Journal Writing – The Options
There are so many types and styles of journals that it is almost impossible to describe them all, so this post will just highlight a few of the options that are out there.
The journal most people trend to think of is the daily journal. Which by its very name seems to set up an expectation that “you must show up and write, every day!” Yet there are many people who keep what they call a daily journal and yet don’t write in it every day. I am one of those, writing sometimes daily sometimes 3-4 times a week. It depends on my schedule, mood and circumstance. I know there are people who do a page a day faithfully and I have boundless admiration for them.
After the daily journal there are all kinds of choices of journals to keep. I know a young couple who bought an old house to renovate. She kept a comprehensive book showing paint choices, swatches of fabric, and business cards of contractors, along with comments on what worked and who was chosen to do the work. At the end of the two year project they had a House journal which sat on the coffee table for all to see.
Garden journals are popular with those whose hobby is gardening. They are a record of what was planted, and how it did. They may include sketches of flower beds and changes to be made. There are often comments on the weather and any unusual events that affected the garden.
Travel journals are incredibly popular if you go by then number of choices for purchase. Most include space for your itinerary, notes on the weather and sights that were seen. I prefer to create my own journal with a small sketch book – then I can glue in tickets and postcards and have a more comprehensive record of my trip. Right now I have a friend who is traveling in New Zealand. She posts to Facebook regularly with pictures and comments on what she is seeing and doing. I think of this as an on line travel journal.
Gratitude journals were very popular a few years back. You heard about them on Oprah and all kinds of websites. Although they are not as talked about they are still a good idea. The basic premise is to record daily at least three, five or ten things you are truly grateful for. Over time you develop a record which shows you what really matters to you. When I reviewed my gratitude journal I was amazed at the number of references I had made to nature as I have always thought of myself as a city girl. Now, I include expressions of gratitude in my regular journal as I just can’t manage a number of journals at once.
There are creative journals for recording your bright ideas, sports journals to keep track of your favourite teams or your latest accomplishments and so on and so on. My sister in law maintains a photography journal – posting her latest shots to Facebook. In fact, this moose photo is from her website Janet Brown Photography.
Chances are you have been keeping a journal yourself and didn’t even know it. So welcome to the world of journal keeping.