r/books discussion

Does anyone write/keep a journal anymore or is it all blogging online?

I recently restarted writing in a journal which I started over three years ago and never got more than a few pages in. I've always had journals and could never resist a blank page.

I spent a long time working for the military, which meant that blogging was pretty much a forbidden concept. I like having the journal, also, because I do not self-censor or embellish the way I would with a blog.

That being said, I really do think that blogs have a lot of merit, more than Twitter and Facebook. They encourage coherent ideas, something I rarely see in the realm of linking to the ideas of others.

I began journaling around October last year and have completely fallen in love with it. I do not consider myself a writer by any stretch, but having a means in which I can explore, stretch, hypothesize and connect ideas that are going on in my mind, art practice and work life is invaluable. Sometimes I write about banal things like working an office job. Other times I am teasing out thoughts that have been burning at the back of my mind for a number of days. I highly recommend it if you are one of those people who think all of the time, and struggle to turn your mind off. If you struggle with depression, anxiety or other social stresses it is excellent catharsis. A non judgmental place you can just talk. It has also generated a heightened interest in writing, so I have been introduced to the likes of Nin, Orwell and other writers who speak about life, self awareness and creativity.

Addendum to my earlier post: I am a devotee of Evernote and the Mac journaling app Day One. Both are great options for journaling.

Every year I do a big journal entry, try to summarize the year, the goals for the year following .etc. A round-up, if you will. I also keep scrapbooks, which is a collection of little heirlooms, quotes from books, the odd journal entry or thought. Nothing consistent though.

I'm also a devotee of Evernote as well. That stuff is the bomb. And ever since I got a smartphone things like Papyrus & QuickOffice & Google Drive get used a fair bit.

I tried to keep a journal, but then I was afraid someone would 'find' it and take what was said wrong, be upset, etc. etc. I still do it once in a while, but only once in a while.

When I was younger I had a diary. I didn't really understand the concept so I only ever wrote in it once (I think it was a birthday card for my mom). Fast forward about a year, maybe two, and I have a "friend" over. I go to the washroom, leaving her in my room alone.

When I got back she had dug it out of the bottom of whatever drawer it was in and pried the part that lock attaches to off of the back cover.

I haven't written a personal journal/diary since, but I did keep her as a friend until she moved away ~5 years later. I have since realized what a bitch she was (and, I presume, is) and what my mom meant when she said that the girl had always "drained" me. She was exhausting to be around.

Some people are and still are like that......

I like journaling a lot. I feel it's more private and intimate. I certainly type faster than hand writing, so it forces me to slow down and think of what I want to say, how to put it in words. It gives me a window into myself. There's so much room to grow yourself between pen and paper.

I have not blogged since livejournal when I was in high school. It was different to me, knowing these thoughts were available to the public. And while I can choose to be as anonymous as I want, that doesn't mean it will stay that way. Things have a way of coming 'round full circle.

There's just something about a journal being a physical thing. An item of blank pages ready to be scarred with words from my hands. Something I can hold, page through, walk through memory lane. Read past thoughts, hopes, desires, feelings. Something about it being only mine to read is thrilling in a way. Thoughts are good to share, but not all thoughts should be shared.

I haven't gone back to my journal since I wrote this post but I've been thinking of it like I was thinking of a person. It sits there waiting for me. I've been writing more online on my blog but my journal is on another level of intimacy.

I like to consider it a habit, like my damned scale.

TPB, wrote: "I like to consider it a habit, like my damned scale."

Scale?

The daily weight/BMI measurement. My time in the military left me "institutionalized."

I've kept a journal since I was 9. I will go through phases where I won't write in it for a month, then I will write everyday for a few weeks. But I have journals upon journals filled, and I love that I can go back and read them. I can see what I've been through, what I've accomplished, and how I've changed as a person. I'm also a sucker for beautiful journals. I always have at least 3 waiting for me.
Blogging doesn't interest me. My thoughts are my private thoughts.

I used to keep a journal when I was much younger. However, I was always terrified that someone would find it and my deepest, darkest secrets would be out there for everyone to see.

I stopped it for a while but am now back again. Evernote FTW \m/

I don't journal per se but I do scrapbook....and write during big events like travelling etc.... It's so much fun to look back on!

The scrap booking I do though is not the "expensive hobby scrapbooking" with fancy cutouts and matching borders... It's more a mishmash of found images that catch my eye, photographs, snippets of writing and whatnot. I feel it's less of an obligation than a true writing journal. When you have time great! If not no worries :)