I've heard (read) many authors, photographers, photojournalists, lyricists, teachers and mothers say that journaling is the expression of the mind in a hurry-- wanting to capture every moment of truth--so significant, to remember, capture and filed in the archive of memories. Is/are your journal/s short and sweet? Are they sort of snippets of the important-words-so-you-will-not forget?: Provided that you will remember which notebook. Are yours similar to a busy journal that has kept long and short thoughts, outlined points, photos, encircled/highlighted news, mind-maps and opinions? Do you have journals that keep a lot of your reasonings to your own whys in life that you try to convince yourself with clear answers? I think, it's good to keep journals and write articles from those treasures we've kept for so long.
I always hated the concept of writing down a "diary" because I didn't want to be pointed to as a silly person writing dumb things to my "dear diary," and therefore I changed the concept for the one of keeping a daily journal. Even though my concept of journalism was then truly far from what it should be. I used tow narrate such a long chronicles that I was in need of 24 hours for having the experiences that would later require 24 hours more to be written in detail. While I know the importance of journals or diaries to have a rich reference source of our thoughts, lively moments and experiences, I have not written any for a whole decade now, yet willing to start over again, but not really finding the time to at least write a few words about my days.
I've been writing a journal for most of my life. I started in my teens, with just a few breaks I have continued to this day. It is a habit now to record all the high points in life, but even the dullest day has something good in it that I can write about. Sometimes I use it to set a goal or to set out what I want to happen in future, but mostly it is about the present and all the little things that make life worth living. When I am in a low mood I record that is how I feel on that particular day, but I always focus on the positive and use my journal keep negative thoughts away.
The only time I keep a diary is when I'm away somewhere, whether it's working or on holiday. I'm very glad that I kept a diary during the two years I spent in Eritrea because I managed to turn it into a book. It was interesting to read my diaries - four of them - after a gap of several years. There were events and people that I had forgotten about and things that I thought I remembered that happened in other ways and at other times than my memory was telling me.
I go back and forth with journals, I have wrote hundreds over the years. I started at a pretty young age with the traditional diary, and then when I divorced in the 80's I moved up to more serious journals. Most of the earlier ones are filled with pages of rant and anxiety driven worries, which over time resolved and settled into more general pattern. I wanted to make sure (then) that I was recording things as they happened specifically for the reason that I wanted to be able to refer back to a date and recall what transpired on those days exactly. Now a days that is not so much of an issue anymore. About a month ago I was trying to decide if I wanted to start a hard copy journal again, I have an electronic one I have been keeping in one note for some time. I found the book and put it in my bag, but to date it remains blank which is probably a good thing. For me the journals were a way to work out complex problems that I did not want to share directly with just anyone because I felt they were pretty personal. I think about that often and am trying to decide if it is a good idea to keep a written account of my feelings around for someone to discover accidently (or purposely) down the road. Any thoughts on that?
This is what first motivated me to write down a diary but without falling into the "dear diary" concept; wanting to leave a testimony of my own existence for someone to find it somewhat, someday. However my first journals included not just my descriptive adventures going beyond my home first, beyond my neighborhood then, and later beyond my city's limits. Those chronicles included also my rants, my inner wishes, my feelings, disappointing moments and else. So when my sister found accidentally one of them, I fell so embarrassed and ashamed for this. The idea was having someone reading when I wouldn't be on Planet Earth. Eventually I destroyed my journals every now and then, kind of ceremonial to get a cycle coming to an end before starting another. I'm actually considering start over writing a journal because I live alone and chances to get someone finding my chronicles are close to null, at the time may serve to someone in the future (including myself) to determine how things have going on with me. So my thought on your idea @Jenn Windey is doing it again because it might be useful for yourself, and useful reading for someone else wanting to get to know you, just make sure it's not easy someone can read it before you expect.
Due to the craze among my high school classmates, I started writing a diary. But it didn't last because obviously I am not that expressive although I love to write somehow. When I was hired for the position of methods analyst, my career revolved in writing systems and methods (that's the name of our department, Systems and Methods). I usually get stiff hands from writing with the pen - it was before the digital age and the only computer in the office was the big IBM mainframe and only the programmers and operators can use it. For formal reports, I would use the electric typewriter or sometimes our typist would offer to type for me. When the small computers came around, I didn't have difficulty since I have been used to the chore of typing. That's when I started to write something other than work. But still, not a journal or a diary, mostly letters (emails) to friends on what's news about me.
My journals have a disgusting amount of detail. That is my undisturbed "free time". I'm been keeping them for 22 years. I gt into my day, current events, venting and feeling sorry for myself... and anything else I think of.
I am not sure Jenn, I have wondered about this before too. There are things I haven't written down because I don't want to hurt anyone who might read it at some future time. I started writing a journal in 1980, just writing on a regular calendar, each day so I could feel grounded and know where I had been and what I had been doing. Most years I've used nice appointment calendars because they are large and they are set up in regular monthly fashion. But about 15 years ago, also, on the the side I have bought nice hard cover blank books that I write other things in. I try to keep it positive. I might take a whole page and write good things about one person that means lot to me in my life. Some pages are about things I've seen or things I've thought about, things I hope for, places I've went, people I've met, things I wonder about etc.
I recently started writing a journal of sorts but it was because I was asked to and I have avoided the fear of discovery issue with it by emailing it to him every day. And deleting the sent files. Some days I write 3 or 4 lines about my day and then some days I write for hours and it includes snippets from my past and my dreams for the future. The most benefit I have received from it is that I can start to see a pattern of behavior in my day-to-day life that I don't particularly like. I love to write but I struggle with the concept of a journal because I have never spent very much time just thinking about me and I'm very aware of that I wouldn't want anyone to read something that is not intended for them. I love to read others journals though. The idea of seeing inside a person to their own thoughts and activities has always intrigued me.
I have written stuff since I was a young soldier and had a squad-leader who shared some of his knowledge with me before he went on to teach at a New York University. I kept a hand journal for years then switched to an blog which never worked out. I now keep an on line journal.Sometime I go for a week and don't write anything, sometime I write daily. I'm trying to keep min short now. I don't worry about privacy, nobody reads my stuff. Its something I feel a need to do. One thing I have missed in retirement is not being around people and communicating., so I keep a mickey mouse journal. It suits me.
I have started keeping a diary/journal many times during my life, but have never kept them up for more than a few weeks, I am amazed when I read some of these glimpses into my past how much my outlook on life has changed. I regret now not having written a lot more. I have started a diary of sorts on here in the diary section, but not sure how long I will keep it up for.