Tonight we had an Enrichment meeting all about keeping a journal and a personal history. I know, I know... how many times do we talk about this subject? Much of what was discussed was from an Ensign article by Brad Wilcox entitled Why Write It? It was a great talk... if you get the chance you should read it! He discusses how we can use a journal to "become" by allowing us to think, feel, discover, expand, remember, and dream. I loved what he said about THINK:
About EXPAND he said:"Thoughts are created in the act of writing. [It is a myth that] you must have something to say in order to write. Reality: You often need to write in order to have anything to say. Thought comes with writing, and writing may never come if it is postponed until we are satisfied that we have something to say.... The assertion of write first, see what you had to say later applies to all manifestations of written language, to letters... as well as to diaries and journals."
Writing, like other arts, is a representation of life. Thus, the writer is compelled to live life more consciously. Journal writing will not make passive people miraculously more active. However, regular writing does make it harder for us to remain passive.
I have found that to be true. I am much more conscious of my day to day life since I've started this blog. I find myself thinking "I could write about this on my blog." Or sometimes I just start writing and thoughts start to come. And so if my blogs get random at times it's just because I'm writing first.
I go back and forth. Sometimes I am great at writing in my journal and other times... not so great. It seems that before I was married I wrote at least once a week--now it seems that I am lucky if I write once a month! (I feel guilty when I think of Tanya who, at least when we were roomies, hadn't missed a day of journal writing in years!) Maybe my life was more exciting then or perhaps I had a lot more free time. I am trying to be better though. We made "journaling jars" so maybe that will help me out. (Of course I don't know how many times I've made them at different church functions throughout the years and they always end up on a high shelf gathering dust in my closet!)
The whole blogging thing is helping me to write what's going on in my life. Since my journal is a 3 ring binder I like to print up the blogs I've written for the month and stick them in there--just to have a hard copy. My dad's family all write monthly emails so those usually get put in there as well. Alas, I don't have everything out on the world wide web so the need to actually write in the journal is necessary so I'm resolving myself to do that once a week. We'll see how that goes. I also have a journal for each William and James to write their happenings, milestones, and cute things they do. I'm so far behind though! I don't know if I've even written in James' journal at all!!! I resolve to change that too! Sometimes it just feels hopeless because I'm so far behind but I loved what was at the top of one of the handouts tonight: "If you are a perfectionist--lower your standards. Keeping a record of your life is the goal--nothing more, nothing less." So with that I will try to be better at my journal keeping.
The whole blogging thing is helping me to write what's going on in my life. Since my journal is a 3 ring binder I like to print up the blogs I've written for the month and stick them in there--just to have a hard copy. My dad's family all write monthly emails so those usually get put in there as well. Alas, I don't have everything out on the world wide web so the need to actually write in the journal is necessary so I'm resolving myself to do that once a week. We'll see how that goes. I also have a journal for each William and James to write their happenings, milestones, and cute things they do. I'm so far behind though! I don't know if I've even written in James' journal at all!!! I resolve to change that too! Sometimes it just feels hopeless because I'm so far behind but I loved what was at the top of one of the handouts tonight: "If you are a perfectionist--lower your standards. Keeping a record of your life is the goal--nothing more, nothing less." So with that I will try to be better at my journal keeping.
Do any of you have great journal keeping ideas?
I'll take this as a chastisement....I havent written in my journal since my mission. Pathetic, I know!!!!
ReplyDeleteI have a hard time with journals too. I bought one when we got married and I've written a page a month (They are pretty big pages though) but my friend gave me an idea for something else. I bought those little composition notebooks and I keep journals for Josh and Jacob. I write a page a month for them too and I write it to them telling them stuff about what they are doing at that age. It is really fun and it makes it easy to write.
ReplyDeletePS- Twilight is so awesome! I'm going to be finished in no time because it reads so fast. I will definitely send it to you when I'm done. You will like it.
this was a great post. I admit that I have been one of the Tanya's in the past going for 7 straight years. Ryan ruined all that, and so I'm trying to get back into it. I have a devotions journal that just asks simple questions like, "what were you grateful for today?" "What inspired you today?" "how can you be better tomorrow?" and then it has a blank page where you can write other thoughts. I try to jot something quick down every day and I also am using it for my scripture journal now. It doesn't account for the big stuff in life, but at least it has helped me keep a little bit more of a record. This goes along great with my new goal. I want to write a personal letter to someone once a week. This week it will be my dad for father's day, but who knows...keep checking your mailboxes friends.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed this post. Thanks.
ReplyDeleteI try to write in my journal at least weekly. Sometimes I reach the goal, sometimes I don't, and sometimes I even exceed it. (Go me.) My journal entries tend to be more spacey and grammatically incorrect (probably because there I write first and see what I had to say later). But those entries tend to also be among the most sincere things that I write (for the very same "write first, get it later" reason above).
But sometimes, for me, that isn't enough. I like what Wilcox said in the article: "...writing does not require an audience beyond yourself to be worthwhile or enjoyable." That may be true, but an audience sure does help encourage me to write! Enter blogging. I think this is one reason why I like it. It's an excuse for me to hone my writing skills because I know I have at least a handful of readers. And it's fun to get comments/reactions from them to see what works and what doesn't. It's also a great chance for me to write more about a topic broached in my journal (I also print hard copies of my blog entries for "journaling purposes"). I, too, find myself going about every day thinking, "Ooh, this could be something fun to blog about. Or this. Or this." It's fun to focus and narrow in on one particular thing.
So while journal writing alone is fabulous and should be done, for me it has to be coupled with something more...something beyond that allows me to delve into an event and get more specific.
Okay, have I hogged your comment space enough yet? :) Thanks for giving me an excuse to spit that out. The topic of "why I write" has actually been on my mind a lot recently.
I haven't read the wilcox article yet, but I'm dying to!! As mentioned, blogging has becone an addicting, compelling means of journaling for me...but I'm with you, Jeanine, there has to be a totally personal outlet - moments of writing things that are not worthy of - or too worthy to go in - a blog post :)
ReplyDeleteThanks for the motivation. I can do once a week! Can I do once a week?? I can. Yes. Thanks, Jeanine!!