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Journaling | Write Your Life | All About Journaling

 
Memoir or autobiographical writing
  • Morning Meditation
  • Evening Reverie
  • Periodic Entry
  • The Life List
  • Recording Family Life
Historical Notations
  • A Dated History
  • The Historical Scrapbook
Spiritual practice or quest writing
  • The Transition Journal
  • The Metaphysical Chronicle
  • The Religious Practice Journal
The Travelogue Journal
  • The Touring Journal
  • The Collector
  • The Photographer’s Journal
  • The Adventure Journal
Philosophy and Ecology of Place
  • Nature Philosopher
  • The Birder
  • Stargazer
  • The Poetics of Nature
The Inner Narrative: Mapping the Unconscious
  • Dream Journaling
  • The Theorist
  • Active Imagination & Automatic Writing
The Immigrant Experience
  • The Elder Interview
  • Family Genealogy
  • Family Traditions
The Garden Journal
  • The Seed Catalog
  • Garden Design
  • The Garden Observed
The Weather Geek
  • Weather Mapping 
Healthy Living
  • The Gratitude Journal
  • Pills & Food
  • Reliquary of Insights
The Critic: Film and Book Reviews
  • The Armchair Critic 
  • The Book Club
Literary Notations
  • Pearls of Wisdom
Pillow Book
  • The Book of Desires

Have you ever had the impulse to begin writing down your thoughts? Perhaps you kept a diary when you were young or you maintain a habit of periodic entries in a book by your bed. Maybe you’ve never taken up writing at all but the desire has lived in you over time.

Now that you’re inspired to begin, spend some time perusing the many journaling themes and ways to organize your thoughts listed here. Not only is journaling a great way to focus yourself, there is substantial evidence that it’s good not just for the spirit but for the brain.

The studies of Catharine Morris Cox Miles on the lives of 300 geniuses and others such as The Einstein Factor, by Win Winger Ph.D, reveal a prominent common denomination in the lives of geniuses, that of journaling. All of the following people were obsessive scribblers: Thomas Edison, Steven Hawking, Albert Einstein, Issac Newton, Margaret Mead, Thomas Jefferson, Michael Farady and many, many more.

Amazingly, what studies show is that you don’t have to be writing anything in particular for journaling to be beneficial. The well documented and dramatic boost in memory and intelligence that comes from jotting down ones random thoughts, is simply the act of engaging oneself, not the potency or intelligence of what’s been written.

Getting Started...

Deciding on a journaling theme and understanding your level of commitment, is the first step. Many journals, famous or otherwise, cover only the course of six months to two years, describing the tumult of war or noting the challenges and insights of a great project, failed relationship, diplomatic mission or extended travel. Some great diarists, such as Samuel Pepys (1633-1703) describe in detail the daily life of their historic period, personal and public, over the course of decades or in the case of Thoreau’s, On Walden Pond, describe a life philosophy and changing ecology of place. Others, such as Andy Warhol’s journal, full of famous names and gossip, illuminate historic periods of culture.

Ask Yourself...

What is my purpose in keeping a journal, what will satisfy me and most importantly, is my writing strictly for my own private design or something others may read in the future. Regardless, keep in mind that the most memorable and helpful journal or diary writing is that which is free flowing, honest, un-selfconscious, and unedited. Never lose sight that writing is a personal process whose purpose is soulful and intellectual pursuit of understanding yourself and the world around you.

Writers...

If you are interested in the craft of writing, noting life circumstance with regard to situations and characters for fictional writing or documenting facts and information for historical or non-fiction writing, create a indexed format that helps you reference material for later recall.

Perodic Entry...

Perhaps you’re most interested in a practice of periodic entries for a practical purpose such as a dream journal or family memory book that references notations on holidays, graduations, births and marriages. Remember, this activity is for you in the spirit of unselfconscious recording. This is your book and your decision to pause and begin again is dictated by no one but yourself. Be free to reinvent your commitment as life dictates the need.


Congratulations! Keeping a diary or a journal is really fun! Have a great time investigating your options by scrolling down through our material or using the navigation bar to your left.

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