Tips for Journal Writing

Keeping a journal is a great way of keeping track of your life and who you are at this stage in your life. People change in a way that is not really comprehensible when first introduced to the notion. However, when reading some of my own journals from just a few years ago in college, it's amazing how I'm not that person at all anymore. I don't even remember thinking that way, yet I'm happy that I have a record of those years.

The first step is picking a journal. If you want to be motivated to regularly update your journal, it needs to be one that you really like, one that inspires you or makes you smile. Don't be bashful. Whether you like "Twilight," soft rock, mystery movies or doll collecting, get an appropriately themed journal. There are journals for almost all tastes. You want to also pick up journal tools, such as double sided, acid-free photo tape, scissors, stickers and multi-colored pens.

Set a reasonable goal for your journal keeping. If you're someone who really can't sit still or find the time to update your journal daily, make a promise to yourself to at least do one page per week. Julia Cameron established a wonderful thing in her book, "The Artist's Way." In it, she suggests doing morning pages, writing free thoughts as soon as you wake up in the morning. If that's when you find time to write, it may be a great goal for you. If not, set aside the perfect "you" time for regularly updating your journal.

Write about whatever you want, but remember that ordinary days are just as relevant as extraordinary moments. Big occasions, such as a high school graduation, will be forever etched in your memory. However, those smaller moments the week before graduation where friends said special things or your dad bought a small, yet thoughtful, present may not be. When writing in your journal, be sure to record as often about the regular schedule and routine of your life as you do about the exceptions to it. Small moments mean big things in a journal.

Express your thoughts and your feelings. Get a journal with a key on it if you fear privacy invasion, but don't censor yourself for anybody. Your journal is the place where you can be unconditionally honest, revealing what some may never even dare to tell therapists. Let your mind and heart go in your journal. It's sometimes the best way of venting. If you are having serious emotional distress, make sure to tell someone as well, though.

Be sure to make your journal visually fun and appealing to you. Paste in movie tickets and concert tickets on the days when you go to them. Paste in clippings from the newspaper if you go to an event or are featured for something. Draw, color and design. Place stickers in your journal. Make it as fun as you are, and make sure to keep each day appropriate to how you are feeling. A good way to do that is with designated ink. You may save red for angry days, and you may choose your favorite color for really happy days. Ordinary days work best with dark colors that are easily read. Choose what works for you.

Get back to writing in your diary, even if you miss a week or more. The longer you stay away from your diary, the easier it is to disregard it. However, you're doing a disservice to yourself. Remember the joy of your journal, and make sure to get right back on track when you fall off it.