Do you have a journal or a diary? If so, what do you like to write about in it and why? Do you use it to keep track of happy, difficult, funny or memorable events in your life? Does your journal help you process feelings and worries — or vent about people, obsess over crushes and imagine your future?
If you don’t journal, have you ever thought of starting but just didn’t know how?
In the T Magazine article “How to Start and Keep a Journal,” Sarah Durn begins with the most common obstacle to journal-writing — getting started:
It’s a familiar story: You buy a beautiful notebook, intent on starting a journal, only for it to sit untouched for years. While the benefits of journal-keeping are well established — it “can raise levels of optimism and life satisfaction,” says the psychology researcher Justine Richelle, 25, and strengthen creative writing skills (“The lines between what I write for myself and what I will ultimately write for publication are pretty blurred,” says the novelist Pico Iyer, 67) — that knowledge doesn’t necessarily make the blank page less intimidating.
Ms. Durn shares tips from writers, artists and a social worker to inspire readers to try journal-keeping and stick with it. Here are three strategies:
Consider why you’re writing.
If you’re just starting out, what do you hope to gain? You might want to record memories, untangle your thoughts or lay the foundations for a new creative project. For the writer and actress Tavi Gevinson, 28, a journal “is a place to dump psychic garbage,” she says, and to leave “notes for my future self. It reminds me that there’ll be a future where I’ll feel differently.” Iyer, who’s kept a journal for almost 50 years, sees the practice as “looking at the sky within yourself.” He meticulously logs his days, capturing little details like a song playing in the background to “fix” memories. If one goal is boosting your mood, the social worker Amy Krentzman, 60, who’s developed a journaling method for people in recovery, suggests listing “all the good things that happened in the past day,” things you’re grateful for that “you normally take for granted,” as well as “good wishes for others.”
Don’t be too precious about how your journal looks.
When the filmmaker Albert Moya, 35, needs a new diary, he grabs whatever’s nearby — hotel notebooks being a favorite because “they remind you where you were at that time,” he says. Iyer uses Southworth’s 24-pound, loose-leaf, unlined A4 paper, which he organizes in “endless folders.” Gevinson likes journals from Season Paper, Cambridge Imprint and Midori but encourages those new to journaling to “use a legal pad if it helps you feel less pressure.” You can also keep a digital journal: The journalist and T writer at large Aatish Taseer, 44, recommends Day One, an app he uses to color-code his notes when he’s traveling.
There’s no one way to write an entry.
If you’re at a loss, try beginning each entry the same way. “I always start with where I am and the time,” says Moya. From there, try stream-of-consciousness writing, jotting down feelings and thoughts as they arise, or answering open-ended questions like: What’s been on my mind lately? Or, What’s sparked my curiosity recently? If you’re looking for a more specific prompt, Gevinson recommends “the ‘Audre Lorde Questionnaire [to Oneself]’ or a tarot reading or the I Ching.” You can also just list interesting or funny moments from the day. Above all else, Moya says, try “to not judge yourself when you’re writing.”
Students, read the entire article and then tell us:
Do you keep a diary or a journal? If so, what do you like to write about?
If you don’t journal, why not? Did reading the article persuade you to try? What are other things you do to process or chronicle each day?
Justine Richelle, a psychology researcher, says that journal-keeping “can raise levels of optimism and life satisfaction.” Is that true for you? What do you see as the benefits of journaling?
What do you think of the article’s advice and tips on keeping a journal? Do you think that recommendations like trying less-expected approaches — such as collaging, drawing comics or recording audio — might help you to get started, stick with it or make the process more meaningful?
What advice would you give others who are hesitant to keep a diary or not sure what to write about? Are there prompts you have used or would recommend to those who struggle to come up with a topic or focus their thoughts?
After traveling, the novelist Maggie Shipstead edits together videos and photos of her travels into short montages. “I think when you’re living your life, it can be hard to step back and sort of look at the arc of it,” she said, and the videos “take me back to those moments of change and growth.” Have your journals ever helped you to see, understand and appreciate important changes and growth in your own life?
Students 13 and older in the United States and Britain, and 16 and older elsewhere, are invited to comment. All comments are moderated by the Learning Network staff, but please keep in mind that once your comment is accepted, it will be made public and may appear in print.
Find more Student Opinion questions here. Teachers, check out this guide to learn how you can incorporate these prompts into your classroom.
