Journaling?

[HollyHamster]

I have received an absolutely wonderful journal for Christmas and I love it to pieces. It has a pink leatherette cover, and a ribbon sewn into the binding as a means of keeping your place. There are 400 lined pages in this journal, so plenty of space to keep all my thoughts written down, and since it's fairly large, as well as fairly thick, I can write a fair bit on each page.

Who here journals? Any thoughts or ideas on writing out one's thoughts onto paper?

[itswendy]

o geez i've tried that once. I quit on the third night LOL. I do occasionally write when I'm letting out fumes through my blog. That's about it though. I've never been much of a writer. Good luck with your journal!!

[HollyHamster]

I used to be like that too, but now I'm always writing in this one, it feels good to write.

[DanniDorrito]

I sometimes write in a journal, just about my day or whatever is on my mind. It often gets filled with what my hams have been up to and what sparkles I will use next on my nails haha :)

[Pebbles82]

Journaling is great, and also good therapy. I used to write full time (until I decided poverty was no fun and had to earn instead!). Sometimes journals turn into more than journals when you look back on them and become quite creative, or you can use parts of it as inspiration for creative writing later. I think the thing to do is, don't make yourself write in it every day as a kind of task, but just write when you have something you want to write, good, bad, or just an idea. Keep it by you all the time. Any thoughts or ideas you have, jot them down, funny, sad, creative or whatever. This sometimes leads onto other thoughts and feelings. Sometimes it's a good way of working out feelings - write when you are angry, write when you are sad (it gets it 'off your chest' and you start to see things differently and analyse them). Write when you are happy, write about the things you want to do, long to do, want to achieve (it helps you resolve to achieve them and reminds you when you look back and have lost motivation - gives the motivation back).

Journaling is used as therapy for some people - for people who do it anyway it prevents therapy being needed! There used to a program on the Radio - not sure if there still is - where some celebrity talks to a pyschiatrist. One week it was a writer and the psychiatrist said - writers never need therapy, they work things out for themselves in their writing.

[LadyPikachu]

I wish I had time to write, I have waaaay too many hobbies!

[LavoChain]

The Journal sounds beautiful!

Ever since I was a little girl I have tried to keep a diary, not that I have ever stuck to it for long. I think I gave myself to many rules however I really want to start up again so I might try it for the new year. I definitely want to do a day to day weather diary this year!

[HollyHamster]

I don't force myself to write in it daily. I honestly have to try to not write in it all the time. I find myself having to force myself away from it at times to do other things, like go to work.

I wish I could take my journal to work, but since I am a security personelle, and always on my feet, that isn't quite an option for me. I do wish I could find more of the kind of journal I have now, but searching online proves fruitless. It was purchased at my local walmart, so i'll look there next time I go.

[Thin Lizzy]

I too keep one, it's called a diary over here but, I'm liking journal better.
It's good to write stuff down, I find it very therapeutic. I don't write in it everyday but most days.

[HollyHamster]

To me a diary is something a girl or young woman writes in. I'm 31, so not exactly a young woman, but not yet middle aged. I find the term "journal" to be more sophisticated and mature sounding, so I choose that. :lol:

Journaling is very therapeutic. I think the exact word is "cathartic", which means to provide a therapeutic relief through an open expression of strong emotions (I had to Google it's meaning the first time I came across it being used by someone else :lol: ).

[Thin Lizzy]

I'm 40 and have been writing my journal (I'm loving that word) for 7 years. It's a way of expressing my emotions and there's been several over time.
So agree with "journal" sounding mature and sophisticated!

[Skeever]

Several emotions in seven years? I would hope so....... :mad:

Journalling is also a therapy technique, so I generally watch whom I use the term around..... ;)

The only other alternative I've considered is writing vampire fan fiction, removing the fangs, adding blindfolds and handcuffs and becoming unnaturally wealthy despite a total lack of ability to write.....

Oh, and always write that 'The events and characters portrayed in this novel are fictitious, blah blah blah, because, well, it COULDN'T HURT ;)

:D

[Skeever]

Also, if I journal as a hamster (for obvious legal and copyright reasons) there are many things that just don't ring true when you claim a hamster is doing it ;)

[Pebbles82]

Lol Skeever! Vampire hamster journaling - the mind boggles!

Age makes no difference Holly. Think of all the great writers - Byron, Dickens etc - they all journalled, even in middle age I believe - writing a diary or journal can become quite creative and provides good materials for books!

Here's a list of famous diarists:

List of diarists - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_diarists)

[velma]

I think this is a lovely idea. I was given a diary about 1000 years ago (or so it seems) but often felt a little "silly" writing in it every day with nothing much to say (funnily enough the life of a semi-rural dwelling 11year old wasn't packed with thrills & adventures) but I've often thought about it as an adult. I like the idea of a journal as that, to me, means writing in it when you have something you want to put down; as opposed to a diary which (in my head) I would feel like I had to write in daily & I know I'd forget or not have anything to say & then give up because there's be gaps! :) A daft distinction I know but that's the power of one word over another for you...

[HollyHamster]

I find myself journaling every day, several times a day. I just love to get things out of my head and down onto paper. It's really like having one of those pensieves from Harry Potter!

[RosieTheHamster]

I have a gorgeous purple faux leather journal I write in almost every day! I usually just write whatever's on my mind. Sometimes I glue in ticket stubs or pretty quotes or other things like that. :)