Mix a martini, don't forget the olives, or pour yourself a tea, relax and enjoy!
There are no hard-set rules for keeping a journal. How often you write, time you spend, and how rigorously you maintain a regular journaling schedule are matters of personal choice and circumstance. Therefore, it is important to find what works for you. Here are nine guidelines to assist you.
1. Allow for regular writing times. Find a time of day that works well for you and use this time every day. As much as possible, control interruptions during this time.
2. Give yourself an inviting writing environment. If you need quiet space, find a time that you can write without noise and interruption. If the hum of the world around you is soothing rather than distracting, plan to write during a time when other people will be engaged in their own work and not looking over your shoulder.
3. Develop a centering ritual. Associating journaling with another pleasurable habit can guide to strengthen the routine and create an atmosphere of self-nurturing. When you are ready to write in your journal, consider pouring yourself a cup of tea or coffee. Play relaxing music. Take a moment for meditation, deep breathing, or prayer.
4. Prompt your writing with a routine self-reflection question: Triggers such as "What are you feeling right now?" or "What's on your mind?" Anais Nin suggests asking "what feels vivid, warm, or near to you at the moment?"
5. Write because you desire to write, because you know it's a comfortable place to be you. Don't allow journaling to become an obligation or chore. Remember not to demand more of yourself than you can give. If you have missed a day, or several days, accept that journaling, like life, is imperfect and go on. Write the next time you have a chance.
6. Create a positive feedback loop. As you continue to use the journal as an opportunity to be with and learn about yourself, you will find that the practice gains a momentum all its own. Discovering your own hidden depths piques your curiosity and stimulates you to continue, setting up a positive feedback loop between your conscious and unconscious mind.
7. Emphasize process rather than product. An important purpose of journal writing is simply expressing and recording your thoughts and feelings. Concentrate on the process of writing -- keeping the flow of words rather than worrying about the result. If your goal is to have specific audiences read your piece, go back to it later and edit it. Use your journal as the raw material for more polished writing.
8. Learn from your own experiences. It is always good to reread your entries a month or so down the road. It demonstrates your growth -- a nice pat on the back for all of us. Look for patterns and correlations. What improved, what stayed the same? Learning from yourself is so much more gentler on the self-esteem. Use objectivity to review your life from a different perspective with hindsight.
Relax, have fun, and don't forget to laugh! Journal writing is its own reward. Once you get started, your journal will become another one of your good friends -- one who is always available and never presents a deafening ear. Your journal loves you for being you.
Catherine Franz has taught journaling for the last 15 years, including two US Presidents and First Ladies, and hundreds of workshops internationally. She currently has two informational documents available on journaling at: http://www.abundancecenter.com/store/main.htm
taxi o'hare Wisconsin Dells ..If you think proofreading equals editing, then you're wrong! Editing... Read More
My dad was wrong. I just discovered that I am... Read More
Is your book nearly finished, finished, published, or even in... Read More
Writers are notorious collectors of slips of paper. They tear... Read More
At some point along the way, most of us have... Read More
How many times have you forced yourself to sit in... Read More
Self-examination sheds light on a writers motives, goals, and aspirations,... Read More
Freelance editing opportunities are out there, you just need to... Read More
This article contains a short guide on how to edit... Read More
It is satisfying to be a part of such a... Read More
A good white paper is a paper that makes you... Read More
Ah, the age-old writer's debate--to outline or not to outline?Outlines... Read More
When you sit down to write a steamy romance, a... Read More
If Ben Franklin were alive today, he would be...uh, very... Read More
ESSAY 3Writing an autobiography involves a matching up of a... Read More
Although he has his own website, John Grisham probably does... Read More
Rejection. This scary word plagues virtually every writer this side... Read More
Remember back in the dark days of your school years... Read More
Griselda spent hours polishing up her resume. No detail was... Read More
Writing technical articles is a challenge. There you sit, surrounded... Read More
Have you ever wondered how you can adapt your screenplay... Read More
Written communication is often the first impression you make on... Read More
Your struggling to sell just a few copies of your... Read More
It's easy to feel overwhelmed by marketing. First, there's so... Read More
Don't they drive you nuts?You can visit all the rules... Read More
bmw rental chicago Ackley ..Effective screenwriting relies on the good understanding and use of... Read More
How do you describe a scene without slowing down the... Read More
What does one do as a writer who loves writing... Read More
We all need a cheer squad.We all need people to... Read More
ESSAY 2Andre Malraux once said that what interested him in... Read More
You wrote a tips booklet. Maybe more than one. Oh... Read More
Connectors -- conjunctions, punctuation, and transitional phrases -- allow readers... Read More
Short Story Writing Tips ?We all have different tastes in... Read More
Whether you're interviewing for a new job, trying to woo... Read More
I recently read a book where everything was akimbo. Arms... Read More
If you have an online home based business you know... Read More
Have you ever wondered why some people can make millions... Read More
You've finished your story, and you're pretty happy with it.... Read More
Many of us dream of writing a book. Why not.... Read More
ESSAY 3Writing an autobiography involves a matching up of a... Read More
Kallu was a tenant of Santosh Kumar Nayak. Santosh Kumar... Read More
Hands up all those who'd like to have a successful... Read More
If your articles aren't getting published very often, or you... Read More
Freelance editing opportunities are out there, you just need to... Read More
A writer writes. Bet you've heard that one... Read More
Your computer is a writing machine, a word processor, a... Read More
A friend and I were talking the other day about... Read More
My Dad has this old joke that goes, "What's the... Read More
Have you ever written a letter to a friend? Ever... Read More
Writing can be more difficult that just compiling your thoughts... Read More
Writing |