The World of Journaling

So, you say you want to be a writer? A great way to get started is to begin journaling.

Keeping a journal is a very personal way to record your thoughts, feelings and events in your life. It's also a wonderful way to improve your writing skills by practicing the craft of expressing yourself through the written word.

Writing is an art form. It's similar to painting a picture, except your tools are pen and paper, or keyboard and document file, and rather than colors and textures, you use words, sentences and turns of phrase to illustrate what you want to show the reader.

With time and effort you may learn to use fewer words to achieve the goal of forming a picture in the reader's mind. This is something readers appreciate very much as their own imagination can then take over to make the story unique to them.

Writing in a journal allows you to write in a free, creative and abstract manner. You open your natural channels of creativity and let the words flow as they will. Your journal is just for you to see and no one will criticize you for spelling or grammatical errors. It's not a school project, it's a labor of love done by you and for you.

Once you have been journaling for a while, however long you feel comfortable with, go back and reread your previous entries. Try to pick up on your own writing voice. By writing voice, I mean the tone of your writing, words you habitually use and any topics you find yourself returning to over and over. There is a well known phrase suggesting that writers should "write what you know." Reviewing your journal can help you realize what it is you know and would enjoy writing about.

A journal can be as simple as a notebook or diary, a bound book with lined pages, a yellow legal pad, or anything you feel comfortable with. If you are more adventurous and don't mind the risk of sharing your words on the Internet, you can blog. There are an estimated 500 million blogs in 2010! Yours can still be fairly private if you password-protect the site.

It doesn't matter what format you choose as long as it is one you are most comfortable with. You can journal about your dreams, your travels, your work, what books you read or movies you enjoy; in short, you can journal about absolutely anything.

Recording your thoughts on a regular basis may even help you to understand yourself more. I keep a dream journal and am often astounded at what my sleeping self gets up to for adventures. I also keep book journals to list what books I've read and reviewed and to write a few sentences to remind me of what I liked about the work of a particular author.

If you are a gardener, a garden journal can be a wonderful way to keep track of your plantings and which plants thrived or failed in a given year. In the winter, many gardeners like to not only review the previous year's gardens, but a fresh journal helps to plan for the coming spring.

For the runner, an exercise diary is useful in recording miles logged over the year. For the bird watcher, a journal is a great way to keep your bird list handy. Hobbyists can create a journal that suits their needs for hobbies ranging from knitting to woodworking. You can personalize your journal as much as you want. After all, you are writing it for you!

Journaling has been shown to reduce stress, help you to set goals and organize your life in a simple fashion. It can improve your life by making a personal record of your day-to-day life as you improve your writing skills through practice.

What I'm reading this week:

• "The Shooting in the Shop" by Simon Brett , 2010, Five Star Publishing
• "I Still Dream About You" by Fanny Flagg, 2010, Random House

Look for these books at your local independent bookshops, your library or purchase online.