“Dear Diary,
I don’t get you. I don’t get why I’m writing
stuff to myself since I already know what I’m thinking. You’re supposed to be
secret, but what if my little brother finds my key – or I accidentally divulge
my innermost secrets at the next sleepover? This is dumb. Bye forever, Diary.
Your friend,
Me”
As
a young girl, I loved to write, but I never kept a secret diary. Honestly, the
activity seemed trite to me. Many of my friends wrote faithfully to “Dear
Diary” every night, but I just didn’t get it.
I preferred writing fairy tales with happy endings, or reading until my
eyelids drooped.
I love to write, but I am not a
true journal writer. I find it too demanding to write something in a journal
everyday because I’m “supposed “ to. Yet, as I pursued a new career as a
writer, I felt compelled to pick up a blank journal and fill it with wonder. So…
that didn’t happen. I do envy people who
fill page after page, book after book with their imaginings, their dreams and their
insight.
Traditional
journaling isn’t my thing, but I’ve discovered a way to use journaling as an
effective tool for my craft. As a
writer, I look for moments of inspiration.
Journaling can be a treasure trove of ideas, crafted from everyday
experiences. I call this intentional
creativity. Watch people at the airport
and fill a journal with vivid characters and situations ripe for a future
manuscript. Go to a playground and
delight in the creative play of children.
Another simple way to journal is to
word journal. I love words, and I write them down in all sorts of lists and
categories. I don’t keep them in a fancy
book or under lock and key; I keep them in a folder on my computer. I have
lists of grade level words, verb words, magical words, adventure words, silly
words and rhyming words. These resources
come in handy when I’m searching for just the right word to polish my
manuscript.
When
you think about it, we use conventional journaling for many purposes:
- Food journaling
- Diet journaling
- Exercise journaling
- Vacation journaling
"Dear Diary,
You're old, but your bones are still kicking around and have found new life in this friend.
Love,
Me."
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