how can i write a journal entry essay

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How to Write a Journal Entry

Last Updated: February 21, 2024 Fact Checked

This article was co-authored by Nicolette Tura, MA and by wikiHow staff writer, Danielle Blinka, MA, MPA . Nicolette Tura is an Empowerment Expert based in the San Francisco Bay Area. She holds a decade of experience creating change in various non-profits then went on to operate her own wellness business for 10 years. Most recently, she worked as a Therapy Associate to a chiropractic neurologist for 15 months working hands-on with patients, helping them heal from neurological disorders like concussions, long covid, migraines, and more. Nicolette guides groups and individuals on transformative meditation journeys and game-changing mindset management workshops and retreats on empowering everyone to keep expanding beyond past conditioning and self-limiting beliefs. Nicolette is a 500-hour Registered Yoga Teacher with a Psychology & Mindfulness Major, a NASM certified Corrective Exercise Specialist, and an expert in psychophysiology with experience in nervous system regulation and breath work. She holds a BA in Sociology from the University of California, Berkeley, and a Master’s degree is Sociology from San Jose State University There are 16 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page. This article has been fact-checked, ensuring the accuracy of any cited facts and confirming the authority of its sources. This article has been viewed 2,836,743 times.

Keeping a journal allows you to record what’s happening in your life and to work through your thoughts and feelings. Sometimes, you might write a journal for school to help you deepen your understanding of what you’re studying. Fortunately, writing a journal entry is a simple process. First, choose a topic to write about, like what's happening in your life. Then, write an opening for your entry and express your thoughts.

Choosing a Topic

• This is a great way to help you document things you want to remember.
• For instance, you might write about something funny that happened at lunch, scoring the winning goal in a soccer game, or a fight you had with your friend. The events can be positive or negative.

• Let’s say you’re feeling sad because you’re going through a breakup. You could write about how you feel and what you’ll miss about the relationship. This will help you release your feelings so you can start to feel better .

• Write about what you’d like to do this weekend.
• Discuss a place you’d like to visit.
• Pretend that you found a fantasy creature.
• Write about something you want to change.
• Write from the perspective of your favourite book or movie character.

• A summary of a reading or lecture.
• Your analysis of the course material.
• Connections between topics you’ve studied.
• Personal connections you made with the coursework.
• Questions you have about the text or lecture.

Tip: Keep a journal for school focused on studying and analyzing your course material. For instance, you might summarize your coursework, record your reflections on it, and write down questions you have. Leave out how you feel about what you’re reading or studying.

Opening Your Journal Entry

• Your instructor has assigned journaling to help you deepen your understanding of your coursework and to improve your writing skills . Following their instructions will help you best achieve these goals.

• For instance, you might write, “July 24, 2019,” “07-24-19,” or “24 July 2019.”

• For instance, you might write “Good Beans Coffee House,” “School,” “Paris,” or “My bedroom” for your location. For the time, you could write the actual time, such as “12:25 p.m.,” or the time of day, like “Early morning.”

Tip: You usually don’t include a salutation when you’re writing a journal for school.

Expressing Yourself in a Personal Journal

• If mistakes really bother you, it’s okay to go back and correct them after you finish writing your journal entry.

• Turn a memory into a story.
• Record what you dreamed last night.
• Write a list, such as what you did that day or what you’re grateful for.
• Doodle or paste pictures into your journal.
• Record song lyrics or quotes that mean something to you.
• Write your own lyrics or a poem.
• Write in stream of consciousness.

• For instance, you’d write, “I went to lunch with Sari today,” not “Amy had lunch with Sari today.”

• For instance, let’s say you’re on vacation at the beach. You might include details like, “sea spray hitting my face,” “the smell of burning wood from bonfires on the beach,” “the taste of salt on my lips,” “the sun glinting off the surface of the water,” and “the shouts from other beach goers having fun.”

• With journaling, it’s more important to write often than to write a lot.

Drafting an Academic Journal Entry

• If you’re telling a story, try to follow a narrative structure to give it a beginning, middle, and end.
• Read over your journal entry before your submit it to check that it makes sense.

• For handwritten journals, your instructor may require that you simply fill up a page. Make sure you know the exact requirements so you can do your assignment correctly.
• If you’re struggling to think of something to write, make a mind map about the topic to help you brainstorm some new ideas.

• If you’re struggling with your grammar, visit your school’s writing center or ask your instructor about tutoring options. Additionally, you can find online programs that help you with grammar.

• This is especially important if you’re keeping your journal as a graded assignment.
• If you’re typing your journal entries in an online portal, there may be a spellcheck tool you can use. However, you should still proofread the entry to look for other errors.

Journal Entry Template

Community Q&A

• It’s best to write regularly so that journaling becomes a habit. To help you remember, write in your journal at the same time everyday. [19] X Research source Thanks Helpful 1 Not Helpful 0
• You can write about anything you want, so don’t feel like you can only write about how you feel. You might instead prefer to write about your daily accomplishments or what you enjoyed that day. Thanks Helpful 24 Not Helpful 4
• While you can use a paper journal, there are journaling apps and websites you can try. Additionally, it’s okay to use a word processor like Google Docs or Microsoft Word for journaling. Thanks Helpful 15 Not Helpful 8

• Since your journal is private, prevent people from reading it by keeping it in a safe place. If it’s a digital journal, you might even password protect it. Thanks Helpful 25 Not Helpful 3

You Might Also Like

• ↑ https://libguides.usc.edu/writingguide/title
• ↑ Nicolette Tura, MA. Empowerment Expert. Expert Interview. 23 January 2020.
• ↑ https://positivepsychology.com/benefits-of-journaling/
• ↑ https://www.readingrockets.org/article/journal-writing
• ↑ https://www.hamilton.edu/academics/centers/writing/writing-resources/journal-writing
• ↑ https://writing.wisc.edu/handbook/assignments/writing-an-abstract-for-your-research-paper/
• ↑ https://www.niu.edu/citl/resources/guides/instructional-guide/reflective-journals-and-learning-logs.shtml
• ↑ https://psychcentral.com/blog/ready-set-journal-64-journaling-prompts-for-self-discovery
• ↑ https://psychcentral.com/lib/the-health-benefits-of-journaling
• ↑ https://www.bates.edu/biology/files/2010/06/How-to-Write-Guide-v10-2014.pdf
• ↑ https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1081806.pdf
• ↑ https://writing.wisc.edu/handbook/style/connectingideas/
• ↑ https://positivepsychology.com/writing-therapy/
• ↑ https://apastyle.apa.org/style-grammar-guidelines/capitalization
• ↑ https://libguides.usc.edu/writingguide/proofreading
• ↑ https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/modern-minds/202301/10-good-reasons-to-keep-a-journal

About This Article

To write a journal entry, first find a quiet, comfortable spot where you won’t be disturbed. Take a moment to brainstorm what you want to write about. You can journal about anything, like your day, your dreams, work, school, friends, or an upcoming project. If you’re not sure, choose a writing prompt for your entry, like “What was your earliest childhood memory?” or “What is your biggest secret?” Open to a new page in your journal and write the date at the top. Then, start writing. Let your thoughts flow and don’t edit yourself. Write whatever comes to mind. It’s okay to be honest since nobody else will be reading what you write. Draw pictures if specific images come to mind while you’re writing. Try to journal for somewhere between 5 and 20 minutes every day. The more you journal, the easier it will become! Keep reading to learn how to write a journal entry for school! Did this summary help you? Yes No

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How to Write a Journal: 6 Tips to Get Started

by Pamela Hodges | 61 comments

Writers are collectors of ideas, and where do we keep them? On scraps of paper, napkins, the notes app of our phones, and sometimes in journals. But as anyone who's started a journal can attest, sometimes it's hard to begin and even harder to keep one going. So how to write a journal? What to write in a journal? Let's look at some simple ways to start capturing ideas. 

There are a number of ways to capture ideas, from keeping a gratitude journal, to a reading journal, to a project journal. No matter what type of journal you keep, let me share with you some tips from my journaling experience for how to keep a journal and why a journaling habit pays off for writers.

4 Advantages of Keeping a Journal

Julia Cameron, acclaimed author of The Artist's Way and more recently a 6-week program outlined in a book called Write for Life, begins the writing and artistic life with a practice she calls morning pages. In essence, she suggests writing three pages each morning to explore ideas and life, and to clear the mind.

The benefits of journaling this way are numerous. Writers who establish regular journaling time may find it helps them clear their minds and explore new ideas.

There are many reasons why it is a good idea to keep a journal. I want to share four big reasons this daily habit may help you with your writing process and develop your writing skills.

1. Remember details

When I traveled to Europe in 1978, I kept a journal of my daily life. I have notes from the trip to Greece where I wiped out on a moped, weeded sugar beets on Kibbutz Reshafim in Israel, and hitchhiked through occupied territory in the south of Israel.

There were several details of my trip that I had completely forgotten until I re-read my personal journals.

Recording the details of your life can enrich your stories. One year when for The Spring Writing Contest at The Write Practice, I wrote a story about when the IRS called me to say I owed money.

In my first draft, I wrote that the amount they said I owed was, $638. After I had completed the first draft I went back to the notes I had written in my journal, and the correct amount was over six thousand dollars: $6,846.48 to be exact. Well, maybe there are some things we don't want to remember.

Thankfully, I didn't send the money. It wasn't the real IRS. But it was even better than a writing prompt for a story idea.

2. Find old friends

Keeping a journal can help you find old friends. One of the women I met on November 26th, 1978, wrote down her address. I found her on Facebook and just sent her a message. (Social media and Google can also help, but the journal did remind me of her name.)

We'll see if she responds to my Facebook message. It has been almost forty years since she lent me a pair of gloves when I scraped my hand on the pavement when I fell off my moped.

3. Help process feelings and ideas

When you keep thoughts in your head it can be hard to know how you think and feel. Writing down how you feel will help you process your emotions , as feelings become words, which can be then be edited.

Processing your feelings and ideas can lead to personal growth and peace, but that's not all. Expressive writing can be therapeutic, but it can also help you flesh out characters later. 

4. Preserve the writer's history

When you are dead and a famous writer, your journals will give your readers insight into your life, thoughts, and process.

You may never sell more than one hundred copies of your book, you may never publish your writing, or your journals may only be read by the mice that crawl through your basement. Or your journals will be read by zombies after the zombie apocalypse, sharing insight into your life and daily routines.

If you don't want anyone to read your journal, keep it in a locked box and swallow the key. (Please don't really swallow the key. It would be unpleasant to have to find it again, and you might choke.) Put the key in a safe spot, and then remember where you put it. 

6 Tips for How to Keep a Journal (and What to Write in a Journal!)

Now you know why journaling can be helpful. But how should you journal? It is very personal, and you should do what works best for you. But I will give you some tips to help you get started on a journaling practice.

1. Choose your kind of journal

You have several options for how to keep your journal.

A book, where you write with a pen or pencil onto paper:  Write in a book that is not so pretty you are afraid to write in it. Keep the size small enough you don't mind carrying it in your messenger bag, and big enough you can read your handwriting. Do not try journaling at night when the only paper you have on your bedside table is a bandaid. The next morning I couldn't read my writing on the band-aid, and the idea I wanted to journal was lost.

The advantage of pen to paper is you can write without having to be plugged into an electronic device. You don’t have to worry about a dead battery, and you can write even when the sun is bright or the airline makes you turn off your electronic devices.

The disadvantage to a paper journal is if you lose the journal and you didn’t make a copy of it, you have lost all of the writing. But either way, the journal writing helps you pay attention and record the moments of everyday life that will fade with time otherwise.

Software: There are several software applications and journaling apps on the market you can use to keep a digital journal. Be sure they sync to the cloud, as you don’t want to lose your entries because you fry your computer's hard-drive. 

Journey and Day One can add photographs and text, and export all of your entries into a PDF. You can also journal in Google Docs,  Microsoft Word, or Scrivener and save your files to a cloud-based program that will keep your files safe if you lose your computer or pour water on your keyboard.

2. Date your entry

You think you will remember when it happened, but without a written date, you might forget. Make it a part of your journal writing routine to date the entry.

3. Tell the truth

The journal is a record of how you felt and what you did. Telling the truth will make you a reliable storyteller.

If you haven’t cleaned the seven litter boxes for a week, don’t write that you clean them every day simply because you want your readers one hundred years from now to think you had good habits. The beauty of journal writing is that you can record things honestly for yourself that you might not otherwise record or share. 

4. Write down details

Record details like the time, location, who you were with, and what you were wearing. Details will help bring the memory alive when you record using your five senses .

To this day, if I smell a certain kind of Japanese soup, I can remember vividly the day I flew to Korea to renew my Japanese visa, only to discover the Japanese embassy was closed for a traditional Japanese holiday.

5. Write down what you felt

What you were thinking? Were you mad? Sad? Happy? Write down why.

6. Write a lot or a little

A journal entry doesn’t have to be three pages long. It can be a few words that describe what happened, a few sentences about the highlight of your day, or it can be a short description of an event from your day, where you describe details to help you remember what happened. What time of day was it? What sound do you remember?

Your journal entry might be a drawing, a poem, or a list of words or cities you drove through. It is your journal, and you have the freedom to be creative.

You can use journal writing prompts or simply tap into a memory that floats into your mind. 

Bonus tip: How to write a journal entry

Aside from the date, you can write your journal entry in a number of ways. You can write stream-of-consciousness, try bullet points written rapid fire, you can use various art materials, or any form that speaks to you.  Try a list or a mix of writing and doodling, or even dialogue exchanges. 

The most important thing is just to take the journaling time and make a regular habit of it, even if it isn't on a daily basis. The words will show up when you do. 

When to Journal

There is no right or wrong time to write in a journal. Write when you will remember to do it. Do you always brush your teeth before you go to bed? Have writing in your journal be part of your bedtime routine. Perhaps put it on your bedside table, or beside your hammock, or on the floor beside your futon.

If you are a morning person, consider keeping your journal on the table where you drink your morning coffee, tea, water, milk, or orange juice.

These are only suggestions. You don’t have to write down your feelings or why you felt a certain way. I hate being told what to do. Even if it is a good idea. But I hope you'll give it a try and see if you find it unlocks your own writing. 

Do you write in a journal? Why is keeping a journal a valuable practice? Please tell us in the   comment s.  

Do you write in a journal? Do you think writing in a journal is a good idea for a writer, or a bad idea? Please tell us why in the comments .

Write for fifteen minutes about some aspect of your day as though you were writing in a journal. Your journal entry might be a drawing, a poem, a list of words, or a list of cities you drove through.

Please share your writing in the Pro Practice Workshop here and leave feedback on someone else’s practice today. We learn by writing and by reading.

Pamela Hodges

Pamela writes stories about art and creativity to help you become the artist you were meant to be. She would love to meet you at pamelahodges.com .

61 Comments

I found writing a journal to be a learning experience in itself. When I started, I soon realised I didn’t really know what I was trying to achieve. It seems obvious now but I had to keep at it a while for that to become apparent. Everyone has to find their personal journalling style. A few pointers certainly help, so thanks for your post. I completely agree about the sensory aspect. It’s not the result of a to-do list we’re writing, it’s shades of what gave meaning to our day.

Hello Saul Marchant, I love your description, “shades of what gave meaning to our day.” So, not just a list, but what has meaning. Best, xo Pamela

I also like your “shades of what gave meaning to our day.” Sometimes I find myself lamenting that I want more meaning in my activities—as evidenced by my journal entry above. I need to remember that the purpose and the meaning come from my perspective of the experiences, in all the various colors and shades. Thank you.

I agree with Pamela I to love your description “shades of what gave meaning to our day. I think I fall more into a listing journalistic style but time has lead me to include more meaning as I progress.

Pamela, Thank you for a great article on journaling. I started out writing a diary when I was twelve years old, then moved into journaling as an adult, which I did for twenty years, and dropped off for about five years. I renewed my journaling practice in September 2002 and began daily journaling shortly after that. I record the date and time of the entry and number my pages. I am now on page 6515 (since 2002). Some days I journal just a paragraph—other days, I write up to ten pages. It depends on what is happening in my life, and how I am feeling. The time of day and my energy level also play a part—sometimes, I am too tired to write much, but I arrange my day so that I journal every day. I am in the process of reading previous entries and harvesting them for prompts for my fiction writing and blog posts. The depth and wisdom of some of my entries amaze me. Journaling enriches my life and allows me to process my feelings and emotions which contribute to my well-being.

Hello Billie L Wade, Thank you for sharing your journaling experience. I love the idea of numbering the pages. I regret not keeping a journal when I lived in Tokyo, I have some of my letters a friend saved, but there is so much I don’t remember. Would you like to share a short excerpt from when you were twelve, or something more recent, in the comment section on The Write Practice? xo Pamela

Hi Pamela. Unfortunately, I no longer have my journaling prior to 2002 (long stories). The following entry is indicative of a frequent experience with me in which I start out with with a challenge, problem, or issue and come to some resolution by the end of the session. This entry spans pages 6447-6449. This is not edited except to remove names of people. Thank You.

Monday, 3/20/17, 9:38 p.m. I’ve been afraid I’ll die before I’m ready, before I feel fulfilled, before I’ve done what I want to do, before I’m successful, before I’m “self-actualized,” before I’m joyous. At the same time, I hear of young people—22, 35, 38—with plans and futures and young children, dying of cancer and strokes. I’m 67. I’ve lived to see my son grow into adulthood. Really puts things into perspective. I’m not financially wealthy, but I have enough—my bills are paid; I have life, car, renters, health, and supplemental insurance; I have food; I enjoy dining out with friends; I can afford my medications; I have a car; I have books and magazines to read; I can think and feel and love; I can see and hear; I have my natural teeth; I have a new cell phone; I have leather-bound journals and hand-crafted pens; I drink bottled water that is delivered to me; I live in a beautiful apartment with a nice, green view; if I’m frugal, I can afford a few extras each month. I have people in my life who care about me; by many standards, I’ve had three successful careers, I’m educated and articulate; I can taste and smell and feel the sensuousness of touch; I can write; I have challenging projects to work on; I have a therapist who “gets” me and respects me; I have [my family]. The future is uncertain—always has been—and I sometimes feel frightened when I hear the prospects. I read an article within the past few days in which the author wrote something similar to “our acceptance and behavior in the present moment are predictors of our future.” When I am joyful and grateful and fully alive in the present moment, I have a better chance that I will do so in the future. The more I cultivate an attitude of gratitude, faith, and hope today, the more likely I will feel those attitudes in the future. And, how great it would be to die as [my partner] did—with joyful anticipation and expectancy; with gratitude; with hope; in peace. I can feel fulfilled every day by bringing acceptance and awareness and appreciation to everything I do.

…exquisite … and inspiring

thank you for your gift of words and reflection

Thank you Susan.

I started keeping a journal in the third grade, after reading “Harriet the Spy.” I have a drawer full of them, dated and numbered, and I get them out to browse whenever I’m working on a kids story or something YA. It’s a great resource for me to be able to see how a twelve year old mind worked. I’m so glad I kept them. My five year old keeps a drawing journal of the things he sees during the week, which I hope will eventually grow into something he does for a lifetime.

Hello Amanda Niehaus-Hard, Wow! How exciting to have writing from when you were twelve. I am happy you kept them too. What a treasure. A drawing journal is a great idea, a way to journal for children who might not be writing yet. If you would like to, please share a short excerpt from one of your third grade journals with the date, and/or one of your child’s drawing, if they don’t mind. All my best, xo Pamela

Hi Amanda, I am impressed that you have your journaling from age twelve, organized so you can easily use them. Everything I wrote before 2002 was destroyed, and I miss not having all of my writing. I am glad you can use your journaling to inform what you are writing now. Happy writing to you.

Hi, I did not want to do it this way, but this is regarding my guest post submission idea that I proposed on 31st March. I got the email of confirmation from the automatic mailing system, but did not recieve any manual response for the idea that I had submitted. What has brought me here today is that just six days later, a guest post was published on this very website titled “Show, Don’t Tell : How to Inject Drama Into Your Writing.” This did not seem to be a coincidence, since when I read the article, most of it seemed to be derived from the idea that I had proposed to you, and got no response to. I wrote another email, and that too has not recieved a reply regarding the state of my query. I know that this is not how this matter is appropriately resolved, but since I have got no response from your side, I am becoming both ancious and disappointed. The publication of the guest post resembling my idea might have been a coincidence, albeit a strange one. But the fact that I have recieved no response troubles me. All of us are writers here, and I think that beyond a moment of doubt, all of us would agree that it isn’t in the best interest of the art of writing and all the virtues which come with it. Again, I know this is not the way things are supposed to be dealt with, but right now, I seem to have no other option left to retrieve the creative right over what is beyond a doubt my own idea, credited to someone else right now. Thanking you, and hoping for a legitimate response, Abhijato. (I would have provided my email here, but I do not want any spam. I request you to kindly respond to my enquirery.)

Great article. I have tried in the past to journal but have never kept it up. Perhaps my life is not interesting enough or I’m not disciplined enough to form the habit. I’m going to start again and not put so much pressure on myself thanks to this article.

Hello Marieca Lashawn, I don’t journal every day either. I treasure the journals I have from my trip to Europe in 1978. It never occurred to me that every day life also had value. I am going to start again too. We don’t have to be perfect, and there are no rules to keeping a journal. I will floss all of my teeth, and write something every day. A new habit for me too. xo Pamela

Hello Marieca; I think one for the reasons I journal is that I feel I don’t have to be interesting. Sometimes years go by before I reread what I have written. Some is boring, so what? Now if I am writing a story, and article or a memoir,, I try to be literate and interesting. But journaling, hey the pressure is off and at least I am writing.

The great travel writer Tim Cahill just taught a writing class in Morocco, which I was part of .. and the biggest take away I got (he said if you only remember one thing..it’s this) : “take copious notes” (as life happens, whether traveling or whatnot). Great post and in the exact same vein as Mr. Cahill’ instructions!

Hello Jacqueline Gu, Morocco, how fun. A writing class with Tim Cahill. “Take copious notes.” I love this. It is worthy of a tattoo. Or at least writing it on my chalkboard. Thank you for sharing your adventure, and the lessons you learned. Now I will look up Tim Cahill, I am not familiar with his work. Do you have a favorite book written by him? What book do you recommend I read first? What do you like to write? xo Pamela p.s. Where in Morocco were you? I was Casablanca in 1989 talking photographs for a Japanese client.

Hi Pam – nice to meet you. always great to be acquainted with a fellow writer. I’m reading Tim’s “Pass the Butterworm” but I also heard good things about “Hold the Enlightenment”. I do creative nonfiction/travel/memoir writing but I haven’t shared my stuff with many ppl yet so i’m working on becoming published. I was in Fez/Moulay Idriss/Sahara/Chefchouwen for my 2 week trek in Morocco. So much material (so much copious notes) now to write from! And 1989? That’s awesome – sounds like a trip too! Did you ever write about Morocco?

Cheers to you Pam! I will look up your blog and url now. Jackie

Writing a journal is the only consistent form of writing I have done for the past few years. My journal consists of Writing down which of my 12 daily disciplines I have accomplished and which ones are left to do. I began this practice when I retired and found my days slipping by without accomplishing much and giving into a lifelong leaning towards depression. After some time I changed the disciplines around and found the exercise helped me in many ways. Life, however intervened and heart attacks, strokes, and major moves intervened in the practice since my life priorities changed. So to the twelve disciplines I added a daily description of the foods I eat in a day; the physical activity and exercise I have done; and a spiritual insight along with five things for which I am grateful on each specific day. Today’s post is timely, because I was thinking the practice was getting me nowhere; but I think I will continue since so many successful writers do journal. Thanks for the timely post.

I like the sound of daily disciplines. Life has begun to slide recently. A reformed depressive, a serial dropper outer, I love writing but have not allowed myself to recently, ditto dancing and yoga. I love lists and the daily disciplines sound list like, something with a big tick beside it to feel like achievements until they build up into something big and can count as such. I used to blog and make copious entries and notes and have let that slide too. So thanks for the timely post and for contributions, and here’s to getting back to good habits.

Hello Maryjhowell, Yes, here’s to getting back to good habits. There is a yoga class I keep meaning to get to, I am a serial do it tomorrower. Wishing you all the best, and hope you find time to dance, stretch and journal. Please share your url for the next blog post you write, as you find your way back to yourself. xo Pamela

Hello retrogeegee, I love the name you use here, very creative. I hope you are feeling well, I am sorry to hear you have experienced heart attacks and strokes. Thank you for sharing how you write in our journal with your daily disciplines. What did you eat today? Today I will also write down five things I am grateful for. Sometimes I lean towards depression too, exercise has helped me. Looking at what is good in my life will help too. Thank you for sharing your life. I appreciate your honesty. xo Pamela

I have kept a diary since childhood, although those are long gone. It was a good habit, and I have been journaling since I am an adult. Now I am writing Our Story – 45 years in Japan – and some details that I needed were in there. My son thought the dog under our house gave birth to eight puppies. I checked my journal – it was only six! I have separate loose page journals for the visits we made to our missionary kids in Zaire (now Congo), and the ones in Nepal volunteering for six years with MCC. Wonderful memories preserved.

Hello Mary Derksen, The journals sound really helpful in remembering details. “45 Years in Japan”, sounds like a great title for a memoir. I lived in Tokyo for seven years, and wish I had kept a journal when I was there. What happened to the puppies? That must have been a fun memory. Hope you are well. So nice to meet you and hear of your and your children’s adventures. xo Pamela

Hi Pam, great inspiring article. I have been journal writing and keeping diaries for years. For some reason I started this practice in the 5th grade. I went back to read the first entry in this diary hoping to find why I started this practice, but unfortunately I didn’t write the reason Why. You are right, journaling helps people keep personal records of their life. Mine have taken me from grade school to high school, to college. Through dating, marriage, kids, divorce, death and now back to a long term relationship, that I could probably turn into a never ending novel.. Some things that were too painful to write about, I put them in these journal writings as short stories to make it seem as if these were things that happened to someone else. To date I have 38 diaries/journals. Most recently I started a journal for my writing ideas and a personal one for my everyday happenings. So really I now have 40 journals.

Hi Cheryl, Yes, our journals get us through so much. Mine are a constant repository of self-nurturing as I wrestle with the gamut of feelings and emotions, challenges and resolutions. Rereading my entries validates my perseverance and resilience. I am up to 18 journals now, lots more to go. Best to you.

Thank you Billie, all the writing instructors always say write daily. So when I’m not writing on a story, I make it a habit to write something in my journals. So that’s my way of writing everyday.

Hello Cheryl Sams, Your approach of writing the hard parts of your story as short stories is a great idea. A record of what happened, but keeping the pain in the third person. I hope your story has more sunshine in it today, and in your tomorrows. I wonder what your 5th grade self thought. How special that you have all of your journals. Wishing you all my best. xo Pamela

Sorry to get back to you so late Pam, but you had me wondering about what did I write about in my first diary. Well I dug it out of my pile of journals, and my first entry was dated January 1, 1979. I introduced my immediate family, my grandmother, mom, aunt, uncle, stepdad, siblings and half siblings, and my 5year old cousin. It was the deep south and on that day it was windy, wet, cold, and there was a chance of snow. Christmas vacation was over and I was ready to go back to school. I didn’t want to be at home, school was more exciting(I stayed in a very rural area). Well I caught a cold and I was miserable, and I stated “I’m tired of writing now, I’m going to bed.” Well I guess I went to bed for a very long time, because my next entry was dated January 1984 and I was in college getting ready to go out on a date with an upperclassman. This was a one year diary, but I wrote in it throughout the years. My last entry Jan.2016. I updated my life. Three more pages left in this 38 year old diary. So I’m going to finally close it out on a very positive life update. Just needed to share. thanks.

Yes! Creativity doesn’t recognize boundaries or rules! I write, am an artist too, many mediums for both. I think it’s a pretty healthy, natural condition. Haven’t had the rich overseas experiences, but lived in a good many U.S. states and Canada, amassed 37 addresses so far, leaving fingerprints and/or words/artwork in my wake. Many journals created, some with people whose names I’ve forgotten but whose sketched faces I recognize. Hope to check in with you often. Cheers! 😀

wow … “whose sketched faces I recognize.” … I can just imagine the lovely nature of your journal with sketches intertwined with your written thoughts.

Definitely do come back to The Write Practice to visit … it’s a welcoming place, as is Pamela Hodges’ wonderful website!

Thx Susan. I’m a fan of The Write Practice, visited Pam’s site as well. My site’s a bit wonky at present–but c’mon over if you don’t mind stepping over the mess! { kdadams.com }

I thought I might have been making a wrong assumption based on your “check in” phrase. Nevertheless, I’m glad I commented and got your response so I could visit your website. LOVELY! Looks like you do remarkable, meaningful work. Loved, for instance, reading the glowing feedback from your memoir workshop participants. I’ll visit again.

Sorry for delay- my digital myopia caused lapse in finding your note. Have not yet launched newsletter but hope to find reliable tech soon! What’s your writing?

Hello Kristine Adams, Love your description of leaving fingerprints in your wake. Words and artwork. You have lived in a lot of places, so many memories. Where in Canada? I grew up in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. Hugs to you. xo Pamela

Sorry for delay- email folder used w/ Write Practice exchange was misplaced. I lived just into southern Ontario–first near Petrolia, and later near Sarnia. Shared communal houses with friends who now are in B.C. Wow, with our bogus potus, Canada’s appeal is skyrocketing!

I absolutely LOVE this article. I’ve been writing journals since i was a kid but quit writing for a very long. I’ve again started to write down my journals. It’s the best thing I’ve discovered. I’m more aware of my thoughts and myself now. It’s the best practice for a winter of any sort. Be it a beginner or a published author. I’m not sure if I want to share it with anyone but i just enjoy the whole process of writing my journal

Hello shiwangi agarwal, Thank you for confirming that journal writing has helped you be more aware of your thoughts. You don’t have to share your thoughts. I like having a private place to write and think. Now to find a safe spot to hide a key, where no one else will find it and I can remember where I put it. xo Pamela

This doesn’t relate to this post, but feedback is greatly appreciated.

Mara shivered, pulling her ratty, practically obsolete sweater closer around her torso. Tevrah was cold this time of year. And drizzly. A drop of rain landed on her nose, freezing and unexpected. She wished she had warm pants instead of her school dress and her mother’s cardigan.

Her younger brother, Deo, tugged on her hand and pulled her off-course toward a stand selling jewelry. A young woman was standing behind the tables, smiling benevolently at her customers. She eyed Mara and Deo. “We don’t have long,” Mara warned him in their language, trying to smile innocently at the shopkeeper. It wasn’t as if they were going to steal something, but they certainly had the stink of poverty around them, accentuated especially by their thin, dark features. Deo’s hair was sticking up all over the place, his face the only inch of cleanliness on his body. Their mother was quite persistent about the need for washing your face twice a day, even if nothing else was clean. “It is important to make a good impression,” she had warned. Mara could only imagine what the people of this town thought of her and Deo, as she surely looked just the same as her six-year-old brother. She wished she hadn’t disregarded the necessity of neatness that morning. Every sort of person on earth could be observed in this market. The rich, the seedy, the fine, the poor, the gaudy, the drab. And Mara and Deo looked like beggars.

She still had a few coins left in the pockets of her sweater. Her bag was filled with day-old bread, bruised apples, and several rolls of bandages. They still hadn’t found someplace selling sponges for cheap, which was unfortunate since the younger kids cried when you scrubbed them with the rougher brush. And that was Mara’s job. She would have taken a used oil cloth by now to avoid Skya Menyon’s sharp glance whenever she heard the wail of her toddler, who was the whiniest child Mara had ever met.

It had been her job back at the village, at least three hundred kilometers from Tevrah’s town of North Market. They were three hundred kilometers from the place Mara had never left in her life– until now. The people were different here, even not so far away. The area was drizzly and brown and green, filled with grays. The people here had lighter hair, while the skin on Mara’s arm was dark as a macadamia nut’s shell. Her village was all but disappeared, nothing but ashes on the gods’ gentle breeze.

The day after the fires, the women of the village had shorn their hair to shoulder length, Mara included since her fifteenth birthday had passed two weeks prior. She wasn’t used to it. She liked to twirl strands of her hair, mindlessly twist them together as a nervous habit, and with it so short it was hard to wrap her black locks around her index finger. She kept reaching up only for her hand to stop short and sink back down to her side.

Deo was gawking at a gold necklace. The shopkeeper’s hawk eyes stayed locked on him, drawn as a moth to a flame. She was clearly suspicious. “Deo,” Mara hissed. He barely looked up.

“What?” he muttered. “Stop it.”

Mara tugged him a few feet away from the necklace, the shopkeeper still watching them. “Stop looking at that like you’re going to grab it.”

“I wasn’t going–” “She doesn’t know that!” Mara protested. Deo frowned, looking at his grubby hands curiously.

“Is it time for lunch yet?”

“Deo!” she chastised. The woman had begun to emerge from behind the booth. Mara turned toward her, widening her eyes. “Yes?” she inquired politely, switching to Tevranian for the shopkeeper’s sake.

“You kids like my jewelry?” she demanded.

Mara smiled shakily. “I apologize, miss, but my brother, he is not so smart,” she said, patting Deo’s hair and shushing his protests with a hand over his mouth. She tried to adjust the bag on her hip so the woman could peer into it and see there was nothing out of the ordinary inside.

“Oh?” the woman said, raising an eyebrow.

“He does not know how much the necklace does cost, you see?”

She grunted again.

“The cost is too much for us, anyway, because you see–” Mara saw something out of the corner of her eye. A glint of silver. A flash of crimson red. She stopped short, aware of the shopkeeper’s eyes trained on her dubiously. A girl had slipped in behind the stand, wearing vibrant red pants and a gray shirt, hair that must have been white as ivory when it was clean hanging in strands down her back.

“Yes?” the woman prompted.

“Yes…” Mara forced herself to look away. “I, um, we were not taking the necklace.” The fair-haired girl’s hand danced out of her pocket and hooked the bracelet onto a finger. She stuffed it into her overcoat.

Mara stared for a second before coming to her senses. “Hey!”

The shopkeeper whirled around. “What–”

The girl’s green eyes darted up to meet her accuser’s, and then she nimbly slipped into the crowd, that white hair a blur behind her. Mara began to run after her, leaving Deo and the shopkeeper behind, but stumbled over a man’s shoe. He sneered at her. “S-sorry,” she stammered. “Sir.”

A warm, dry hand grasped Mara’s hand in its grip. She looked down to see Deo staring up at her, his hair wet from the rain. “Deo,” she said , trying to see over the crowd’s heads, “go… go find Thyme and Yuri.” She shoved the basket of goods into his hands.

He began to whine, but Mara was already gone. She darted around a fruit cart, a few berries falling to the ground as she bumped it. The boy selling the fruits cursed at her in a language she didn’t understand. Mara kept going. Where had that girl gone? And why hadn’t she yelled “Thief!” and left other people to take care of it?

She was an idiot, Mara reminded herself, that’s why.

She tripped over her own shoes, a size and a half too large, not once but twice. Her gray dress was small on her, barely modest as it ended a few inches above her knees. The only reason Mara could get away with it was because she didn’t look her age. She’d kept a bit of baby fat, and she hadn’t shot up like a bamboo stalk. At least, not yet.

Ah. Under that bridge over there, stretching across the rushing river below, its banks mossy and wet. Mara saw a flash of blonde hair and those strange red pants the girl was wearing before she took off again. By now, the rain was coming down hard, clumping Mara’s dark eyelashes together and blurring her vision. She stumbled over the muddy ground beyond the market, the sounds of the city disappearing from her ears, and ducked under the cover of the old bridge.

It was quiet but for the sound of rain pattering the stone above.

“Hello?” Mara called out softly. There were no footprints in the mud leading off into the forest on the other side of the tunnel, but she couldn’t see where else the girl could have gone. Perhaps she’d disappeared, like in the Yaba’s stories back home. “Hello?” Mara said again, louder this time. She took a tentative step forward, then froze in her tracks when a voice responded.

“It’s not worth that much.”

Mara startled, whirling around. No one. “What?”

“The bracelet,” the voice explained. “Didn’t cost as much as that lady was selling it for.”

“Ay.” Mara didn’t know what to say to an invisible person. The distant sounds of shouting salesman only just reached her ears.

“You can leave and pretend this never happened.”

Mara seethed. “No.”

“Why not?” the disembodied voice challenged.

“You took it!”

“I stole something deserving of a halved coin.”

“What in ny anaran’Andriamanitra is a half coin?” Mara retorted. She wrung the rainwater out of her hair, and it splattered on her already-soaked dress, hanging limp around her knees. She wasn’t sure where to look, as she couldn’t see the person she was talking to.

“Oh, you know.” Mara didn’t. “A copper. Not even a single silver. She was marking it three times its worth.” They didn’t have much of silver where Mara was from.

“And who are you,” Mara said, “to judge?”

“And who are you?” the voice echoed.

“I–” Mara started, then cut herself off. “You are a criminal.”

“Hm.” The girl’s body dropped from the top of the bridge, and she landed perfectly balanced, wearing that red sweater and brown, unfitted pants. Mara stumbled back, surprised at the girl’s entrance, and almost tripped over a rock behind her. “I disagree,” the girl said.

“Are quite good at climbing things,” the girl said. She stared at Mara unblinkingly, her green eyes startling against the gray of the day. A gust of wind picked up her wispy blonde hair on its wings. “I’ll tell you what. You let me go, I’ll give you this bracelet.”

“That is not a deal!” Mara said, indignant. “You took it! Here is the idea: give it back and I will not… tell. Tell the police.”

The girl chuckled, flashing a crooked smile, dimples appearing at the corners of her mouth. “Let me guess. You aren’t from around here?”

Hello, Pamela. Nearly every journal I’ve ever written starts with, “Well, I’m not good at journal writing, but I’ll try again” or some such lame thing, and invariably that entry is followed by a handful of dated entries, followed by some more six months or six years later. I try to let go of that feeling of “defeat before I’ve even started” because what’s the point? I tell myself, “Let go of thoughts of perfection because it ain’t coming to my doorstep any time soon.”

I’m going to include here an entry in my journal from the month after my mother passed away in 2014. I’m guessing that I was using your writing style as part of my inspiration because I included a level and type of detail that I may not have previously.

I was reflecting on why I am thankful. It reads, …

The piece I’m going to start with is the sweet gesture that Mehrzad [my husband] made yesterday, showing me his deep love and such a respectful honoring of Mom. We sold her car yesterday at Carmax [2003 Lexus ES 300 silver/light blue, “wood” steering wheel and other trim areas, 40,708 miles bought for about $30,000 new – mom’s decision with no consultation – sold for $7,000] Carmax gave us back the license plate [NWSTOY] and license plate frames [“I’d rather be stitching”]. I’m thinking, “OK, What do we do with these? Should we keep them? No, we’re trying to declutter not reclutter.” A bit later on, Mehrzad lovingly says, “Shall we hang these up in the garage? It’s part of your mom’s life and we want to keep that history. We’ll need to find a place to hang it.” WOW! … THANKFUL! —- [I just now took a picture of the license plate on our pegboard in the garage to include here, but I guess an upload option is not included; forgot that.] —– As always, I’m thankful for you, Pamela.

Hello Susan WA, Thank you for sharing the excerpt from your journal about your mom. The detail about the car, including the milage brought me emotionally into the story. Life is made up of concrete details. Little bits of reality that allow me the reader to feel the story. I am so sorry your mom died. And, so thankful to read of the kindness of your husband who hung the license in the garage. So nice to hear from you Susan. I am thankful for you also. xo Pamela

One of my biggest heartaches is that I accidentally threw out a notebook that I thought was empty … turns out it was my son’s reflections on quotes from when he was in 8th grade … it was a daily exercise by his history teacher, a man who inspired my son deeply, and is his favorite teacher of all time. Love those amazing connections when a teacher has such an impact on a student’s life.

Hi, Pamela! Here is a way to have both the handwritten and the electronic record: https://store.moleskine.com/usa/en-us/Moleskine-/Evernote/C26

I haven’t tried this system, but it looks pretty interesting. I also like the idea of using Scrivener. I prefer to journal with pen and paper, but am currently doing a hybrid: early morning brain dump online at http://750words.com , and then a notebook and my pretty new purple fountain pen throughout the day.

Hi GirlGriot, So nice to see you here! Thank you for the suggestion to combine the handwritten and the electronic. Maybe I need to get a pretty purple fountain pen too. Something to remind me to take notes on my life. I will check out the 750 words site, and dump out my brains too. Hope you are well. xo Pamela

(FYI, 750 words is a paid site now. Not sure what it costs. I joined when it was free and was grandfathered in when they switched over.)

Hello TerriblyTerrific, You could always swallow the key. (This is meant to be funny, and is not a real suggestion, in case you do swallow the key, and then want to hire a lawyer and say we told you to eat a key) How old is your daughter? Maybe she needs to find a safe spot to hide her journal. 🙂 xo Pamela

I started writing journals when my children grew up and went to college. I felt lost in myself and wanted to get the emotions out of my system. I then began to cycle long distances with some friends. We cycled from coast to coast in various countries including Australia, Vietnam; parts of Europe and the Himalayas. I have recently been expanding some of my journals and one thing I noticed is that, throughout all the scary parts of the journeys; when we thought we were in dire states, someone came out of the blue and saved the day. When the bike broke, when we ran out of food or water on the mountains, or when we had no shelter. I call them the Angels on my journeys all of which I am deeply thankful for.

The journal in 2014 helped me deal with a lot of sudden deaths of close family and friends, there was almost one a month that year. When I look at that year I realise we are all challenged and no matter how hard that challenge with a bit of help we can get through it. Journals can be lifesavers reminding us to be grateful and how lucky we are.

Hello Elizabeth McKenna, You have lived some amazing adventures. I love your perspective on how “journals can be lifesavers reminding us to be grateful and how lucky we are.” I am sorry about the sudden deaths of family and friends in 2014. That sounds like a hard year. Sending you hugs and sunshine, xo Pamela

In Julia Cameron’s book “The Artist’s Way,” she teaches her students to writing their “Morning Pages,” as a way to get back their creativity. Sometimes they are referred to as our “Mourning Pages,” because we mourn the ills of our life. I wrote faithfully for about a year then quit. It’s something that cleansed the soul and helped me dig down deep to the heart of my frustration with a certain family members and clear out some junk. Journalling is so important to our mental health and to bring us clarity. It can help us clear our mental blocks to our creativity as well. Thanks for the post.

April 20, 2008

We had breakfast with Uncle Jerry today after church. He made waffles, and we brought the side dishes: sausage, fried potatoes, cheese soufflé, and crunchy cantaloupe. It was nice to be together. He’s having more trouble with his breathing, but he isn’t taking any treatments for it. He’s refused what treatment the doctors have offered, although for his condition—interstitial lung disease—there really isn’t much they can do. He is allowing the disease to run its course. It’s strange seeing it happen to him because I know that I will follow soon.

In truth, I’m simply afraid. I have always had a horror of drowning, of suffocation, of being unable to breathe. Since I’ve got late-stage pulmonary hypertension, that’s exactly how I’ll die: one gasp at a time. I might get lucky, though. People with this disease often die of sudden cardiac death. The heart just stops, and they’re dead before they hit the ground. I like Door Number 2 much better than Door Number 1.

“Writing is the only way I have to explain my own life to myself.” Love that. Must try it, but I need to be ‘plugged in’. I thought I’d never write again after the shakes got me. Now I can even read my writing!

Hello Pamela, Many thanks for your article on keeping a journal. Very handy. I wrote a journal in the past, for a year, when I was grieving. There was no one to confide in, and writing my feelings and the events that filled my day, brought a little solace. Now I write daily, (in longhand, in a small blue booklet) to record my husband’s medication, (the names of his medicines and the hour in which he took them) his moods, and in brackets, a little about myself. The journal is a verification of what we did. My husband contests me on many things, declaring that ‘we did not’. Out comes my journal to satisfy his verification. I’m glad I recorded it on paper. In the blue booklet, I write the day, then the date, and below, the weather and mean temperature. I record where we went and why, like, shopping for shoes, meat, presents, etc:. I write of guests who came to lunch or to visit.

I write a line about Minnie and her friends. Yesterday I recored that she vomited… a bunch of grass.

Please give our love to Harper and the users of the other six litter boxes.

With love, Lilian

I love journaling and have even taught journal workshops. It is what helps untangle my thoughts and make sense of life. I make a practice of re-reading (currently once a week). That’s when I’m reminded of things I need to follow up on. It’s about the only time I use paper and pencil now, which really sets it apart from all other activities.

Great article. I took a trip to Europe a few years ago and I was so happy when I came across my travel journal. All the details that I had forgotten are in there! I’ve now converted to a digital journal since it’s accessible from anywhere and I usually have my phone on me to jot down entries when I have a few minutes. (Disclaimer: I blog for JRNL.)

I have an urgent need to journal, and I do so, but always with a feeling of trepidation because am afraid my kids will judge me poorly when I’m gone. Haven’t committed crimes or anything like that but am somehow ashamed of the strong feelings of insecurities that come up again and again. But I need very much to write them. Anyone else have this problem?

Yes. I sometimes feel like you as well. That is why, I write a lot and then get rid of it. This helps me with my self awareness. When you write everything down as true as it has happened and you read back to yourself, you somehow judge yourself and that would become very valuable to you for many reasons. 1) you might realise, it was not as important, good or bad or even important as you first thought. 2) You can realise what went wrong or right in that occasion and you might have the opportunity to make it better or try to accept it and draw a line under it. 3) you have become your own best imaginary friend whom you can talk to in confidence and get help without any worry of it going further or be judged. The list of benefits are endless and can go on and on and on, but I am sure, you got the gist of it. 🙂

I love this articular because it explain how writing journals makes you a better writes. it help you express your emotions also your daily lifestyle. I never really writing a journal before but I starting to write down my thought in my journal. it’s the best way to practice writing or express yourself for example I wake up seven in the mourning eat breakfast brush my tooth and wash my face.I get dress walk out the front door to wait at the bus stop.

Journaling leads to growth, which is especially important for a writer. Benjamin Franklin had the habit of keeping a journal, which helped him to become healthy and wealthy: https://constantrenewal.com/keeping-a-journal/

Great post. I have journaled ever since junior high and maybe even a bit earlier. As time goes on I think I’m writing down better things, descriptions and such and digging deep into my real feelings about things and life. It’s a good way to explore and figure out who I am and what I’m thinking. 🙂

I started journaling few months ago and I think it really improved my mental health a bit lol. Usually, I write at night and sometimes, I forget what just happened hours ago (which I have to reopen my gallery to find some specific photos that have to do with my “day”). Anyways, it’s a great and a helpful article btw!

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How to Write a Journal Guide

• How To Start and Write a Journal

We keep a lot of things in our heads, but we put less down on paper. All those thoughts and ideas bouncing around can sometimes feel overwhelming. You have to-do lists, hopes, dreams, secrets, failures, love, loss, ups and downs. Ideas come and go, feelings pass. How do you remember all of them? How do you keep them organized? A great way to keep your thoughts organized and clear your mind is to write them down in a journal. Writing is a great exercise for anyone and by expressing yourself in a personal place is a wonderful way to stay sane. 

Starting a Journal

To start a journal, you just need to be willing to write. You don’t have to write well, you just need to want to do it. You don’t even need to decide what to write, you just need to let your words flow. Once you’ve decided you want to create a journal, here is a long list of instructions to guide you: 

Set up a schedule of when you play to write in your journal. You want to turn your writing into a habit, so create a schedule. Pick a time and the days of the week you will want to write and create a timely calendar reminder, so you don't forget. By scheduling the same times, journaling will become a natural and regular part of your agenda that you can look forward to. 

Find the right space to write.  

When you’re writing, it is helpful to be in a space where you can focus and concentrate. A quiet room with no distractions works best. Allow yourself to focus on your writing, without any interruptions. Make sure you are able to sit upright and are comfortable. An office or a study room is always great.

Buy a physical journal or Sign-up for Penzu

Penzu is a digital journal that will allow you to write from any device. It will make your journal writing incredibly easy-to-use, accessible, organized and private. It will save all your work and date it for you, so you never need to remember. It is a great tool for writing anywhere and keeping your work in one place. 

Close your eyes and reflect on your day. 

You may not know what to write about and that’s okay. Your journal can be about anything you want. A good way to begin writing is to close your eyes and think about what you’re feeling. 

Ask yourself questions.

What has happened that day? How did that make you feel? Are you excited about anything? Why? Reflect on the thoughts and feelings you’ve been having.

Dive in and start writing.

It is easy to begin sentences with, “I feel,” or “I think,” or “I wonder.” Don’t feel pressured to stick to any particular form or topic. The beginning of your journal writing can just be an introduction to your thoughts at the time. This is your personal space, so you should feel comfortable writing. 

Time yourself.

Set a time for how long you want to write. Somewhere between 5-20 minutes is ideal, depending on how much you want to jot down. Setting a time will help you stay focused and stop you from getting carried away. It is easy to feel like you need to write down every detail and this will help prevent that. 

Re-read your entry and add additional thoughts. 

10 Tips When Writing a Journal

Here are some tips to get started properly and consistently writing in your journal.

1. Set a schedule

As we mentioned earlier in the article, setting a schedule is a great first step. Decide how many times you want to write and set a schedule. Whether it be once a day, or once a week, decide on a time you want to write and don’t skip it. 

2. Keep it private

A journal is personal and should be a place you feel comfortable expressing yourself honestly and truthfully. Penzu keeps your journal safe and secure, with all your entries made private by default, only made available to share under your command. 

3. Meditate

Any journal entry will benefit from some moments of reflection before you begin writing. Before you start writing, go to a quiet place and focus on your breath for a few minutes. This is a wonderful exercise to clear your head and settle your thoughts . 

4.Brainstorm

If you want your journal to be about something specific, brainstorm ideas to write about. You can write a bible journal , a dream journal , cooking, work, school, anything you want! Feel free to start writing down ideas of what you are interested in or feel you should be writing about. This is the perfect place to get your creative juices flowing. Check out this page for a list of all the different types of journals .

5.Date your entry

It is important to keep each journal entry dated, so you know when you wrote it. You will want to go back through your journal at some point and see when the entries of the topic you’re writing about were added. Also, it will be nice to see how you were feeling at different points in your life. Penzu automatically dates your entries for you, so you don’t have to worry about remembering to do it. 

6.Title your entry

If you can, try and title your entries. This will help you navigate your journal and keep your writings focused. You don’t need to title it before you start writing though. A great way to think of a title is after you’ve written, but it is something to keep in mind. 

7.Write naturally

When writing, don’t feel like you have to follow any form or structure. Just do what comes naturally. Follow your train of thought and see what kind of writing follows. 

8.Write quickly

Don’t let writer’s block get in your way. Just keep writing whatever comes to mind. It is always hard to stop and start again, so keeping writing. It doesn’t have to make sense. Don’t think too much about the words you are putting on the page. You can make sense of them later. 

9.Write honestly

Your journal is for your eyes only, so be honest. You don’t want to lie to yourself. Be real with your thoughts, feelings and opinions. Be as candid as you can. You want your journal to be an honest representation of yourself and the times you’re writing in. 

10. Have fun

Writing a journal should be an enjoyable experience. Have fun with your writing and take pleasure in it. Writing in your journal shouldn’t be a chore. It should be something you look forward to doing, so make it a fun exercise. 

8 Extra Tips For New Journal Writers

Writing a journal entry is different for everyone. We all write differently and about different things, so it is a different experience for everyone. We can help with pointing you in the right direction, whatever that direction may be. Here are some tips to get you started:

1. Think about what you want to write. 

Your journal doesn’t need to have a theme, but an easy way to start writing an entry is to think about what you want to write about. 

• Do you want to write about that day’s events? 
• Do you want to write about your plans for tomorrow?
• Are you planning a trip?
• Are you working on a project?
• Are you in a new relationship?
• Do you want to discuss your family?

Decide what you wish to discuss and go in that direction.

2. Try writing with a journaling prompt

If you are having trouble deciding on a topic, try writing personally and/or creatively to get you started. Here are some journaling prompts you could think about:

• What is your earliest childhood memory?
• What is/was your favorite subject in school? Why?
• Write a poem about your first romantic encounter.
• What is your biggest secret?
• Who is someone in your life that made a large impact on you? Why?

3. Plan ahead

Make sure you have a designated time to write. That way you can start thinking about what you want to write throughout the day and can prepare ideas. This will also get you looking forward to writing.

4. Practice

Write as much as possible. Writing will become easier you more you do it. Try and get into the habit of writing regularly and your entries will start coming to you naturally. 

5. Write letters

There are certainly times in your life where you wish you said something, or wish you didn't say something. Write about these moments. Think about writing letters that you will never send. They can be addressed to specific people or not, but they are great outlets for honest thoughts and make for compelling entries.

6. Try different perspectives

A helpful method of writing is to write from different perspectives. Pick a topic or event to write about and try writing in from someone else’s perspective, like a parent’s, a friend’s, or even an animal’s. It is healthy to think about things from different points of view. 

7. Add pictures

Pictures say a thousand words and can certainly inspire more. With Penzu you can import photos right into your entries, so feel free to add them throughout or just at the beginning to give you inspiration. You can talk about what is happening in the picture, the person that took it, what isn’t pictured, or just what it means to you. Think of it as giving the picture a long caption. 

8. Free write

Free writing is without direction, structure or motive. This means just take yourself to the page and go wild. Whenever an idea pops into your head, just write it down. It doesn't have to be cohesive or have a purpose. 

To Start Writing in a Journal With Penzu

Now that you’ve learned many tips of how to start and write in a journal, it’s time to get started with Penzu. Here’s how to get started:

• Grab your phone, computer or tablet.
• Make sure you are connected to WiFi.
• Go to Penzu.com to create an account.
• Enter your name, email and a password for your account.
• Download the apps.
• Log in and begin writing!

Writing journals is simple and easy! Download Penzu today and get let the words flow!

There's no time like the present - start your free online journal today!

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Journal Basics

What is a Journal?

Journal Entries

Benefits of Journaling

Journal Types

• Journal Examples
• Journal Prompts

Ideas for Journals

5 Year Journal

A five year journal can help you remember the people and events that matter to you.

Gratitude Journal

We'll explain what a gratitude journal is, how to figure out what you're grateful for (and why), and some guidelines for keeping one through Penzu.

Prayer Journal

Deepen your relationship with God by writing down your prayers every day. Learn by reflecting on prayers that have been answered, and others that haven’t.

• Bible Journal

Bible journals can provide you with a therapeutic way to better cope with everyday situations, understand your feelings and establish a connection between your life and the biblical content.

• Dream Journal

Dream journals are instrumental in fields as diverse as psychology, natural science, creative arts and advanced mathematics. What is your subconscious trying to tell you?

• Free Signup
• What is a Journal
• Pregnancy Journal
• Reflective Journal
• Five Year Journal
• Secret Diary
• Electronic Diary
• Diary Templates
• Wedding Diary
• School Diary
• Health Diary

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Module 1: Success Skills

Assignment: writing in college journal entry.

https://youtu.be/RH95h36NChI

The video above discusses beliefs students hold about college and demonstrates how those beliefs relate to test performance. Consider how beliefs might also impact a student’s performance on writing assignments.

Develop a 200–400 word journal entry that identifies three beliefs, mentioned in the video or discovered through your own observations, that relate to a student’s ability to write academic essays. Explain how these beliefs might be adjusted through the practice of metacognition to improve writing results.

Worked Example

Journal entry assignments tend to be more flexible than other types of writing assignments in college, and as a result they can be tailored to your own experiences as long as they answer the primary questions asked in the assignment.

One model of a successful entry about this topic can be found below. Feel free to include your own experiences and examples from real life as they pertain to the issue at hand.

Writing in College Journal Entry by Sandy Brown Belief: Learning is fast Related to writing essays, I could see how I could easily fall into this trap of thinking that fast is good. I have such limited time in the day to work on school assignments, that I think that whatever I can manage to get done must be the best possible work that I’m capable of doing. I should allow myself more time, though that’s easier said than done. Even with smaller writing assignments, like this one, if I give myself a day or two to sketch out ideas for what I want to say, and then reflect on it before writing it, I think I’ll do a much better job in the long run. Belief: I’m really good at multi-tasking This one is very related to the “learning is fast” idea. Watching the girl in the video do a million things while she’s studying is just like watching my own kids at night! And I’m pretty guilty of this, as well. If I can set aside a quiet part of my night, and just focus on only one assignment at a time, I think I’ll do a lot better with my writing overall. And I’ll be happier with the results. Belief: Being good at a subject is a matter of inborn talent This is actually not a belief I personally hold. I always loved to read growing up, and I still do read fiction as much as time allows. But working as a business administrator for the past 15 years has shown me that I’m pretty good with numbers and bookkeeping, too, which I wouldn’t have guessed before this job. One of my daughters is very drawn towards English and writing, and another struggles with it. They both seem to feel this is a matter of fate. I’m going to share this video with them, because I think there are ways that my daughter who struggles can be empowered to think that she CAN get better at writing, if she just keeps practicing. (This is also something I’m going to do myself…I’m very out of practice with writing for school!)

• Revision and Adaptation. Provided by : Lumen Learning. License : CC BY: Attribution
• Writing Strategies. Provided by : Lumen Learning. Located at : https://courses.candelalearning.com/lumencollegesuccess/chapter/writing-strategies/ . License : CC BY: Attribution
• How to Get the Most Out of Studying: Part 1 of 5, Beliefs That Make You Fail... Or Succeed. Authored by : Samford Office of Marketing and Communication. Located at : https://youtu.be/RH95h36NChI . License : All Rights Reserved . License Terms : Standard YouTube License

Writing in a Journal: A Short Course on Journal Writing for 2023

Do any of the following statements or questions sound like you?

• “I don’t have time to write a journal!”
• “I don’t know what to write about!”
• “How do I get started?
• “I’m a lousy writer!”

If so, then this short course on journal writing is for you! Here are five easy steps to get started with writing, eight suggestions for new journal writers, and 14 writing techniques for your journal.

How to Get Started with Journal Writing

It’s Easy to W.R.I.T.E.

Just try these five easy steps. You’ll be writing in no time!

W – What do you want to write about? What’s going on? How do you feel? What are you thinking about? What do you want? Name it.

R – Review or reflect on it. Close your eyes. Take three deep breaths. Focus. You can start with “I feel…” or “I want…” or “I think…” or “Today….” or “Right now…” or “In this moment…”

I –  Investigate your thoughts and feelings. Start writing and keep writing. Follow the pen/keyboard. If you get stuck or run out of juice, close your eyes and re-center yourself. Re-read what you’ve already written and continue writing.

T – Time yourself. Write for 5-15 minutes. Write the start time and the projected end time at the top of the page. If you have an alarm/timer on your PDA or cell phone, set it.

E – Exit smart by re-reading what you’ve written and reflecting on it in a sentence or two: “As I read this, I notice—” or “I’m aware of—” or “I feel—”. Note any action steps to take.

In summary….it’s easy to W.R.I.T.E. ! W hat topic? R eview/reflect I nvestigate T ime yourself E xit smart

Looking for free journaling workshops?  Check out our on-demand courses including “ J is for Journal: A Short Course on Writing for Healing, Growth, and Change ,” with seven lessons containing a total of 68 writing prompts!

Eight Suggestions for New Journal Writers

1. protect your privacy..

Store your journal in its own special place so that the temptation for others to read is diminished. Ask for agreement with your housemates that your journal is private. Reserve the first page of any new journal for your name and phone number or e-mail address, along with a notice: This is my personal journal. Please do not read it without my permission. If none of that would stop whoever might read your journal, get a shredder. Find a creative way to protect your privacy, such as a new gmail or yahoo account, freshly passworded, from which to write yourself at that address. Or keep your journal on a flash drive. Make your privacy an intentional act.

2. Start with an entrance meditation.

Nearly every journal technique benefits from a few minutes of focused quieting. Use visualization, soft music, candles, deep breathing, stretches, whatever works for you.

3. Date every entry.

If you only establish one habit in your journal, let it be this one! Dating every entry allows you to chronologically reconstruct your journal by date. It also lets you hear the silence between your entries.

4. Keep (and re-read) what you write.

Often the writes that feel like throw-aways contain the seeds for future insight. Keep it, re-read it later, and surprise yourself with how much you knew that you didn’t know you knew!

5. Write quickly.

You can outsmart dreaded “journal block” by writing so fast that the Internal Critic and the Internal Censor can’t keep up. Keep your pen moving!

6. Start writing; keep writing.

Start with the present moment (“What’s going on?”) Or start with a feeling (“I’m so mad I could bust!”) Or start with a story (“Today the weirdest thing happened….”) Once you’ve started, don’t go back to edit or rewrite. And don’t think too much. Let it flow.

7. Tell yourself the truth.

Your own truth is not your enemy. Don’t try to talk yourself out of knowing what you know or feeling what you feel. Give yourself permission to tell the truth. Also give yourself permission to pace yourself. If the truth seems too bright or harsh, then slow it down.

8. Write naturally.

If there is one inviolate rule of journal writing, it is that there simply are no rules! Do what works. Don’t worry about what you’re not doing. Give yourself permission. Let yourself enjoy the process!

14 Writing Techniques for Your Journal

1. sentence stem..

A sentence-completion process. Fill in the blank with a word or phrase. May be very universal (Right now I feel———-) or highly customized to an individual’s immediate question, problem or interest.

Start with the beginning of a sentence:

• Today I will—
• Right now I feel—
• The most important thing to do—
• I want—
• I need—-
• What I wish I could say to you—
• If only I could—
• I wonder–

—and finish it with a word, a thought, the rest of the sentence.

Boom. You’re done.

2. Five-Minute Sprint .

A timed writing process designed to bring focus and intensity in short bursts. Excellent for those who are resistant or aversive to journal writing, or who are uncertain about how to start, or who state they do not have time to write journals.

It’s a two-step process that couldn’t be more simple:

• Set the timer on your phone or kitchen stove. Stop writing when signaled!
• Keep your pen or fingers moving the entire time. It’s only five minutes. It goes fast.

Ready? Set your timers–and WRITE! Start with this prompt: What’s going on?

3. Inventory.

An assessment of life balance in major areas of living (health, family, home, work, spiritual/religious, emotional well-being, etc.) Gives a quick picture of which life areas might need attention.

4. Structured Write.

A series of Sentence Stems grouped and sequenced to reveal consistently deepening layers of information and awareness.

5. Clustering.

Visual free-association from a central word or phrase. Lines and circles connect key thoughts and associations to the central core. Work quickly to maximize results. A brief writing to synthesize findings may follow.

6. Lists of 100.

A list of 100 items, many of which will probably be repetitions, on a predetermined theme or topic. Repetition is an important part of the process. Topics can be about any current issue (for example: 100 Things I’m Sad About; 100 Things I Need or Want to Do; 100 Places I Would Like to See). At the end of the list, group the responses into themes and synthesize the information.

In this video, Kathleen Adams, Founder of the Center for Journal Therapy, shares what she likes about using short lists as a journaling technique.

7. Alphapoem.

Write the alphabet, A-Z, or any collection of letters, vertically down the side of a page. Then write a poem in which each successive line begins with the next letter. Excellent for groups as it promotes a high level of participation and sharing. Adolescents and reluctant writers respond well.

Check out this example of an Alphapoem:

An Alphapoem on Alphapoems   

by Kay Adams and Scribe (journal group members)                             

A nticipate a B lossoming of                                                          C reative                                                                          D elight!                                                                          E asy, really, once you                                                    F ind the rhythm and the pace.                                                      G ather up the thoughts you                                          H old secret in your heart.                                                I magine them                                                                            J ust drifting out, a                                                                    K aleidoscope of                                                                        L etters                                                                                              M aking words. N o rules to follow–except the O bvious one. P erhaps you’ll find a poet inside? Q uite likely! R ead your Alphapoems; you’ll find them S tartlingly T rue–an U nusual way to give V oice to the W himpers, wonderings, whys, wins. X hilerating feeling to find Y ou’ve reached the Z enith of the poem!

8. Captured Moments.

Vignettes capturing the sensations of a particularly meaningful or emotional experience. Written from the senses with strong descriptors. Captured Moments of beauty, joy, blessing, calm can add balance, hope and perspective to a challenging time.

9. Unsent Letters .

A metaphoric communication to another that is written with the specific intention that it will not be shared.

10. Character Sketch .

A written portrait of another person or of an aspect of the self. Can also be written about emotions by personifying an emotion and giving it a characterization – an appearance, a style of dress, a personality and temperament.

11. Dialogue.

A metaphoric conversation written in two voices. Anyone or anything is an appropriate dialogue partner. There is no constriction by time, space, physical reality or literal voice.

On the page, it looks like a script:

Me:  So how do I do this?

Dialogue Partner:  Just ask me a question, and I’ll respond.

Me:  Seems a little silly.

D.P.:  Just make it up! Write the next thing in your head.

You can write a dialogue with anyone or anything: Your Wise Self, your spouse/partner/child, your job, your body, your feelings, your dreams and desires – anything goes!

12. Perspectives .

An alteration in point of view that provides a different perspective on an event or situation. Through magical realism, we can jump time, compare alternative realities and walk a mile in another’s moccasins. The writer experiences a new dimension of time, place or voice.

• A different time:  Using imagery, time-travel to a date in the near or distant past or future. Write that altered date at the top of the page. Imagine who you are, how you feel, what is different, how a problem got solved or an issue resolved. Write in the present tense, as if it were that time.
• A different place:  When faced with a tough choice or decision, jump time and write Perspectives entries in the present tense as if you’d made each choice. One man, conflicted about applying to medical school or a psychology program, saw himself miserable as a psychiatrist and fully engaged as a psychotherapist working with veterans and their families. See what nudges forward from your subconscious mind!
• A different voice:  Write in someone else’s “I” voice, in the present tense, as if that person were writing in a journal about you or a disagreement (argument, conflict, painful difference) the two of you are experiencing.
• Another different voice:  Alter your own voice by writing in past tense, in the third-person voice (s/he, her/his), about your own experience. This pulls back the camera lens, puts you in the role of omniscient  narrator/compassionate witness and allows useful distance and objectivity. This is particularly helpful if you are working with difficult stories that can create intense emotional states.

13. Springboard.

A free-write with a prompt. Starting a free-write with the smallest structure of a question, thought or topic can focus and frame the writing session.

Here are some sample springboards:

• What’s the next thing to do?
• A year from today, I will ….
• Why don’t I … ?
• I’m sorry I didn’t….
• What am I avoiding?
• If I knew I would succeed, I would ….
• I want to overcome….
• Where am I going?
• What do I want?
• If I weren’t scared….
• What’s the best thing? What’s the worst thing?

In this video, Kathleen Adams, Founder of the Center for Journal Therapy, talks about using props to get started with writing.

14. Free Writing.

Unboundaried, unstructured, unpaced narrative writing. Useful for creative flow or spontaneous writing sessions. Can be structured by adding a time limit or page limit.

(c) Kathleen Adams. All rights reserved. For reprint permission please email us .

Center for Journal Therapy

3440 youngfield st., #411 wheat ridge, co. 80033 phone: (303) 209-9599 contact us >>.

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Why Journalling Became So Popular

Write what you know.

This quote has been attributed to both Mark Twain and Ernest Hemingway. Regardless of the original author, these words have been pushing writers to explore their own experiences for decades.

One of the best ways to explore our own experience is through personal journal writing. These are stories and thoughts you capture for an audience of one — yourself.

I’ve been journaling in various formats for over a decade. Throughout that time, entries have evolved from quick thoughts and memories to full essays exploring ideas, experiences, and emotions.

Journal entries are not meant to be published. They shouldn’t be polished or edited. They’re stream-of-consciousness dumps that help us understand ourselves better and improve our ability to get words out of our heads and onto the page.

A journal is a living thing. Returning to previous entries can show growth as a human and as a writer, and can provide new perspectives on experiences of the past.

Before we get into what to journal if you’re new to the concept, let’s explore a few tools for journaling.

Journaling Tools

What to journal, paper notebooks.

As more things move digital, the act of physically writing is becoming a lost art. Paper notebooks provide a true time capsule of yourself at the moment pen hits paper. A physical journal is a great option, especially if you want to include boarding passes, receipts, or other trinkets to help enhance the entry.

Popular paper journal options include classic composition books, Moleskines , or those fancy leather bound notebooks that tie up.

While paper notebooks are great options to preserve your personal history, they make returning to older entries difficult. This is where digital options can truly shine.

Day One Journal

This is my preferred method. As of writing this, I’ve logged 2,263 entries over six years in Day One . Each entry is dated, stamped with location and weather metadata, and over a thousand have embedded photos.

What a digital journal like Day One does best is remind you of past entries.

Each evening I open Day One and look at the various entries posted on that date in the past. This daily walk through my private history allows me to explore memories and thoughts. I’ve frequently linked to past entries and reflected on past moments with current experiences.

There are many similar options to Day One Journal, including Journey , Momento , and even the Notes app on your phone.

Whatever method of journaling you decide upon, knowing how to begin can be intimidating . Don’t let it be. Remember, a journal is not meant to be read by anyone but yourself. You’re not trying to impress anyone so write what you know: yourself.

When writing about yourself for an audience of yourself, there’s no right or wrong thing to include. Everything is a good idea.

Here are some options to get you started.

Ask Yourself Questions

Each day I ask myself three questions :

• What was significant today?
• What did I learn today?
• What is my goal for tomorrow?

These three questions allow for introspection and exploration of myself in wonderful ways. If you’re just starting with a journal, asking yourself questions creates private writing prompts to get the words flowing.

Gratitude Journal

One great option to journal is capturing moments and people you’re grateful for. Not only does a gratitude journal help you capture wonderful moments that might otherwise get overlooked, it has the added benefit of training ourselves to look for things to be grateful for. This makes us more thankful and patient.

Writing Journal

If you're a professional writer, writing can start to feel less of a pleasure and more of a 9 to 5. It's easy to keep producing content and forget that writing is fun! Writing is something you can always get better at, and keeping a journal is a great way to practice. You can write short stories, articles about things that have interested you, the list is endless. But whatever you write, make sure you're writing it for you.

You can also use a writing journal to see how your writing has progressed over time. If you have a mind for figures, you could run your writing through a tool like ProWritingAid.

The Summary Report will help you learn more about your writing, and it's not all about grammar. You'll be able to see which words or phrases you use (or overuse) most often, whether you favor a particular sentence start, or if you tend to write in long sentences rather than short.

Learning more about your writing can be a fun place to start a journal. You can set yourself goals, or just see how your writing style changes over time.

Travel Journal

If you’re going on a trip, capturing the daily happenings is a great way to chronicle the experience. Including pictures, maps, and commentary on the trip generates your own private travel log.

Beyond just stating what you did, tell the story . Include people you met, smells, feelings, and other details unique to the experience. Capturing these additional details will help enhance your writing outside the journal as well.

Returning to these entries long after travel help bring you back to that place and relive the experience over again.

Be it a product, a movie, a book, or a TV show, reviewing something is a great way to just write.

Along with my daily questions, I also include a short review of all content I watch and read throughout the day. As a result I actively engage with content rather than mindlessly consume it.

Read something inspiring? Hear something you want to remember? Put it in the journal.

We’re the subject of our own lives and instead of just getting by day to day, journaling allows us to explore our experiences and ourselves. Writing about what we know gives us the opportunity to grow as a person and as a writer.

Do you think your journal could be a bestseller? Download this free book now:

The Novel-Writing Training Plan

So you are ready to write your novel. excellent. but are you prepared the last thing you want when you sit down to write your first draft is to lose momentum., this guide helps you work out your narrative arc, plan out your key plot points, flesh out your characters, and begin to build your world..

Be confident about grammar

Check every email, essay, or story for grammar mistakes. Fix them before you press send.

Justin Cox is a writer, minister, and donut eater. His words are available online at Wired, Film School Rejects, The Writing Cooperative, The Coffeelicious, and more. Besides writing, Justin is an avid traveler and foodie. He lives in Orlando, Florida with his wife, Carla, and their dog, Mac. Connect with Justin on Twitter @justincox or at JustinCox.com.

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How to Create a Good Journal Entry

Introduction: How to Create a Good Journal Entry

What can be called a journal? It's a kind of chronicle you write to express your thoughts, to make a summary of your activities, to compose a plan or important steps to remember and follow when it comes to different writing assignments, etc. It does not matter what you are going to chronicle, but when you write a journal you'd better know the following guidelines to start and make your journal look and sound good.

Step 1: Find a Thing That Will Become Your Journal

Have you decided what tool you will use to write your journal? It can be your laptop, a notebook, some mobile applications created with this goal, a blank book or a collection of some sticky notes. Whatever you choose to create your journal entries, your first step should be finding a tool to use for it.

Step 2: Choose a Writing Tool

If your journal lives online you can skip this step: it's obvious you'll use a keyboard to write your journal entries. But if you've decided to have an old-fashioned journal, a paper one, you will need a nice pen! Or maybe even several pens of different style for your writings to look cool.

Step 3: Establish a Writing Habit

Do you want to bring your journal with you everywhere? Or do you prefer to set a particular time for writing? Set up your daily routine to make your writing comfortable for you; make this routine a habit, and it will be much easier for you to create journal entries.

Step 4: Set Up a Good Writing Place

Environment plays a very important role when it comes to creative process, as it can motivate and inspire you to write your entries. Think of the best place to fit your writing mood. Is it your quiet room? Or maybe you will feel yourself better in a cafe? Choose a place that will be conductive to everyday writing : for example, when I write entries for my personal blog, Omnipapers , I lock myself in my room to avoid distractions. Classical music helps and inspires me too.

Step 5: Keep Your Every Entry Dated

Putting a date to every entry of your journal might be really helpful. It will be easier to systematize your writings and find them quickly when needed.

Step 6: Write Your Entry

Just write your thoughts and ideas down as soon as they occur. If it appears difficult at first, try writing about your day, the things you've done during this day, the feelings you experienced, etc. The point is to start writing: every topic might lead you to interesting thoughts to write down. A few tips to consider:

• D o not worry about structure. Write as you feel, without thinking of grammar and punctuation rules.
• Will it be only you who reads your entries? Do not worry about what other people can think of your journal: you write for yourself, and you express yourself with your journal.

Step 7: Be Creative

Do not think of your journal entries as simple text. It's so easy to be creative and make beautiful and diverse writings: try poems, lists, collages, artworks, etc. Make your journal unique and beautiful.

Step 8: Feel the Best Moment to Stop

Stop your writing before you feel drained and exhausted completely, and get back to your journal when you have enough ideas, inspiration and energy to write good texts again.

Step 9: Reread Your Journal Entry

You can do it once you've completed your entry or after a while: rereading your journal might help you improve your writing, systematize your thoughts and learn yourself better.

Step 10: Conclusion

As far as you can see, it's not very difficult to create good journal entries: write about what you like, white how you feel and think, make your entries look beautiful and pleasant for your eyes, reread them to understand yourself better. I hope this article will be useful to read for all people interested in writing; if you plan to write journal entries it might help you understand what to start with.

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How To Write A Journal Entry

Writing a journal entry can be a therapeutic and reflective practice that allows you to process your thoughts and emotions. Whether you’re looking to start a daily journaling habit or simply want to improve your writing skills, there are a few key steps to keep in mind.

First, find a quiet and comfortable space where you can focus without distractions. Set aside dedicated time each day to write in your journal, whether it’s first thing in the morning or before bed. Consistency is key when it comes to journaling, so try to make it a regular part of your routine.

When you sit down to write, start by reflecting on your day or any significant events that have occurred. Consider how these experiences have made you feel and what thoughts they have sparked. Don’t worry about grammar or structure at this stage – just let your thoughts flow onto the page.

As you begin writing, try to be as honest and open as possible with yourself. Journaling is a personal practice, so there’s no need to filter your thoughts or feelings. This is your space to express yourself freely without fear of judgment.

In terms of structure, there are no hard and fast rules for how to write a journal entry. Some people prefer to use bullet points or lists, while others may opt for more traditional paragraphs. Experiment with different styles until you find one that feels natural for you.

It can also be helpful to set specific prompts or questions for yourself if you’re struggling to get started. For example, you might ask yourself “What am I grateful for today?” or “What challenges did I face?” These prompts can help guide your writing and provide some structure to your entries.

Finally, don’t put too much pressure on yourself to write something profound or meaningful every time you sit down with your journal. Some days, your entries may be short and simple, while other times you may find yourself pouring out pages of reflection. The important thing is that you’re taking the time to check in with yourself and process your thoughts.

In conclusion, writing a journal entry is a personal and introspective practice that can have numerous benefits for your mental well-being. By finding a quiet space, setting aside dedicated time, being honest with yourself, experimenting with different writing styles, using prompts if needed, and not putting pressure on yourself, you can develop a fulfilling journaling habit that helps you gain insight into your thoughts and emotions.

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3.38: Assignment- Writing in College Journal Entry

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https://youtu.be/RH95h36NChI

The video above discusses beliefs students hold about college and demonstrates how those beliefs relate to test performance. Consider how beliefs might also impact a student’s performance on writing assignments.

Develop a 200-400 word journal entry that identifies three beliefs, mentioned in the video or discovered through your own observations, that relate to a student’s ability to write academic essays. Explain how these beliefs might be adjusted through the practice of metacognition to improve writing results.

Worked Example

Journal entry assignments tend to be more flexible than other types of writing assignments in college, and as a result they can be tailored to your own experiences as long as they answer the primary questions asked in the assignment.

One model of a successful entry about this topic can be found below. Feel free to include your own experiences and examples from real life as they pertain to the issue at hand.

Writing in College Journal Entry

by Sandy Brown

Belief: Learning is fast

Related to writing essays, I could see how I could easily fall into this trap of thinking that fast is good. I have such limited time in the day to work on school assignments, that I think that whatever I can manage to get done must be the best possible work that I’m capable of doing. I should allow myself more time, though that’s easier said than done. Even with smaller writing assignments, like this one, if I give myself a day or two to sketch out ideas for what I want to say, and then reflect on it before writing it, I think I’ll do a much better job in the long run.

Belief: I’m really good at multi-tasking

This one is very related to the “learning is fast” idea. Watching the girl in the video do a million things while she’s studying is just like watching my own kids at night! And I’m pretty guilty of this, as well. If I can set aside a quiet part of my night, and just focus on only one assignment at a time, I think I’ll do a lot better with my writing overall. And I’ll be happier with the results.

Belief: Being good at a subject is a matter of inborn talent

This is actually not a belief I personally hold. I always loved to read growing up, and I still do read fiction as much as time allows. But working as a business administrator for the past 15 years has shown me that I’m pretty good with numbers and bookkeeping, too, which I wouldn’t have guessed before this job.

One of my daughters is very drawn towards English and writing, and another struggles with it. They both seem to feel this is a matter of fate. I’m going to share this video with them, because I think there are ways that my daughter who struggles can be empowered to think that she CAN get better at writing, if she just keeps practicing. (This is also something I’m going to do myself…I’m very out of practice with writing for school!)

• Revision and Adaptation. Provided by : Lumen Learning. License : CC BY: Attribution
• Writing Strategies. Provided by : Lumen Learning. Located at : https://courses.candelalearning.com/lumencollegesuccess/chapter/writing-strategies/ . License : CC BY: Attribution
• How to Get the Most Out of Studying: Part 1 of 5, Beliefs That Make You Fail... Or Succeed. Authored by : Samford Office of Marketing and Communication. Located at : https://youtu.be/RH95h36NChI . License : All Rights Reserved . License Terms : Standard YouTube License

Turning a Journal Entry Into a Personal Essay

Your journal can be a great resource for personal writing for publication

Although for many people a journal is something that contains thoughts, ideas, and feelings that will never be shared with others, for some people, a journal can serve as a resource for future writing projects. Ralph Waldo Emerson called his journal his “savings bank” — a library he could reference when he needed an idea for a new piece of writing.

For writers who are interested in writing personal essays for publication, a journal is an invaluable resource. Since a journal often contains your contemporaneous thoughts, it can help you navigate the truth in what you were feeling in the moment. Journaling also gets us into the habit of using the written word to express our thoughts, fears, and feelings, which is a necessary skill for personal essay writing.

There can be some traps for personal essay writers when it comes to journals, though. Mainly: you sit down to read through an old journal entry and you think, “Hey, this is pretty good. Maybe I’ll just publish it like this.”

More times than not, publishing a journal entry as-is is not the way to go. Below, you’ll find some tips on what you should consider if you are ready to take something from your journal and turn it into a personal essay, either to publish on your own blog or to submit for publication in a literary journal or magazine.

Think about structure

One of the best things about writing in a journal is that we don’t have to worry about structure. For an essay, though, we do need to think about structure. Although a personal essay is perhaps less structured than an academic one, we still need to draw the reader in, establish what it is we’re going to be exploring, and we should ideally have both a climax and a resolution that sums up what we learned through the experience detailed in the essay.

Sometimes, the structure an essay will require will not mean laying out the events as they happened chronologically in real life. It’s possible your journal might. Creating an outline may help you to extract the details you need from the journal in a way that will best serve the essay.

Borrow phrasing from yourself

When we write in our journals, we’re typically writing in a way that is unfiltered and pure. Some of the best writing lies in phrases that were not prepared for an audience, because when we wrote them, we weren’t worrying about how they would be perceived, but rather how they represented what we were truly experiencing or feeling at the time. Our journals are chock full of these pure phrases. Though it may not make sense to directly transcribe your journal entry into an essay, it definitely makes sense to pay attention to some of the phrasing you created in your private writing, and use it where effective.

Poetic licence

Though the personal essay is a non-fiction form of writing, sometimes we need to condense timelines or reduce minutia when preparing to relay an experience to a wider audience. When we’re using our journals as resources, we will sometimes come across details that had otherwise slipped our minds but, because they’re in the journal, are brought to the forefront of our memories. Just because something was included in your journal doesn’t necessarily mean it’s a detail that is required for a reader to understand your story in your essay. Choose your details wisely. Just like how in fiction writing most details should move the story along, in non-fiction writing, most details should have relevance to the ultimate topic we are exploring. This isn’t necessarily true when we’re just writing in our journals. Be choosy about what details you extract.

Be True to Yourself

The number one authority on you is, well, you. When we are writing personal essays from memory, sometimes we mix perspective, grudges, and time into the original ingredients, which in turn creates a retelling of something that is not as accurate as it could be. A journal affords us the opportunity to visit with, in a sense, our former self — the person who was experiencing something in the moment and was reflecting about it right there and then, before time, perspective, and other things had had time to meddle. Though sometimes it can be hard, it is at the very least a good exercise (if not good practice) to use those impressions to describe what you were going through at the time, rather than to let your current perspective color your descriptions. This is where journaling can help the personal essay writer the most.

We hope that as you navigate your journaling practice and your work as an essayist, you’ll find that they will be beneficial to one another. Your journal is, much like Emerson said, a savings bank for your future writerly self — it is chock full of ideas, emotions, and notions. Happy writing!

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Lauren Harkawik

Lauren Harkawik is a journalist, essayist, and fiction writer based in Vermont. You can read her writing on her website.

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Microsoft 365 Life Hacks > Writing > How to Write Journal Entries

How to Write Journal Entries

No matter what kind of writer you are, journaling can be a valuable tool for keeping track of ideas, developing stories, documenting memories, experimenting with tone in writing , and so much more. Journaling is anything you want it to be—which can make the prospect of starting (or keeping up with) a journal a daunting one.

Start with this helpful overview of the practice of journal entry writing as it applies to your writing pursuits and some helpful personal journal entry examples, and you’ll find yourself inspired to write in no time.

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What is Journaling?

Simply put, journaling is the act of documenting information—either for the audience of only yourself, or for other readers (like a blog). It can be done daily to keep a brief record of what you’ve done and thought, sporadically as ideas and inspiration come, hand-written, typed—journaling can be almost any kind of writing you’re inspired to do however you’re inspired to do it!

Some journal writers enjoy selecting fun or fancy pens or pencils and the perfect notebook in which to collect their thoughts; others prefer to use a desktop or phone journaling app to jot down notes and lists and story starts. Both are appropriate approaches to crafting personal journal entries. Try a few approaches to journaling until you find the one that feels right for your writing.

What is a Journal Entry—and How Do You Start One?

When you keep a journal, it’ll be comprised of entries. A single journaling session may yield one or several entries in your personal journal.

So how do you start a journal entry?

If you didn’t approach your journal with inspiration on your side, consider putting down whatever your train of thought is in the moment—it may lead you somewhere interesting and unexpected. Or browse your old entries and see if anything takes your attention and sparks a new idea.

Personal Journal Entry Examples

Sometimes all you need to jumpstart your personal journal entries is a prompt. Here are a few examples of personal journal entries to get your pen (or typing fingers) moving:

• Lists. Lists are a great way to ease into a journal writing session. You can make lists of anything: favorites, likes, dislikes, to-dos, not to-dos—the list, of course, goes on. Your entry may be the list or lists themselves or spark a memory or story idea you’d like to explore in a new entry.
• Story ideas. Inspiration can strike anywhere. You can make a note of story ideas and return for fleshing it out in a first draft later on or use your personal journal as a place to brainstorm ideas and experiment with new voices, styles, and genres.
• Daily logs. Some writers enjoy using a journal to keep a daily log of what they did, who they saw, where they went—but in short, brief entries. There’s no right or wrong in your personal journal entries, though, so a log can expand into something longer.
• Favorite memories. Those memories you find yourself drifting back to often? Put them on the page! Write down as much as you can about those moments—as truthfully or as fictitiously as you’d like.
• Wish lists and bucket lists. What would you do if you had all the free time in the world? Where would you go? What hobbies would you take up? Who would you like to have dinner with or what theme park would you like to visit? Your journal is the perfect place to explore and document these wants and dreams.

Studies have shown that writing journal entries has myriad benefits beyond deepening your writing practice, including better sleep and boosted self-esteem. 1 To see how others have approached journaling, see if one of your favorite authors have had any of their journals published—you may discover some new topics to explore in your own personal journal entries.

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/25/style/journaling-benefits.html

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How to Write a Journal Entry

Have you always wanted to express yourself but you just would not like to share it with somebody? Then writing journal entries can be of great of help to you especially if you want your thoughts materialized into words. Plus, you do not have to be worried about having another person knowing about it.

• 19+ Travel Journal Writing Examples
• 5 Reflective Writing Examples & Samples

Understanding Journal Entries

Journal entries are pieces of writing, which come individually, that will take and fill up a journal or even an ordinary notebook. It is in a journal entry where you will be able to express yourself, your personal growth, your interests, your opinions, and even the mundane things you have done and encountered in a day.

Journal entries usually come in between 500–1000 words. A journal entry may not be connected or related to a previous or the following entry unless stated. Journal entries are considered as something that is private since it is where you can be able to write with no holds barred.

When it comes to content, a journal can contain anything and everything. You can include a chronicle of what happened in your day, the summary of your deep thoughts, and you could even include your to-do tasks for the next day or tasks that you have already completed within the day.

When you would decide to write journal entries for the first time, you may want to consider starting with writing even the most ordinary events that happened in your day, the secrets you want to spill but could not spill to others, and even your most random train of thoughts.

You could also get assigned to write a journal entry for school, you may have to read the stated instructions properly as it could contain only the necessary items that you have to write for your journal entry assignment and that it could also save you some time from writing irrelevant content.

Starting a Journal

Before you would step into the world of journal writing, you just have to have the will to write in the first place. Without the will and the desire to write a journal entry, you will surely not reach even to the half of your journal. You might get discouraged at first especially if you are not confident with your writing, but do not worry because you do not have to be a renowned author to start a journal.

Keep in mind that when in writing a journal, you just have to be honest with yourself. Once you are assured that you really are willing to start writing a journal, here are the steps that can guide you:

1. Decide a comfortable space to write.

There are two spaces to consider when writing a journal. First, you have to consider where you are going to sit when writing a journal and the second is where you should be writing your journal entries.

For the first space, you have to decide on a place where you are at your most comfortable state that you would not be worrying that someone is standing behind you reading your journal entry. You would not want that, right? Additionally, you might want to remember some things that happened during your day and that you could not do so if there will be background noises and distractions as you write.

For the second space, you have to decide on a writing space where you would be writing your journal entry. Do not write anywhere and choose a kind of writing space, be it a notebook or a journal, where you will be able to write comfortably as well. You could also opt for a digital journal where you can easily add, edit, or delete some parts easily without having to deal with the mess; plus, you could easily add other elements, such as photos, that could make your journal entry more detailed.

2. Reflect on your day and ask yourself questions.

Once you have found a perfect place to write and a perfect writing space to write your journal entry on, you should now have to reflect on what happened during your day and what are the events that are journal-worthy for you. You do not have to write on this step.

If you are a newbie at journal writing, do not be too hard on yourself and just write what you can manage to write since your journal entry can just be about anything you want. If you want to write down the moments in your day that you want to have a keepsake out of, you can totally do it even by just closing your eyes and reflecting on what happened throughout your day, including what you may have felt about it.

If you find it hard to reflect, you can just start on basic questions that could help you generate content for your journal entry.

3. Start writing!

You already have what you need so that only means that the only thing left to do is the actual writing of your journal entry.

Again, if you are a beginner at writing journal entries, you can start with simple sentences that start with  “I feel,” or “I think,” or “I wonder.”  Also, do not be afraid to have a central topic for your journal entry and do not be afraid to exclude some parts of your day that you don’t feel recording, most especially if it is just too mundane and basic, such as taking a bath. Unless something remarkable happened during your bath, then you might find it important to write it down. Make sure that you make your journal a space where you can feel at your most comfortable state.

However, if you are to write a journal for an assignment in one of your classes, be sure that you will be able to follow the instructions given by your teacher or professor.

4. Re-read and add.

When you would get into writing your journal writing, there is a tendency that you might forget some things, this is why it is advised that you should go back and re-read your journal entry right after writing it. It is not really necessary for you to check whether grammar, especially the spelling and syntax, is done right and flawless, but if you see the need to edit it since it can affect the message you want to convey, then, by all means, do so.

However, if it is a journal assignment, make sure that you would also check up on your grammar and syntax since your journal will be graded by your teacher.

Additionally, add and enter any missing details on your journal entry once you notice it during your re-reading period. Write it down immediately for it may be difficult to try and remember about it the next time.

Tips for Writing Journal Entries

If you are just getting started to write your first batch of journal entries, it could get difficult for you at some point. However, once you would finally get the hang of it, your journal entries would just easily flow. Here are some tips you can make use of should you want to get better at this activity:

1. Be creative.

Journal entry writing has no limits. You do not have to stick to words and long paragraphs if that bores you. You can make use of any visual material, such as an artwork or a photograph that would make your journal writing even more memorable.

2. Write a dialogue and a memory

In your day, you might have gotten yourself into a conversation so striking you want to have a record of it and you can freely do so on your journal entry. If there was a significant moment that happened to you on that day, write it as a memory on your journal entry. When you find starting to write an entry journal difficult, you can always go these basic things to write and start from there.

3. Set a schedule.

As we mentioned earlier in the article, setting a schedule is a great first step. Decide how many times you want to write and set a schedule. Whether it be once a day, or once a week, decide on a time you want to write and don’t skip it.

4. Have fun.

Of all the things that have been written above, the only thing that you should always stick in your mind is to have fun while writing your first batch of journal entries. It is in having fun that you would just let go of anything that holds you back from writing what you want to write and just let your pen, your hand, and your thoughts do all the action.

Journal entry writing is not a chore or a requirement (unless it’s a given assignment) that you should feel so much pressure from. Free yourself from doubts and just write.

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How To Write A Journal Entry

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A JOURNAL ENTRY

Updated 12 May 2022

Subject Experience ,  Learning ,  Myself

Downloads 60

Category Education ,  Life

Topic About My Name ,  About Myself ,  Knowledge ,  Life Changing Experience ,  Student

I've been asked many times if I can continue with the revolution now that I know what I know.

My answer has always been and will always be affirmative. I regret that people had to die as a result of the revolt. However, I believe that if we had not started the revolt, even more people would have died. Our mission was not to destroy but to free the oppressed.

I recall the first time we sat down with Colonel Martinez to talk about the possibilities of a revolt.

Martinez was an undergraduate political science student at the time, and I was a new politician annoyed by the injustice of state administrative bodies. Martinez expressed reservations about a revolution. He cited that we would both be risking our careers and safety given that we were not as influential at the time.

It was not until 4 months later that we met once to discuss the possibility of starting a movement that would address political imposition and corruption in our society.

I felt that the time was right since certain prominent figures from the opposition parties had gone missing. It was our duty to demand accountability in the face of impositions such as was occasioned by the state at the time. We discussed the technicalities of the project and realized that the biggest obstacle was occasioned by a griping lack of funds.

To address the funding issue, I informed Martinez that we would have to rally all members of the segmented political parties if we were to achieve a milestone in our call for good governance.

The members would all contribute equally and according to their abilities towards the projects that were initiated under the movement. I personally committed 60% of my wealth to ensuring that the goals of the movement had been met. Years later I would recount this when we were imprisoned and Martinez would laugh at the gripping determination that I had projected at the time.

The next challenge in the project had been to determine an effective way to oversee our goals.

Violence had never been a priority at the time. We had decided to integrate a peaceful accord in calling for the improvement of services in the region. Other priorities that formed part of our institution included the need for inclusivity in the government, the improvement of educational and health settings. It had never been our goal to engage the police and state security agencies in running battles. Our movement was inspired by real and collective social challenges. We were not only seeking redress for political impositions but also economic and social justice.

That we later became violent was a culmination of the government’s relentless purge on our initiatives.

Our offices were raided by the police and documents burnt. Our children were kidnapped and our wives were raped. Violence was the only option left to us. We had no choice but to protect ourselves against the injustices. After a series of attacks, I informed Martinez that it was time to move into the forest. Martinez was a cautious and informed that perhaps there was another medium by which we could address the stalemate. However, we both knew that we had exhausted all of the options available to us. The media had illegalized our movement and the international community had completely ignored the course. The forest and the guns were the only options left to us and on the 21st of November 1992, we packed our bags, organized our families and made our way deep into the forest.

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