Saturday 26 September 2009

Journal Writing


Writing in my Journal has now become such a regular thing that I find something missing if I skip a few days. Often, I find myself wishing I had started earlier. But, as a child, I didn't know anyone who kept journals and so didn't even occur to me to keep them.

I started my first proper journal in 2000, gave up, and restarted in 2002. Since then, I have been a regular, and now very loyal journal writer. Currently, I am on my 15th Journal (picture shown), which will probably be finished in a few days, so excited to start a new one. And that doesn't include all the other journals I keep for special reasons, but more about that later.

What it is about rambling on a paper? I certainly don't do it with the intention of sharing, because my journals are completely private. Perhaps, it is the satisfaction of recording things that are important to me as my daily life goes on. Things that seem mundane now, may not be years later. When I look back at my older journals, I wish I had put more details. I also wish I had wrote more happier things. I tended to use my initial journals as more of a moaning place, so now when I look back, it seems all miserly - which obviously wasn't the total picture of my life.

Over the years, I have tried various techniques, adding new things and see how they work. I am still working on my own unique technique. But that's the beauty of a personal journal - your madness doesn't have to have any method. You can do whatever you please, as long as pleases you.

My hunt for journals is worse than shopping for clothes. It has to be right. It has to appeal at that moment. Pages have to be thick enough so I can use a fountain pain. Journal has to be durable enough that pages won't fall apart with constant use. The writing experience must be a pleasure. That is the key for journal writing.

Up until now I have used variety of journals, and bought a different one every time, but since using a moleskine for a travel journal few months ago, I think I am falling in love. Might just become a total moleskine addict, though I am not completely giving up on other journals yet.

And it is a pleasure that I look forward to every day, and hope to continue for years to come.

2 comments:

  1. I've never really thought to experiment in my journals . . . maybe I should give it a try.

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  2. Initially, I didn't experiment. It was just simple writing, but looking at them after few years, it was quite dull. I find experimenting with different thing, makes me more creative, and enriches my journals.

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