8 Great Journaling Tips

Mix a martini, don't forget the olives, or pour yourself a tea, relax and enjoy!

There are no hard-set rules for keeping a journal. How often you write, time you spend, and how rigorously you maintain a regular journaling schedule are matters of personal choice and circumstance. Therefore, it is important to find what works for you. Here are nine guidelines to assist you.

1. Allow for regular writing times. Find a time of day that works well for you and use this time every day. As much as possible, control interruptions during this time.

2. Give yourself an inviting writing environment. If you need quiet space, find a time that you can write without noise and interruption. If the hum of the world around you is soothing rather than distracting, plan to write during a time when other people will be engaged in their own work and not looking over your shoulder.

3. Develop a centering ritual. Associating journaling with another pleasurable habit can guide to strengthen the routine and create an atmosphere of self-nurturing. When you are ready to write in your journal, consider pouring yourself a cup of tea or coffee. Play relaxing music. Take a moment for meditation, deep breathing, or prayer.

4. Prompt your writing with a routine self-reflection question: Triggers such as "What are you feeling right now?" or "What's on your mind?" Anais Nin suggests asking "what feels vivid, warm, or near to you at the moment?"

5. Write because you desire to write, because you know it's a comfortable place to be you. Don't allow journaling to become an obligation or chore. Remember not to demand more of yourself than you can give. If you have missed a day, or several days, accept that journaling, like life, is imperfect and go on. Write the next time you have a chance.

6. Create a positive feedback loop. As you continue to use the journal as an opportunity to be with and learn about yourself, you will find that the practice gains a momentum all its own. Discovering your own hidden depths piques your curiosity and stimulates you to continue, setting up a positive feedback loop between your conscious and unconscious mind.

7. Emphasize process rather than product. An important purpose of journal writing is simply expressing and recording your thoughts and feelings. Concentrate on the process of writing -- keeping the flow of words rather than worrying about the result. If your goal is to have specific audiences read your piece, go back to it later and edit it. Use your journal as the raw material for more polished writing.

8. Learn from your own experiences. It is always good to reread your entries a month or so down the road. It demonstrates your growth -- a nice pat on the back for all of us. Look for patterns and correlations. What improved, what stayed the same? Learning from yourself is so much more gentler on the self-esteem. Use objectivity to review your life from a different perspective with hindsight.

Relax, have fun, and don't forget to laugh! Journal writing is its own reward. Once you get started, your journal will become another one of your good friends -- one who is always available and never presents a deafening ear. Your journal loves you for being you.

Catherine Franz has taught journaling for the last 15 years, including two US Presidents and First Ladies, and hundreds of workshops internationally. She currently has two informational documents available on journaling at: http://www.abundancecenter.com/Store/main.htm

In The News:

---

A Writers Inner Battle

There is a psychological nuisance so powerful that can deflate... Read More

Writing Requires Self-Control

The only way to become a writer is to write.... Read More

How To Avoid Viewpoint Slips

Sit back, and imagine what it feels like to be... Read More

5 Effective Web Writing Tips

Writing for the web is very different from writing for... Read More

Why I Write Horror

These are some of the snapshots I carry with me:... Read More

Italics Part 2 - Using Italics to Show Thoughts

Way back in your early school years, you were probably... Read More

How To Build A Successful Freelance Editorial Career

In the current job market, many editorial freelancers have turned... Read More

Zany Ideas That Increase Writing Productivity And Quality

Welcome to the zany ideas of a productive writer. My... Read More

Writers can Grow to be Comfortable with Criticism

On my first newspaper assignment as a critic, I was... Read More

To Outline Or Not To Outline

Ah, the age-old writer's debate--to outline or not to outline?Outlines... Read More

Finish Your Book Already!

I owe the completion and success of my book to... Read More

Four Easy Ways to Get a Book Written (Especially If You Dont Like to Write)

Becoming an author is probably a lot easier than you... Read More

Another Way to Show Your Expertise: Write a Book!

Maybe you should write a book! This is not as... Read More

Aesop, Abraham Lincoln, and You

May I tell you about a writing technique shared by... Read More

The Best Freelance Job Boards for Writers

How many times have you checked out a job board... Read More

Greatness

[When I was a nineteen-year-old high school student and budding... Read More

The Three Cs of Writing an Excellent all Purpose Headline

Since the headline is the first contact your readers have... Read More

The Heart of the Delay: Harnessing The Wisdom of Procrastination (AKA Writers Block)

I am sure that at in some era, at some... Read More

How to Build A Success Freelance Career (Part 1)

In the current job market, many editorial workers have turned... Read More

How To Write for the Web

The Scanning ReaderWriting for the Web is different than writing... Read More

Why Researching Is Good, And A Failure To Do So Is Not

What a lack of research could do to you.When creating... Read More

The Authors Life: 14 Hints on Creating a Career Plan

1. Remember publication is a business; writing is an art.... Read More

Ten Tips to Help You Finish Writing Your Novel

1. Set aside a time to write and keep it... Read More

To Write Successful Business & Academic Communications, Learn the Architecture of a Story

Human beings seem to be born with a gene for... Read More

Written Communications ? 6 Tips on Language & Tone

In most aspects of business, we will be expected to... Read More

Conflict - How To Keep Your Readers Turning Pages

Some writers are just too kind.They hate to put their... Read More

Writing Help

Whether you are working for a small business, large corporation,... Read More

Writing Tips for your Journey

Tips for your writing journeySo, you'd like to be a... Read More

How To Write Your Book Within A Week

Everyone has a book inside them, or so the saying... Read More

Strategies For Finding Topics To Write About

What possibly could I have to write about? I never... Read More

Uncommon Advice for Beginning Novelists

1) Convince yourself you want to do something else. If... Read More

Vary Your Writing Style and Win Readers

First drafts are for getting down the ideas. Anna Jacobs... Read More

Alternative View Points and the Lamp of Creativity

Pictures they say are worth a thousand words, but many... Read More