
- Use a 5 year journal and loop around each year; so you start this year on today’s date and continue using the 1st row for January next year and when you catch up move on to the second row
Photo taken by atibens
... Read more 390 words, 3 images
Tags: 1st page, journal, notebook, writing
24Dec
With Christmas almost here it means the new year and the traditional time for making resolutions is not far away. I’m not a fan of new year resolutions because I believe it adds too much pressure and you are more likely to achieve the outcome if you set well developed goals at a time appropriate to you and not necessarily defined by a calendar.
However, having said that, this year I have a desire to set some resolutions. As I’ve been doing my Christmas shopping I’ve been reminded of things I’d like to do and have developed a list of things I’d like to achieve by the end of 2012.
Complete weekend novelist – I was progressing well through this book until I wrote a post about it and I haven’t used it since! Therefore I would like to complete the remaining chapters.
Write journal at least once a week – although I have written a journal for many years I tend to go through phases of not writing, sometimes it is days, but sometimes it can be months. I would like to have some continuity in my records and think once a week will provide this without being too difficult to keep.
Write things I’m grateful for every day – I think it is good to finish the day thinking about the good things that have happened or things I’m grateful for, and I sometimes list them in my journal. However this is fairly erratic and I would like to do it more regularly. I’ve dropped some hints and hope I will be given a five year journal for Christmas and this will provide a small space to write each day, but will also enable me to review them easily each year. ... Read more 543 words
Tags: blogging, gratitude, journal, journalling, novel, reading, resolutions, writing
19Jan
Journals started off as a private record, think of Samuel Pepys, one of the earliest known journals written in code so other people could not read it. With the establishment of mass communications came the opportunity to share journals e.g. newspaper social diaries, television, video diaries. However it is only with the internet that there is an opportunity to share writing in real time.
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Picture taken by vanhookc
It is so easy to share your writing using the web, with blogging sites e.g. WordPress, Blogger, article sites e.g. Ezine, Squidoo and fiction sites e.g. FanFiction, Fictionpress. In 2005, it was said a new blog was created every second, so people obviously like this method of sharing their writing. But can you write the same online, knowing it will be public as you can in a personal notebook or computer?
I’m sure some people can, but I can’t.
My online writing
My first blog was on Livejournal and I never worked out why I should write there as well as in a journal so it became a strange collection of updates and notifications from other sites. This may explain why I didn’t keep it for much longer than a year. I started a blog on productivity and goals in 2007 and most of the posts are on topics that I would not think about including in my journal. Last summer I kept a log of our summer holiday so my family could read how my 1.5 year old daughter found her first sailing trip, but kept a journal at the same time.
So I’ve had several years when I’ve kept a blog and a journal on similar topics, what does it tell me?
Comparison of online and personal writing
I’ve collected extracts from my blogs and journals which were written on the same day and the same topic. ... Read more 1312 words, 1 image
Tags: blogging, comparison, extracts, facebook, family, journalling, sailing, writing
07Oct
People who keep journals have lif
e twice.
Jessamyn West
American writer (1902 – 1984)
As I have started rereading my journals I am thinking about adding the post in to some software so I can search my writing and use my journals instead of having them just sit in a cupboard. I used lifejournal years ago and it currently has close to 500 entries, however I don’t know if it the best software for me now, therefore I have been researching the software that is now available.
I am intending to continue writing my journal hardcopy and then transfer it in to the software so I am not interested in features such as prompts or timer, but the facility to search the text and tag the text is essential. I have therefore split the available software into two lists, those that seem to meet my requirements that I will test and other software that maybe of interest to other people.
Journal software I will test
life journal
i*write 3.2
Net time diary
The journal
Simply Journal
Alpha journal
Reflective journal
Other journal software
Forever journal 2.0
Ultra Recall this is much more than journal software, but it has a journal add-on
Star message diary
Dear Diary
E Diary Gold
1st Journal
All in one journal
Effective journal
Diary defender
Mondo! E journal I can’t access developers site, but there is a good review here. It is still possible to buy it from download sites
Diary One
My personal diary
Smart Diary Suite this appears to be underdevelopment so there is no information on the developers website, but there is a review at download.com ... Read more 342 words, 1 image
Tags: journalling, review, software, writing
26Sep
Kate reading
Do reading and writing always go together? Many times I’ve read the advice that if you want to be a good writer you need to read a lot. But does it work the other way; can you get more pleasure from reading by writing lots?
I love reading; in fact my love of reading is greater than my love of writing. I like to read a variety of topics and formats. For instance I’m currently subscribed to 188 RSS feeds covering topics including blogging, writing, finance and uncluttering. Bookwise I’m currently reading a thriller Angel Flight, a book on career development, one on project management and one on using Premiere Elements, but my wishlist is much longer (approaching 500 books) and covers topics such as property development, crocheting and urban fantasy. I also enjoy reading about books and writing; in fact I have developed a large collection of books about writing, most still on my to be read list. If I worked through the exercises on this blog I probably wouldn’t run out of posts for several years! I also read in a variety of formats such as traditional hard copy, on the computer as well as my new smart phone. Plus I’m hoping I may get a Kindle (or other ebook reader) for my birthday.
A lot of my desire to write fiction originates from reading. For instance outside of school, my first attempt at writing originated from books. When I wasn’t happy with the ending of book I would rewrite them (usually in some long convoluted adventure). I specifically remember doing this for the Magician’s nephew. More recently, after finishing a really good book I often can’t settle to a new book, so I turn my mind to developing my own stories (or I admit it a bit of fan fiction). ... Read more 400 words, 1 image
Tags: books, ebook, fanfiction, reading, rss feeds, wishlist, writing
06Sep
So its the 1st January and you are thinking of starting a journal, but you don’t know where to begin. It is important to remember that there is not one way of journalling, the only correct way is whatever works for you. Here are a few ideas that will hopefully motivate you to get started
- Consider what type of journal you want to keep
- Think about how you will be keeping your journal as it dictate both the collection type and size, for instance if you want keep a mediation journal on your commute home using an audio recorder maybe most appropriate, but if you want to keep a gratitude journal as events occur a small notebook you can keep in a pocket or handbag maybe better suited
- Always date an entry and consider including the time and location as they will provide reference details when you review your journals later
- If you live with other people you maybe worried they will read your journal, there are several options you can try to stop them; tell them you do not want them to read your journal, keep it at a different location e.g.
work, lock it away, encrypt it on a computer, write in code, write a joint journal or suggest they keep a journal as well so they understand the desire for privacy
- Write as quickly as you can and do not worry about whether you are writing correctly
- Write honestly, do not lie to yourself in your own personal journal
Of course, if you are writing a journal one of the problems with starting is dealing with that blank first page. It can look frightening, but instead think of it as the doorway to an exciting record of your life. Here are some ideas to help you start (you can fine more here). ... Read more 435 words, 1 image
Tags: 1st page, journal, journalling, other people, writing
29Aug
Having a new notebook is a fantastic feeling, its so exciting to think of the potential of the notebook, the things you could right. That is until you open it to the first blank page. Of course, it is no different to any other page in the book, but for some reason the first page can feel daunting. If this happens to you, here are some ideas on what to do with the first page:
- Copy in a headline from today’s news
- Write a list of wishes
- Leave it blank
- Write a list of things you are grateful for
- Stick in a photograph or picture of yourself
Photograph by cone_dmn
- Explain the notebook theme and why you chose it
- Complete a questionnaire about yourself e.g. weight, height, where you live
- Explain the people who you may mention in the book e.g. family tree, groups by association like work, list any abbreviations you use to refer to people such as initials
- Contact details (just in case you leave it somewhere)
- Write a prayer, mediation or affirmation, something that describes your current spiritual outlook
- Leave it blank so you can add a review or synopsis of the notebook once you’ve filled it
- Stick in a year summary calendar (potentially useful if you use a blank notebook instead of a dated one)
- Stick in a favourite picture
- Keep a store of useful information e.g. frequently used telephone numbers
- Write a summary of your goals or your mission statement
- Explain how you got the notebook e.g. gift from friend, bought on holiday
- Keep a list e.g. books read, countries visited
- Write a greeting to the book, possibly including an agreement about when, where and how you’ll use it
... Read more 361 words, 1 image
Tags: 1st page, journal, notebook, writing
22Aug
As the start of the new year approaches, people often think about starting a journal. There is no reason why you need to start a journal on the 1st January, but it is a popular time to start, perhaps because of preprinted diaries. If you are thinking of keeping a journal here are some ideas for the type of journal you could keep.
Time capsule
This is a record of events that are important to you, for instance news or sports stories. You could simply keep newspaper cuttings or you could add your thoughts and comments on the headlines. I kept one of these at school which covers the first Iraq war and my sister kept one of the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics. It does not need to be national events, it could be more local events, for instance connected to your local town, school or sports club.
Specific topic
You many want to follow your progress on a specific topic, such as your exercise habits or children. You may find it useful to start these entries using a template so you can easily track progress over the year, such as exercise undertaken, weight. These journals do not need to be limited to one topic, for instance Ira Progoff encourages writing on different topics and filing each topic within different sections in a folder rather than chronologically.
Dreams
A dream journal should be written every morning as soon as you wake up to capture as many details of the dream as possible, the longer you leave it after waking the fewer details you can remember. You could just capture the dreams or you may want to analyse them using a dream dictionary , or just looking at the imagery yourself and suggesting meanings; it is often easier to do this a few days after having the dream. It is good to give each dream a title and keep an index of them so you can review them later, perhaps monthly, and notice any patterns. ... Read more 1564 words
Tags: dreams, family, journal, journalling, other people, personal development, project, reading, theme, travel, writing
13Aug
In the past, I’ve known people to feel threatened when they learn I keep a journal. This feeling always surprised me, but I’ve recently discovered that my mother in law has started keeping a journal and its made me think what it is like from the other perspective. This is almost completely new because although I know my sister, husband and sister in law have all kept journals in the past, I believe they were all fairly short lived.
Photograph by edenpictures
Journals are a great way of providing social context to history and as the journal writer that context is in your hands. So how do you feel about people close to you writing journals, such as friends or family and adding their views to the social context? You could see it as a threat as their writing may provide a different point of view, but I see it as a great strength. For instance, when I read the first part of Virginia Woolf’s diary there were footnotes with information from other sources expanding on points that Woolf glossed over.
When my daughter is learning to write I will encourage her to write a journal as I hope it will teach her to enjoy writing and to respect the privacy of my journal. In the future, I hope she will enjoy comparing our journals and viewing events from our different perspectives (this is something I would love to do with my childhood).
Therefore, I don’t feel threatened by my mother in law’s journal; in fact I’m curious about it. She looks after my daughter one day a week and I’m sure she will write about the time they spend together. As I haven’t written a lot about my daughter as times, I’m sure in the future her journal will be a pleasure to read for both me and my daughter. ... Read more 339 words, 1 image
Tags: family, journal, journalling, other people, writing
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