by Jenni Nolan

Created on: May 24, 2007

How to Keep an On-Going Journal

The one thing that writers need to keep in mind is that life is a story. Writers know that overheard conversations, experiences and feelings may be the seeds of a short story or a building block for a novel.

Keeping a journal helps to keep all of this important information close to hand, and ready to use when the time comes.

Here are the main points to keep in mind when journal writing:

Allow yourself regular writing time
Find the time of day when you can sit for a while without interruptions. Use this time daily.

Provide yourself with your own 'Writing Space'
Your own writing space should be somewhere special to you, and private. It could be in your bedroom, in the bath or sat in a beautiful garden.

Mix journal writing with something else you enjoy
By mixing your journal writing time with something else you enjoy, you will look forward to sitting down and writing in it. It could be a cup of coffee, a glass of wine, your favourite relaxing music or even chocolate.

Start off asking yourself a question
By starting off with a question, you can never be stuck for things to write. It could be 'How am I feeling today?' or 'What was the first thing I did this morning?'

Write because you want to, not because you have to
If you write when you don't particularly want to, your writing will become stale and unimaginative. You will become stuck for things to write about and your writing will suffer. Enjoy writing, and when you're not put down your pen.

Keep your journal honest and raw
Your journal should be private. You should only write things that are true and honest. This will help you a lot in your writing because you will start to learn a lot about yourself and it will show in your writing.

Use comfortable journal tools
By using a journal that you like, and enjoy writing in, it will make the process so much more fun. Use your favourite pen, invest in a beautiful journal and have fun learning about yourself.

Learn from your writing
By reading what you have previously written in your journal, it can help you learn about yourself, and give you inspiration for other writing. Never throw away an old journal. Keep them all and enjoy looking through them when you're stuck for inspiration.

Have fun!
Make your journals as colourful as you can. Stick pictures and photographs in them, make it look like a scrap book. This is the most important rule of all in writing anything Have fun!

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