Guest Blog: The Importance of Journaling

Many writers keep journals or diaries. Some use it as a space within which to jot ideas, notes, and observations. Some use it to record day-to-day or traveling experiences. Some use journaling to explore personal emotional and psychological growth, and to promote healing. There are as many ways to awaken creativity with journaling, as there are people who journal.


Most people keep their journals private. Some publish their journals. Journal writers who become famous (politicians and a few writers, for example), may have their journals published after their deaths, whether they desired it or not. (A good reason to make sure no one knows where you hide yours.) 


Writing in a private journal can give one a place to explore ideas, thoughts, and feelings without the need or worry of self-censoring - an exploration that can be a writer's best friend.


My guest blogger for this week shares his thoughts and feelings about his experience with journal writing:

"How My Journal Made Me A Better Writer....and Quite Possibly Saved my Life" 

by Bob Norton

Bob Norton

If I ever "make it" as a writer, I'll have the grace of God, and my journal to thank. God for the all consuming love of things literary, and my journal for teaching me to honor myself, and to pour that self onto the page.

For years, I had heard of the supposed benefits of keeping a journal. From my high school English teachers, to my therapist, to my Twelve-Step sponsor, to my priest - it seemed that everyone was keeping a journal. Everyone but me, that is. Oh, I had tried it from time to time over the years. But the result was always the same: nauseatingly negative self-pity rants. So I quickly gave it up, each time convinced it was overrated and of no help to me. But behind those thoughts were the ones I didn't want to face: that I didn't want to sound stupid, even to myself, and besides I didn't have anything worth saying anyway.

So life happened, and I wrote very little. (This is where the God part comes in.) Life had gotten very difficult for me to deal with, in so many ways. Addiction issues, job loss, a marriage on the rocks, depression. It seemed to come at me from all angles. I had a spiritual life, a therapy group, good friends, great kids. But nothing was making sense, and I didn't know how to make things better. Sometimes it seemed it would be easier to just end it all.

Many years earlier, my wife gave me a nice hard cover journal for my birthday. "Great!" I thought, "Now I can get writing!" That journal sat in my nightstand drawer for a long time. I would take it out every once in a blue moon and look at it. Once I even made a random entry somewhere in the middle of the book, undated.

For some reason last year, I took it out again. Life seemed unbearable and I needed somewhere to turn. On January 15, 2010 I made my first real entry. It was five pages long. Then on the 18th, I wrote a paragraph. On the 23rd, two pages. On the 30th, two more pages. Something was different this time. I liked what I wrote, and it felt good to write. After that, I wrote somewhat sporadically for a while, but always went back to it. Eventually it became a habit, and for some reason only God knows, it became my sounding board, my outlet, a tool I could use to deal with life, and it awoke within me a real desire to write.

I think my approach to journaling may be a bit unorthodox. I don't write everyday, only when I feel the need to. I never wanted it to become a burden or a harsh discipline, so I've never forced myself to write daily. I usually write once, twice or even three times weekly. I may write for a few days in a row if I'm dealing with something. I'll write anywhere from a few paragraphs to five or six pages, depending on my mood, need, and the time I have available.

I have two rules: be honest, no matter how good, bad or corny it may be. And focus on feelings, not on events. I only write about events insofar as they relate to my feelings. I write about anything and everything and don't censor myself at all, but by following those two rules I keep my journal from being a mere record of events. It took awhile, but eventually I found a method that works for me, and I've been doing it for more than two years.

One thing about keeping a journal is that it allows you to go back a year or two and see what you were thinking and doing in the past. You can easily see your progress, or lack thereof, and how you've changed. I find some of my old entries to be compelling reading, and I have to laugh at some of the stuff I come up with! It often seems like it was written by someone else, and I guess in a way, it was.

The benefits of journaling have been incredible for me. My journal has provided a place where I can be myself, and express myself without fear. Like a good friend, it never judges and is always available. It’s allowed my inner wounds to get out into the light, so they can be healed. It’s helped me to know myself, get in touch with my feelings, and see where I stand on issues and events in my life. It’s made me more whole. It’s given me a voice, a voice I'm learning to trust and love; that voice is me.

Since I have learned to journal well, my writing has grown dramatically. All of the above has made me a better person, but also a better writer. I have limited time to write, but always have time to journal. It has taught me how to express myself and pour my heart out on the page. I have no MFA, no formal training as a writer. But all the college degrees in the world won't help me write better if I don't have heart, honesty, and self-knowledge. I have to work a full time job, but that’s okay. I just do that so I can afford to write. I have the feeling that I'm where I should be right now, as long as I nurture and grow what I've been given. That’s when I'm "making it".

I've noticed that as I grow in life, I grow as a writer. It’s interconnected. Thank you journal for pointing that out to me. Without you, I might not be here.

Bob's Journal

By the way, that journal my wife gave me? I'm still using it, but now it’s dog-eared and the binding is held together by tape. I've handwritten over 330 pages in it. God is good.

GUEST BLOGGER BIO:

Bob Norton, a native New Yorker, lives in Upstate NY with his wife, children, dog, and journal. A lifetime lover of books and writing, Bob continues to learn and grow as a writer, and hopes to turn his journaling into a memoir. This is his first time blogging.

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