Wow, has it really been since the 12th that I posted here? Life happens and time seems like it's moving faster than normal. So, I'm supposed to be getting ready for vacation and I'm distracted by what I'm bringing. I know I want a journal, but what do I bring? My small one? The one that's almost filled? My Netbook?
Then I started thinking about how and what I journal. What goes in them?
I looked on the Internet and there are as many journals as there are interests. Personal journals. Poetry journals. Gardening journals. Zombie journals. Knitting journals. Pirate Journals. And a lot of other kinds.
I looked around my Creative Room and there are many many journals and notebooks. Each started as one type and then ended as another.
I put different things in my journal. In one I have a leaf from Valley Forge. In another I have a napkin from the donut shop in the airport at Sao Paulo, Brazil. Along with the leaf I have a penant from the Toronto Blue Jays game. I have poems, notes, stories, ideas for stories, frustrations, sadness, excitements. Some people separate different journals: one for creative writing, one for poetry, etc. Not me. As I said, I start with good intentions, but they get all jumbled up.
I like seeing what others have written in their journals as well. That's why one of my favorite books is the Journals fo Sylvia Plath. She was an amazing writer, but also creative in documenting her thoughts. Even though she committed suicide, it's a fascinating read. The only real sadness in it is that the story doesn't feel like it finished.
So, why do we keep journals?
I'm sure there's as many answer's to that question as there is journals. I know I like mine because I can't help but write. My journaling is pen and paper and tangible objects, but often they get translated into things like blog posts.
How about you? What's your journaling style?
I was going to write about types of journals and all that, but I found two sites that have a better discussion than mine regarding it:
**Blog to Discovery--Katie Davis: http://www.darktea.co.uk/blog/15-different-types-of-journals-to-keep
**Writing Forward--Melissa Donovan: http://www.writingforward.com/category/creative-writing
Good post. I don't journal in any usual sense, but I jot things down--quotations, ideas, peeves, questions--in one or the other of about 4 books I stash around the house. Or a handy piece of paper. I plan to explore the links you provided. The posts sound interesting. Happy journaling!
ReplyDeleteI think journaling should be however you make it, not what others say it should be.
ReplyDelete