Notes from creative writing article

Why keep a journal:

 

Preserve memories.

-We are constantly losing pieces of our own lives, pieces of ourselves. A journal is a way of keeping them.

 

Improve your writing.

-Writing regularly makes writing easier, and it helps you develop your own writing voice. Even if your journal is just for yourself and it doesn’t matter how “good” it is, journaling builds muscles that you can use for other kinds of writing

 

collect ideas and material for creative writing.

-these can be recycled in stories and poems

 

Sharpen your senses.

-gets you in the habit of noticing the details of your daily life

 

Supplies

 

Computer

-If you write on a computer, not only are you free to rearrange parts of your journal, you can also revise everything you write. This may actually be a disadvantage if you get caught up in editing instead of writing. You can lose the free flow of putting thoughts on paper, and you can also end up censoring yourself, editing your journal down to nothing

 

Bound Journal

-In a bound journal, the pages are preserved as you write them. With a looseleaf journal, an index card journal, or any other type where the pages are not attached, you have more flexibility.

 

Voice

Sometimes it’s easier or more convenient to talk than to write. You can dictate journal entries into a voice recorder and then transcribe them later into a written journal or just keep them as voice recordings