J is for Journal

JOURNAL
“Journal writing is a voyage to the interior.” 
―Christina Baldwin 
I was at this very cool writers' conference over the weekend, and one of the teachers told us that the most important thing he could tell us was to keep a journal.

 And I cringed. 

 Why? 

 Because I have started so many journals over the years. I even have an entire piece of furniture devoted to journals....with only a few pages written in each one. 

 So embarrassing. At least at some point I switched to using a computer, so there's that. 

 But still.

 The truth is that my mother, who is rarely wrong in these matters (in case she is reading this), has been telling me since childhood to keep a journal.

 "You think you'll remember, but you won't," she always says. 

 To which I used to roll my eyes. (Not because I thought she was wrong, but because my knee-jerk reaction, well into my twenties, was to roll my eyes at whatever she said.)
Now, more than twenty years later, all I can say is this.

 Why are moms always right?

 When I dip into old journals, entire years of my life, which had faded into the past, leap back into my memory as vividly as the present. Even the sketchiest details--random jotted phrases about events (broke up with x. ate at x. felt x.) allow the memories to flow back like heavy rain after a drought. 

 I'm not saying that all of the memories are good. (In fact, if I am writing about them, they probably aren't.) But they are still welcome. Our memories are what makes us, well, us. And, as this talented teacher pointed out, there is gold in those memories, to be mined years later for stories.

“To me, reading through old letters and journals is like treasure hunting. Somewhere in those faded, handwritten lines there is a story that has been packed away in a dusty old box for years.” 

―Sara Sheridan 

On the other hand, if you've gone your whole life without journaling, don't despair. It is never too late to start, and there are always benefits to be gained from the practice.

 I think I'll start again tomorrow. What about you? 
“The best time to begin keeping a journal is whenever you decide to.” 
―Hannah Hinchman 


Comments

  1. Robin MApril 12, 2016 at 5:06 PM

    I've kept journals off and on over the years. I've been doing them quite steadily the past few years. Discovered that once I just compiled everything into one current notebook - whether it is morning pages, notes from books, class notes or stories, I'm more prone to writing everyday and not trying to figure out what I wrote in which notebook when. If that makes sense.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Sati ChockApril 12, 2016 at 6:25 PM

      That's wonderful, Robin! what a great idea. Yes, I hate the dreaded "which notebook did I put this thing in?" :-)

      Delete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

N is for Name

Image
NA M ES               “Names have power.”                       -Rick Riordan, The Lightning Thief              What's in a name? Plenty. The name you give your character gives the reader an instant impression, even if they don't know what the name really means. For example, w hat do you think of when you hear the following names:  Destiny Colt Barack Ruby Hester Sierra Khan Jesus Barbara Magda Aloha Martha Kofi Prudence Lucifer Bilbo Miranda Filippo Jessie Duncan Anjali Peewee Ishmael Ludwig Ngai Dae won Amber Hercules Scarlett Ashley Midori Gabriel Xerxes Ralph Heathcliff Veruca Hannibal Roshanna Ramona Svengali  Hans Isabella Lolita Jeeves Pip Ebenezer  Rudolph Gump Scout Winnie Grendel Tarzan Scheherazade I bet each of them gave you an immediate impression,...
Read more

H is for Horror

Image
H O RR O R “We make up horrors to help us cope with the real ones.”  ―  Stephen King Writing can be a scary business. Whether alone or with others, it requires a lot of risk on our part. We bare our souls, share our secrets with the world. Or we put them in a story and call it fiction. Yeah, that's it. I'm kidding, sort of. But today I want to talk about writing scary stories, not living them.  Writing horror So you love horror. Great--so do lots of people, and there are many potential markets. Paying markets, even. Well, not paying much. But still. Did I say paying?  We'll get to that in a bit.  What's the best way to start writing horror stories?  Ask yourself this: What makes you anxious? What scares you the most?  What is the most terrifying situation you can imagine? Your worst nightmare? What grosses you out? Start there. Avoid  cliché s . But if you have a new take on that  cliché , go for it....
Read more

Yearn

Image
We yearn the most for what we have lost, for what we cannot have, for what can never be. But there can be silver linings to our yearnings. We might discover something we love or want even more than what we originally desired.  And, then, this: out of yearning, great stories are born.  "I love those who yearn for the impossible."  -Johann Wolfgang von Goethe What do you yearn for?  What story can you tell about it? "Art comes from the place where you dream."  -Robert Olen Butler interview with Robert Olen Butler Writing about yearning in fiction Robert Olen Butler & short fiction Longing writing prompt From fear to yearning writer's prompt An ancestral yearning: why writers love the ocean Yearning for transcendence Books about yearning Yearning and writing inspiration Harness the yearning "If you don't die of thirst, there are blessings in the desert. You can be pulled into limitlessness, which we all yearn for, or...
Read more