Use Your Journal...

Over mugs of herb tea at our favorite cafe, across the table my friend Anna, a travel writer, slumped in her chair. "What am I going to do?"

A few months ago, Anna got her first substantial assignment from a prestigious in-flight magazine. The moment she found out, she ran over and told me, screaming, laughing, and jumping up and down. She immediately tore into the assignment, gathering preliminary materials for the trip the magazine had scheduled. Two weeks later, I got an excited card from the islands she was covering. When she returned, I heard regular bulletins of her progress on my answering machine: "Did lead-in today… starting historical background… already know perfect ending… wrote interview with oldest man on island…"

It seemed to be going very smoothly until she called that morning. "Emergency! Must see you!"

So here we were in the café, Anna twisting her cup and staring at me with heavy lids. "Everything was going great. And then it hit-- the Block. How am I gonna get out of this? The deadline's only two weeks away, and I've got to make it. It's too important for my career, and I can't blow it!"

I understood. We all bump up against writing obstructions of different sizes, from pebbles to boulders. They weren't new to Anna either, but in the past, sooner or later she'd always kicked them out of the way and continued her work. This one, though, sat stubbornly in the middle of her entire writing road and she couldn't budge it.

I asked Anna why she thought she had the block at this moment. She straightened from her slump and slapped her hand on the table. "How should I know! If I did, would I be sitting here? I'd be home writing!"

"What?" The question pierced her angry frustration. "Oh," she waved her hand, dismissing the thought. "I used to. No time now. I've got enough to do."

"Humpff." She took a gulp of tea. "What's the point? If I'm gonna write, I should be doing the article."

"That's exactly the point," I said, undaunted. "You need to start writing. Anything. Like how you feel about not writing, how you feel about the article, the laundry still piled up from your trip, your unopened mail-- anything."

Anna looked at me. She said nothing but, to my surprise, pulled out the notebook that always lived in her handbag. She took another swig of tea and started scribbling.

I'm pleased to report that Anna kept writing for about fifteen minutes. I sat across the table without speaking, wanting my silent presence to encourage her.

Anna's experience illustrates one of the major uses of journaling. Many writing teachers have advised journal writing, and many veteran writers have kept faithful journals for years. Whenever I browse in a published journal of well-known authors, it's fascinating and heartening to see the seeds of some of their most famous and successful works.

I've kept journals off and on most of my life, sometimes daily and sometimes for special occasions, such as when my therapist abandoned me every August for her vacation. My journal has sustained me through the sweep of life's events, from the smallest to the most soul-shaking. It's been the receptacle for catharses, complaints, reminiscences, rages, and not a few dazzling writing concepts.

When Anna finally rolled away the huge stone that blocked her through journaling, she became convinced of its value. After her finished travel piece was safely sent off, we took an afternoon to talk about how the journal had helped her and what writers can do to keep their journals flowing. We both thought of many things and then asked several other writers. The following list evolved. It will help you especially if you've been wanting to start, have recently begun, or need a gentle prod to stick to it.

1. Write by hand. I know, I know, you always use the computer. But God built into us a mysterious link from arm-to-wrist-to-fingers-holding-pen. Many have recognized this connection, as writing mentor Natalie Goldberg describes in her classic Writing Down the Bones:[1]

2. Choose the type of paper that pleases you most. This is a way of honoring yourself, which, after all, is an essential part of your journal. You may love a crisp, yellow-lined pad. Or loose sheets of copy paper, or an old-fashioned school notebook. Or you may want to treat yourself to one of those beautifully covered books with blank pages.

3. Write in pen rather than pencil. With pen, you'll take yourself more seriously. (And don't worry if you have to cross out something. Better still, don't cross out anything.) If you like, try different colored pens. I've often used an assortment of felt-tipped Flairs and still swear that green and purple ink help the words flow easier. Few of us realize how color affects us and how we can choose to use it to inspire and elevate our writing.[2]

4. Be consistent in format. Decide where you want to put the date-- upper right, upper left, in the center. If the time of entry is important to you, determine also where to record it.

5. Number the pages. Does it come naturally to number them consecutively throughout, say for a month, or instead by individual entry? I always number by the day only, seeing the entry as a little unit. Such details may seem annoyingly mundane, but when you establish consistency, you feel and stay more organized and professional. And you gain a bigger benefit: you're treating your journal, and yourself, with greater respect.

6. Promise yourself a minimum number of entries a week. Schedule them. Tell yourself that this is your time. Announce it to your family, instruct the kids to lower the stereo, shut the door, ignore the phone.

7. Choose a place to write that you love, where you feel nurtured and safe. This is particularly important in the beginning. Anna curls up in her den, her small dog nestled on her knees. I like the terrace outside, where I can glance up from my clipboard and absorb the trees and sky. Later, you may be able to "carry" this space with you anywhere. Dedicated journal writers have told me they can now write at the dentist's office, on the supermarket line, and (not recommended) during television commercials.

8. Before you start, become quiet or meditate for a few minutes. Take a few deep breaths and look outside, preferably at some greenery or the horizon. Say with conviction:

9. Remind yourself that here in your journal you can write anything. You can put down shamelessly whatever is at the tip of your brain or pen. No one will censure you, laugh at you, pronounce your writing revolting, or reprimand you for using X-rated words. You can always cross everything out or tear up the page. Risk. There's nothing to lose.

10. Ask yourself questions on paper. If, like Anna, you feel "stuck," ask on the page, "Why?" Or just describe how you're feeling at that instant. You'll soon get caught up in this description, and it will undoubtedly lead you to write about what's underneath the feelings.

11. You may need a boost to begin on a given day. One way is to start by reading your previous entry and then commenting on it. Another is to review the day, or the last hour, and write about it.

12. If you can't seem to write because, again like Anna, strong emotions of anger, frustration, despair, or any other feeling are stopping you, write about them. At the least, you'll feel relief.

13. lf you can't write because a problem or situation is revolving endlessly in your head, your journal is the perfect place to unburden. As you spill it all out, insights may unexpectedly appear, and even resolutions.

14. If you're sure you have nothing to say, that's fine. Accept it for the moment. Whenever I'm feeling barren, I remember the advice I've often shared, the sage and knowing lines of the American poet Richard Wilbur: "Step off assuredly into the blank of your mind. / Something will come to you."[3]

16. Remember that the journal is your friend, your confidant, your private therapist, your personal writing teacher, and your secret, cherished self.

How a Journal Adds to And Helps Your Writing / Connect Your Journal Writing to Your Writing Projects

Do you need more reasons to start or continue your journal? Do you still think it's an emotional indulgence, an empty exercise, or, like Anna, an unproductive activity that takes valuable time away from "real" writing? Well, here are some additional reasons to keep your journal that relate more directly to your writing.

17. Journaling gets you to write regularly. Daily is best, even for fifteen minutes. This daily discipline will ingrain itself in your mind/body/psyche/brain and become a habit that you can transfer to your major writing.

18. Journaling gives you practice in "freewriting." This technique, taught as part of English and language arts classes in many schools, asks you to choose a subject, maybe one of those situations grinding around in your head.[4] Start with whatever comes to you and allow each idea to flow into the next. Soon you'll have at least a page and probably be ready for more. This kind of writing can lead to all kinds of glorious results-- the surfacing of important life events to incorporate into your latest project; a brand new, exciting story idea, subject, character, theme, or realization; or the solution to an unyielding plot problem.

19. Regular journal entries get you to loosen up in your writing. Some writers don't feel they can touch certain subjects. Friends have admitted they shy away from writing about sex, binge eating, and physical abuse. One writer won't get near compulsive shopping and never uses mall scenes. In your journal, especially when you know no one else ever has to see it, you can give yourself permission to write on previously self-imposed forbidden topics.

20. You begin to experience literary gold. The more relaxed you get, the more your natural creativity can bubble up. As you keep writing, gorgeous similes, superb metaphors, and fabulous turns of phrase will spring up full-blown on the page, like Athena from the head of Zeus, ready to do battle with legions of blank lines.

21. You start to admire your writing. Maybe you look over your shoulder a little to see if anyone's watching, but you now dare to give yourself credit. You whisper to yourself, or even say out loud, "Hey, that's great! That's brilliant!" And that soaring, matchless feeling comes over you that, yes, you're finally on the right path and doing what you were meant to do.

22. With this newfound feeling of confidence, you'll resume or attack the writing you've been avoiding, stymied with, or haven't finished. Your self-discoveries will give you the assurance to renew your commitment to yourself. With increased vigor and enthusiasm, you'll be raring to go, not only on to your next journal entry but to all your other writing projects.

I'm sure you see from this list the journal's many lessons and rewards. With continued journaling, whatever stage you're at, you'll undoubtedly find more to appreciate. Enjoy your journal. It's a wonderful tool for understanding yourself and for growing emotionally, intellectually, professionally, and spiritually. And it's an instant, almost effortless record of your progress and allegiance to your writing.

So, add to this list, or make one of your own. The next time a friend in writing trouble implores you for help, you'll nod compassionately. And you'll proudly be able to share how you use your journal for the relief of catharsis and the resurgence of creativity.

With a Ph.D. in English and Comparative Literature from Columbia University, Noelle Sterne is a writer, editor, writing coach, and consultant for fiction, nonfiction, academic, and business projects, and other creative enterprises. For two years, she wrote a monthly column for the writers’ newsletter Seasons For Writing, and a short story recently won an award and publication in the CrossTIME Anthology. She has published how-to articles in many writers’ magazines and online resources, including Absolute Write, Writer’s Digest special issues, Writer’s Forum, and Writers’ Journal. Additional essays are scheduled for 2007 and beyond in Once Upon A Time, Writers’ Journal, The Writer, and a Writer’s Digest annual, among other publications. Her motivational/practical/inspirational book for writers First You Find Your Desk: Start Writing and Keep Writing with Less Agony and More Joy is currently in publisher review.

1Natalie Goldberg, Writing Down the Bones: Freeing the Writer Within (Boston: Shambhala, 1986), pp. 6-7, 50. For the virtues of both handwriting and consistent journaling, see also Julia Cameron, The Artist's Way: A Spiritual Path to Higher Creativity (New York: Tarcher/Putnam, 1992), especially pp. 9-18; and Walking in This World: The Practical Art of Creativity (New York: Tarcher/Putnam, 2002), pp. 7-9.

2See Janet Ruth Falon's fascinating article on using color in writing, which she also addresses to computer users, "Follow the Rainbow to Find Artistic Inspiration," in Writer's Guide to Creativity (Cincinnati: Writer's Digest, June 2004), pp. 40-42.

3Richard Wilbur, "Walking to Sleep," in Walking to Sleep, New Poems and Translations (New York: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1969), p. 1, lines 3-4.

4See, for example, Sheridan Blau and Peter Elbow, The Writer's Craft (Evanston, IL: McDouglas Little/Houghton Mifflin, 1995).