Читать книгу Create Your Writer's Life: A Guide to Writing With Joy and Ease - Cynthia Morris - Страница 6

I have kept a journal since 1994. When I look at my journals lined up on the shelf (several shelves now!) I have a visual image of my commitment to my writing. When I pull a notebook off the shelf and open it at random, I am amazed to see myself in there. Its the same me, striving for knowledge, for personal growth, for expression of the True Me.

If you do not keep a journal, now is a great time to start. Start by finding a notebook that you like. You could buy an expensive hardbound notebook or a cheap spiral notebook. It is important that the system you use for journaling feel comfortable to you and be inviting to write in. Many people buy a nice notebook and then never use it because it is too nice. Get something that feels good in your hands. You may wish to use your computer to journal.

Start with a small amount of time every day. Try ten minutes of journaling. You can write about anything you wish: recount your day or write your wishes or complaints. Use your writer’s eye to jot down details, sensations, conversations or ideas. The point of journaling is to get in the habit of sitting still and writing. You will begin to feel comfortable transforming your thoughts into words on a page. People who have the journaling habit often find it easier to do other writing because of the time they take to journal. My clients have reported that they know themselves better and feel good about their lives when they are journaling.

Many people dismiss journal writing as not 'real' writing. Even if you write for money or publication, your journal can serve as a spine that holds up your other work. Reading my journals shows me patterns, lets me hear my voice, and gives me a strong sense of continuity with that voice.

To make the most of your journaling, consider the following:

•Notice random thoughts you have about writing.

•Pay attention to ideas that urge you to write them down.

•At the back of your journal, keep a small notebook or a list of prompts or ideas that you want to explore more fully in your writing. A prompt is anything you can use to get into the writing⎯a word, an image, or an idea that tickles at your mind and asks to be written about.

Use your journal to record your progress in this program. Keep a list in the back or in a separate section to record writing accomplishments and challenges. Regular journaling provides the following four benefits to your writing:

Consistency. Keeping a regular journal gives you practice in sitting down to write, which is the writer's biggest challenge. After all of the reading and studying about writing, you still have to sit down and show up for the words.

Honesty. In your journal you are safe to expose the truth about how you feel, think, and act out your life. A journal provides the opportunity for you to be 100% real with yourself. Honesty is one of the main requirements for good writing, and you can practice in your journal.

Voice. No one is listening in your journal, so this is a place to explore your true self. You may begin to notice patterns in your metaphors, the way you approach a subject, how you use language to describe an event. Your journal is a place where you begin to develop your voice.

Themes. What keeps happening in your life that you record in your journal? What are your life's themes? I notice mine are personal growth, self-challenge, struggle for authenticity, and yearning for community. If these are the topics I am writing about in my journals, chances are they have a place in my fiction and nonfiction as well.