I have so many projects percolating for next year that I’m most assuredly overshooting. Of late, the idea of journaling has been occupying my thoughts. I believe I’ve mentioned it here before but I’ve had an on-again, off-again relationship with journaling. This year I’ve consistently kept up with a “line-a-day journal” (that spans 5 years), which is great and will be fun to look back on as the years pass, but I’m getting a wee bit bored with it and hoping for something more. Naturally there isn’t room to include much more than superficial occurrences.
When I was a teenager I journaled to make sense of things but as I got older my journals became books of complaints. I tended only to sit down and write when I was sad, pissed off, or otherwise feeling bad. I’ve burned most of those.
I do, however, really like the idea of keeping a journal, and I think it would be a great exercise. I just need to modify my approach to one with a more purposeful intent. I’d really like to focus in on observations, reflections, and the like rather than solely on feelings and emotions. Of course, there’s a place for that too in journaling, I’ve perhaps just leaned a little too far in that direction in the past.
I think I also placed too much emphasis on the journal itself. I would take such care in picking one out, and then I’d make the hefty $15 investment, so the contents better be darn prolific. It was too much pressure. I hardly ever wrote in some of my journals because it didn’t feel like my words were good enough for them.
So for this round of journaling, I’ve settled on the old school black/white composition notebooks so that I can focus on my thoughts rather than their worthiness. My goal is to write once per week and I’m also considering setting a specific day / time. This might seem contrary to inspiration but I think at least in the beginning it will be helpful in establishing writing as a habit.
So here’s where the request comes in . . .
Can you recommend any published journals by those who write in the manner described?
So often, I sit down to write and just end up staring off into space or getting otherwise distracted. I think it might be useful to read the journals of at least one person who excelled at it to kind of nudge me along.
Any thoughts?
How good do you want your model to be? Emerson were both superb journal-keepers, but maybe too good!
Hawthorne’s journals are wonderful, but he really only kept a journal with any seriousness while on vacation.
How good? Hmmm, I’m not sure. I don’t think too good is a problem though. Mostly I’m just hoping for a little inspiration, more than a model per se. I read a few of Emerson’s essays recently and I really like his style, so I’ll check out his journals. Thanks!
If I remember right, Emerson wrote on Montaigne…
I’m not sure they are journals, though I suppose they are. I STRONGLY recommend Montaigne’s Essays. He was a statesman from 16th France who decided to write out his thoughts so his family would have something to remember him by. It’s definitely an approach sort of like what you’re suggesting. He sequestered himself for a few years and just wrote — not of emotions, really, but his reflections on life, books, himself, death, marriage, etc. Could be another long-term read for you? He was later dubbed “the father of the essay” for writing in such a free and rather roaming way — but he didn’t set out to create the essay. He just wanted to reflect — to record himself.
I hadn’t even thought of Montaigne since his work is classified under “essays.” So thank you for your observations. Montaigne is someone that I need to read anyway, since as you said he’s considered the “father of the essay.”
Oooh, oooh, oooh. I love this question. I would highly recommend the journals of novelist and poet May Sarton. She does write about emotional stuff (and she did suffer from depression) but her journals are also full of the comings and goings of friends visiting, birds, her garden, weather, domestic duties, and her work. I think she published about 8 journals but I think The House by the Sea, Plant Dreaming Deep, or Journal of Solitude are the ones to try first. Plus she is writing these journals in the 1960s and 1970s so they also describe a world that some of us can still remember (rotary phones without answering machines, typewriters, letters, etc.). But they are also modern enough to serve as a guide/model for your own efforts.
Oh yes, May Sarton, I had all but forgotten about her. I think I read a few of her journal entries in college. I popped over to Amazon and read the first few pages of “Journal of a Solitude.” I think I will like her writing style. She seems to have a way of making her sorrows and frustrations sound, I don’t know, maybe beautiful?(though that seems a strange word to describe sorrow) Thank you for bringing her to my attention! I’m going to check out the excerpts from the others that you mentioned as well.
You might look into the journals of Virginia Woolf and Beatrix Potter (hah, talk about two women at completely different ends of the spectrum!). I journal too. I am really trying to end up having my own blogging experience kind of satisfy that need to ‘record’ something. I don’t know if I’ll entirely stop hand-writing in a notebook though. Fascinating posting! Cheers! Chris
Hi Chris,
The closest that I get to journaling at the moment (besides the “line-a-day” thing) is through my commonplace book, in which I copy quotations and passages that I like from literature. I don’t include personal reflections in that book but I find that writing out the passages often ignites thoughts that I scribble down somewhere and sometimes include in my blog posts. Blogging definitely satisfies some of the need to record, but I still really like the idea of a personal journal. Thanks for the recommendations! I think I remember hearing of Woolf’s journals somewhere along the line, but wasn’t aware of Potter’s. Cheers to you too! And enjoy the weekend.
I would just like to say thank you all SO much for your thoughtful comments and recommendations! I definitely have some good options for exploration here. As it’s hard to narrow it down to one, I’m thinking that perhaps I will focus on at least one person per quarter next year. This will allow me to look at some various perspectives / styles of journaling as well as explore a few different time periods. Thanks again!
Here’s a few books that could inspire you to start:
Creative Journal Writing: The Art and Heart of Reflection
1,000 Creative Writing Prompts: Ideas for Blogs, Scripts, Stories and More
The Journal Keeper: A Memoir
(all are available on the Kindle too @ Amazon)
However, for me keeping an electronic journal stared when I did a year’s stint with 750words.com. Later I bought a simple Mac program called Memories and continued journaling. (I no longer participate at 750words but it was a great start.)
I journal every morning and my goal is still 750 words or so. (Think “morning pages” from Julia’s book.) I write about three subjects top of my mind first think in the morning and something I’m grateful for, even if it’s just a mug of java brew.
Some pros/cons of digital vs analog journaling:
http://daveterry.blogspot.com/2011/07/i-ts-all-about-journal.html
Illustrated Journaling:
http://daveterry.blogspot.com/2010/11/daily-illustrated-journaling.html
How I got started journaling daily:
http://daveterry.blogspot.com/2007/09/pile-of-journals.html
Hope this helps motivate you to start and continue. It’s always great to re-read past journals.
Happy journaling.
…dave
“I never travel without my diary. One should always have something sensational to read in the train.” -Oscar Wilde
Dave,
Thanks for visiting and commenting. I really appreciate the book suggestions and the links. I’ll check them out.
Cheers!
Nicki