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The Power of Journaling for Writers
By Erica Miner
Anne Frank... Virginia Woolf… Anais Nin... Sylvia Plath… Henry David Thoreau…
James M. Barrie… Franz Kafka… Samuel Pepys…
Some of these authors are best known for their journals; others have used
journaling as both a source of inspiration and a stepping-stone to
self-enlightenment. But they, among many others, have one important element in
common: they have all engaged in that wonderful, creative activity we call
journaling.
We all follow journeys of self-discovery at some points in our lives, but as
writers we take these journeys on a daily basis. Journaling is a powerful way
for us to chronicle these fantastic voyages. And as I like to point out in my
journaling workshops and lectures, it’s no coincidence that the words “journey”
and “journaling” come from the same root.
Not only do we gain personal insights and discover new layers of our psyches
through journaling; it can also help us get our creative juices flowing and
often help us through bouts of writer's block. I’d like to share with you some
of my thoughts and wisdom about journaling that have served me well, both as a
writer and as a voyager through life.
Just to give you a little background about myself, I was born in Detroit and
started journaling at the tender age of thirteen, when I was just starting high
school. Already I had found my journal to be my best friend, allowing me to
confide my deepest secrets, fears, and emotions during that hormone-infused time of life. My
recall of that era is so vivid that I am able to recapture my experiences in the
novel series I have been working on about a young girl growing up in the
volatile 60’s and 70’s-- even though those journals have long been lost.
Years later, when I was going through a devastating divorce, journaling saved my
life-- literally. Suddenly I found myself with two children to raise and support
on my own, and on my worst days I was ready to jump out of my ninth floor
apartment window-- until I started journaling and poured my heart and soul into
my writing instead. And I’m not the only one who has had that kind of profound
experience from journaling: Oprah herself credits journaling for saving her
life. How powerful is that?
Yes, a journal can see you through difficult times. It can also be a veritable
treasure chest of creative ideas and personal history that you can use again and
again in your writing. I fervently believe we all have a book inside of us, if
not more than one. How many of us have family histories just crying to be told,
for example? Your journal could become a novel, or a movie-- witness Angela’s
Ashes or In America. The possibilities are endless. A number of writers I have
recently met are penning novels that stem from stories they have lived: one
woman is writing a novel about living through the blitz in London as a young
girl; another, a man who survived the battlefields of World War II, is turning
his story into a screenplay. Even our own personal family histories handed down
by elderly family members can make for compelling writing.
What about travel journals? My own novel,
Travels With My Lovers, started as a
journal that I had written over a number of years. A number of my other travel
experiences have ended up as articles in magazines. People love to read
evocative descriptions of far-off places written from the point of view of an
expressive observer. In fact, the entire June issue of Vision Magazine, to which
I have contributed an article, is devoted to the “traveler’s path.”
There are so many other ways we can use journaling to enhance our lives.
Journals have been kept to help women heal from traumatic illnesses: for
instance, actress Lynn Redgrave recently published a book about her healing journey
from cancer. I met a woman who keeps what she calls a “dinner table” journal,
chronicling her favorite culinary and entertaining experiences and the
conversations that went along with them. Parents who take the time to journal
the miraculous changes that their babies go through from day to day are rewarded
with a joyful record of their children’s early journeys through life.
And the beauty of all this is that you can journal in any way you like, in any
form and under any circumstances. The only limitations are those of the human
imagination.
So to get you started-- or re-started, as the case may be-- here are some of my
suggestions for making your journaling journey pleasurable and rewarding.
Believe it or not, the type of equipment you use can be a major factor. It’s of
utmost importance to choose the type of journal that will inspire you to crack
it open and sully the pages with your thoughts and feelings. It can be a bound
book of blank pages with a beautiful cover, an artist’s sketch book to which you
can add your own inventive touches, a pocket-sized notebook for travel, or a
journal with quotes from writers on artists on each page to help inspire you.
There’s no limit to the types of journals you can find in stores and on the web.
It’s also important to use the type of writing implement that’s comfortable for
you. If you have a favorite pen that feels nice in your hand or even makes your
writing look more legible (trust me, even for hopelessly illegible penmanship
like mine, there are pens that can do this!) then use it. Of course, if you
prefer using your computer to journal, that will work well, too. I am often
asked during my talks whether I prefer journaling in longhand or on my computer.
I confess that I like to think of journaling as a cozy, intimate activity, and
for that, only longhand will do.
Find your perfect time of day or night, when you can quiet your mind and let
your thoughts flow. Sit by the fire or light a candle-- both are conducive to
deep concentration-- and let your muse take over.
After you’re set up with that, here are just a few of the many “hints” and
techniques I’ve got up my sleeve to get those creative juices flowing:
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Create your own imaginary world and describe it in vivid detail
-
Write about someone you met only once but still remember strongly
-
Describe your favorite “secret hideaway”
And my own personal favorite:
-
Recount your very first childhood memory
These are but a few of the wealth of possibilities for journaling that I like to
impart to my readers. If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to
send me an e-mail through my website, http://www.ericaminer.com. And for those
of you for whom journaling is truly a passion and who would like to learn more,
you may subscribe to my monthly newsletter in which I pass along a new set of
journaling hints in each issue:
http://www.ericaminer.com/newsletter.php.
The key is just to take pen in hand, or create a private journaling file on your
computer, and see where your personal journey will take you. Once you settle
into your own “ritual,” you will discover what you have been missing!
© 2005, Erica Miner
 Former Metropolitan Opera violinist Erica Miner turned to writing as her
creative outlet when injuries suffered in a car accident forced her to give up
her musical career. She has since won awards for her screenplays, novels, and
poetry, including the Fiction Prize in the Direct From The Author Book Awards
for her novel, Travels With My Lovers. Over the past year, Erica has made a name
for herself through radio and online interviews, book signings, and lectures.
After a series of successful lecture tours, she has been named a top-rated
lecturer for Celebrity Cruise Lines.
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