Dear Diary...

earllogjam

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What has been your experience keeping a diary or journal? When did you start and has it ever been beneficial for you? Why do you continue to write in one?
 

SpoiledPrincess

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When I was a teenager I kept a diary religiously, as I had a snoopy brother any events that were of interest to me but would have got me grounded I entered in code - not a worked out code but some key words that I thought would remind me of the event when I looked back at them. They were in a suitcase for some years, then I got them out expecting to be overwhelmed by nostalgia and I couldn't for the life of me work out what the hell those little prompt words were supposed to remind me off.
 

dong20

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I used to keep a journal when I was traveling. I kept it up for a few trips, including one trip of about a year. But eventually it got to be a drag and now it's sporadic at best. I kept one on and off in the UK one year for about a year, but that was a one off.

They're interesting to read though, some of the stuff I did...
 

invisibleman

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What has been your experience keeping a diary or journal? When did you start and has it ever been beneficial for you? Why do you continue to write in one?

I have a journal for so many things. You can have a general purpose one. You can get one to use at work for work-related stuff. You can use one for cooking.

Journals are good for tracking where you were at a certain moment...what you thinking about...feeling...whatever. A research database.

I don't know if it helps or harms. That depends on what you want the journal to reveal. What are your objectives for your journal and entries?

I buy a three-ring binder that you can customize. I buy a pack of college ruled paper and pre-punched copy paper. A pen or pencil.
 

IntoxicatingToxin

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I had one diary when I was a young teen, and it basically said nothing. Every entry was about some guy I had a crush on or some shit. Gag me with a spoon. :rolleyes: Now, I'm a blogger... sometimes it's important, sometimes it isn't, and sometimes they only make sense to me... but I like to blog, it helps me release a bit.
 

D_Kay_Sarah_Sarah

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I had one for a year or so when i was in high school but i realized how disasterious it could be if it fell into the wrong hands. These days i spread my secrets between friends so no one of them gets the full story leaving me a escape route if need be
 

softly

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I also like to blog, at least i'm saving some trees now, but i used to keep a diary, where i would write about my big crushes. I only wrote there when i was feeling under pressure. It helped me release.
Now, when i read it, it makes me sad 'cause I've grown up.
 

cutedorkwho

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I find myself grabbing the metaphorical pencil (keyboards to us of the 21st century!) and writing out my thoughts from time to time. I generally only do this when I feel particularily overwhelmed, or when I feel I'm making an important decision. I think its helpful for a few reasons!

One it helps you sort out whats rambling about in that head! Somtimes things get so confusing but all it takes is a little clarification and some organization and you're back to thinking clearly!

Secondly is the more long term reason. It's not only fascinating, but also potentially useful to look back at earlier times in your life where you were faced with an "important" decision or sitaution and see if your viewpoints have changed. It's particularily obvious to see the things which used to be "important" and very stressful might later in life be trivial, or mean something else altogether. It's fascinating, and helpful in spoting trends in behavior or mood over a longer period of time as well.

Unfortunately I just need a safe place to put them that will still exist in 10 years...paper might be the only choice.
 

earllogjam

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I find myself grabbing the metaphorical pencil (keyboards to us of the 21st century!) and writing out my thoughts from time to time. I generally only do this when I feel particularily overwhelmed, or when I feel I'm making an important decision. I think its helpful for a few reasons!

One it helps you sort out whats rambling about in that head! Somtimes things get so confusing but all it takes is a little clarification and some organization and you're back to thinking clearly!

Secondly is the more long term reason. It's not only fascinating, but also potentially useful to look back at earlier times in your life where you were faced with an "important" decision or sitaution and see if your viewpoints have changed. It's particularily obvious to see the things which used to be "important" and very stressful might later in life be trivial, or mean something else altogether. It's fascinating, and helpful in spoting trends in behavior or mood over a longer period of time as well.

Unfortunately I just need a safe place to put them that will still exist in 10 years...paper might be the only choice.

Interesting - I share a lot of your feelings about this. I had a feeling recently that keeping a diary or a daily blog and reading it years later can be concrete evidence of your personal growth instead of being a nebulous feeling in our head. Kind of a snapshot of what you were thinking about that day in your life. Who you were that day.

The daily practice and discipline of writing might be good to hone your writing skills and a chance to just be bluntly honest with yourself for 2 minutes. See how you think. I kept a journal on one trip once but never continuted probably because writing doesn't come very naturally for me. I do regularly sketch in a sketchbook, however.

I think that small time alone during the day is sometimes necessary to keep one's sanity. I can see how writing can act as a kind of therapy, escape, or to get your head straight.
 

jason_els

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I have never kept a diary. The closest I've come is the blog here. My Global Studies teacher in high school tried very hard to get to me to keep a journal as it was part of the class requirement to do so, but I felt it was an invasion of my privacy and refused to do it. I failed the class. Well, I got a D.
He was a manipulative communist asswipe so I don't feel bad about it.

Writing does come naturally to me. I love writing when I feel I have something to say and Clio graces me with her presence. Otherwise it's a chore and trying to force something out which isn't backed by conviction is just torture.

Earl, do you think sketching is your way of keeping a journal? Do the choices of subject, or mood you're capturing, or style of drawing tell you something about yourself? Can you go through them and learn things about yourself?
 

earllogjam

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Earl, do you think sketching is your way of keeping a journal? Do the choices of subject, or mood you're capturing, or style of drawing tell you something about yourself? Can you go through them and learn things about yourself?

Umm, yeah I suppose it is sort of a journal. It's quicker and easier for me to diagram ideas and thoughts than to write a paragraph describing something, so I sketch. It suits me because I'm more a spatial/visual person and not very deft at writing. I prefer a blank sheet of paper over a ruled one.

While writing is linear, sketching is more a process of back and forth, changes and revisions, and discovering things as you work. It's more in line with how I think so I prefer it to writing. I've always been aware of the limitations of language as a sketcher who was a poor reader.

Typing these posts does not come naturally for me. I need to go back and revise much of what I write so you will often see grammar, verb/tense errors and missing words or misspellings.

I do go back sometimes to ideas or thoughts I have recorded years ago in sketchbooks as a kind of reference. It is revealing as to what interested me at a certain time in my life but sketching lacks the concreteness and emotional directness of writing to express feelings to others or to yourself 15 years later.