How to Keep a Writer's Journal

Writing is like many other skills: it takes practice, practice, and more practice to become a really good writer. One of the best ways to practice your writing is to keep a writer’s journal or notebook, and to add to it on a regular basis. Preferably, this means a little bit of writing each day, but whether you choose to spend 10 minutes or an hour on the exercise is up to you.

Most writers suggest carving out a block of time for yourself at the same time each day, and making it a habit to write during that time. But if this doesn’t work for you, then carry your notebook and write when you do have time, whether that’s at lunch or before bedtime or while dinner is cooking. Five minutes a day of writing is better than nothing, and it helps keep you tuned in to your thoughts.

Finally, don’t think of writing in your journal as something that you have to do, because if you do that you won’t want to write and you’ll come to resent the entire process – and that destroys creativity. Remember, the journal is there for you to practice and to enjoy the process of writing, not as a dull chore that has to be done.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Notebook
• Pen

1. Buy yourself a notebook and make sure that you have a good pen. If it makes you feel better to have a fancy bound journal, then by all means buy one. You should look forward to the writing process, and using beautiful tools can help make you feel good about your work. However, some people find that it makes them nervous to have something too nice, and they fear that they’ll “mess up” the lovely book if they start scribbling in their rough drafts. If that sounds more like you, then consider a plain composition book or reporter’s pad. To get started, scribble on the first page and don’t worry about how messy it looks. Now the book is yours!

2. Make the time to use the notebook! This is the hardest part of the journaling process – making the time to do it. Don’t try to find the time: make the time. There is a huge mental difference here, and it comes down to prioritizing your day. If you can write early in the morning, then you can say that you’ve gotten your writing done even if the rest of the day gets crazy. But don’t feel that it has to be in the morning, either. Look over your schedule and actually give yourself writing appointments with your journal. Then stick to them, and don’t allow other tasks or people to intrude into your writing time. Be consistent.

3. Find a comfortable place to write. If you write at the same time each day, you’ll probably have a favorite spot. If your writing happens whenever you have the time, you may find yourself at different venues for your writing exercise. Not to worry, though: a change of landscape is often very helpful to a writer, and you may even find you have something interesting to write about!

4. Spend your writing time doing the writing, not worrying about how good or bad it is or whether or not you’ve misspelled something along the way. Tell your internal editor to take a hike, and just keep putting words on the page. The journal is about the writing process, and you really have to get something down on paper before you can refine it. Don’t get hung up on perfection or you’ll freeze and never write anything.

Tips & Warnings

• Keep writing consistently
• Consider a separate notebook for ideas
• Write about whatever you want to
• Don’t stop writing to edit your work
• Don’t stop writing to look up words or read the thesaurus
• Don’t worry if your handwriting is sloppy
• Don't make excuses not to write

Resources

• Should Writers Keep a Journal?
• Why Good Writers Keep Journals

[ksgarvin]

on 10/29/2009 I'm working through "Writing Life Stories," by Bill Roorbach, and I'm using my journal for the exercises he has in the book.

[kcmickelson]

on 10/29/2009 Yes, this technique works. I also recommend Natalie Goldberg's "Writing Down the Bones" as a way to jump into freewriting - a perfect thing to do in a journal.

[anointedtoday]

on 10/26/2009 My thoughts exactly. I do this and come up with many ideas. Good article.

[ksgarvin]

on 10/23/2009 Thank you! I was never able to keep up with diary because I felt like I had to write about what I did that day. But a journal is more flexible and I don't feel pressured by it.

[nessakay]

on 10/23/2009 This is a good article. Since I was small I have always kept a journal. It is very freeing to write things down that you feel everyday. 5* and a recommend