Why Keep a Journal?
Journals are pretty and all, but you wonder if people actually use them. Maybe they’re just for those serious writers who only use gold-rimmed, hand bound journals that they fill with delicate calligraphy from quill pens before they send them off to famous publishers.
Do those people even exist? Don’t they have better things to do than sit around in cashmere scarves in front of blazing fireplaces sipping organic peppermint tea and writing? If that’s your perception of keeping a journal, try to look a little deeper.
Memory Practice
Unless you’re a huge fan of broccoli (which improves memory, by the way), you’re probably pretty forgetful. You remember what you had for breakfast that morning, but can’t completely retell that amazing bear-chasing adventure you had when you were 12.
Time has a way of robbing you of accurate details and replacing them bits of fog that seem like they could be real, but aren’t. Illusion, they call it.
Nostalgia
You love watching that movie for the thousandth time because it reminds you of a happier time and a younger, littler you. It’s the same way with journals. If you go back and reread past entries, it’s like reliving all the major events that made you happy back then. It has the same effect at present, rest assured.
A Novel in the Making
The first step in writing the next great novel is starting. Who knows? One day, you might do something so amazing, that it’ll sound like the perfect story. You’ll start scribbling away in a notebook and soon enough, it’ll magically turn into a novel.
That trick is starting; it’ll finish itself. Afterward, even if it doesn’t become the world’s next best seller, you’ll have some amazing stories for your children.
For Your Biographer
If you’re just moments away from being famous, pay attention. Prepare some accurate details that you can hand over to your biographer. You don’t have to write an entire biography, just have enough notes for someone to do it for you.
Writing Skills
Ah, these are the skills that never go away. It may not seem like it, but you’ll use them everywhere. Best get to practicing on them now.
Everybody’s Doing It
As a final persuasion, you might want to be aware of the peer pressure regarding journalizing daily events. Seriously, everyone either has some sort of blog or a collection of phone documents that they regularly update.
You might want to get on that real quick.
I have kept journals nearly all of my adult life. (That adds up to quite a few years.) I have also taught classes on journaling. I have often said that even if I were not a professional writer/author (which I am), I would still journal.
I find it so fascinating to re-read my journal on the first day of each new year. So many events I would have forgotten had I not chronicled them in my journal.
And by the way, I never buy the expensive journal-books. I simply use a spiral notebook. On the front I place a label noting the beginning date. Once the notebook is filled, I add the ending date. And that's it! So simple. So inexpensive!
Thank you @quitepoetic for sharing. I enjoyed your insight.