Chicks On Lit discussion

If so, what kinds of things do you journal about? What format do you use?

I have the following (because I'm a journaling junkie): a gratitude journal where I write down things I'm thankful for - I try to do it daily but I miss some days lol, a journal of letters to my daughter just telling her about what she's like now and what I feel as her mother that I will give to her when she becomes a mother, a journal of the books I read, and a journal of the funny things my kid says.

With the exception of my reading journal, they are all composition books that I altered to make look pretty. The reading journal is just a plain old journal.

I personally prefer hand-writing my journals just because I think I can express my thoughts better without the electronic distraction.

I have a blog but it's more of a way to share crafts and funny things than an actual journal.

Wow! You journal a lot!

I have one journal. I journal as a sort of therapy to myself, and so, it comes and goes depending on the state of my life. In other words, I journal more when I'm down. The nice thing though is that I started it when I was in fifth grade, and the length of time that it spans is nice. I started with handwritten, and through the years, I've switched formats. I write more in electronic format, because I type faster than I can handwrite. But when I handwrite, it is less edited. In electronic form, you can so easily push the delete key and re-write your sentences so that they are more coherent. My thoughts are less organized when handwritten and in more of a free form.

I've never journaled every single day. Or if I have in the past, then I know, I must have been really depressed. Haha. I don't want journaling to be something I have to do everyday, something on my to-do list, because then it's just another chore.

I journal not daily but regularly. I don't have a reading journal but I have done journals for my kiddos. I blog and that is like a family journal. I've tried gratitude journals before but I end up being grateful not to write in them. Like Viola they became a chore and thats when I put it down.

Don't think I journal that much - even though it looks like it. The gratitude journal is the only one I try to do every day. But even then I miss a lot of days. And I just write down 3 things I'm thankful for. I don't write down why or anything.

The others, I just do when the mood strikes me. I'm not a writer by nature but sometimes I want to just get down something I'm feeling or thinking or want to remember. I'm like you all - I don't do anything that turns into a chore when it's supposed to be fun. That's why I don't scrapbook "in order" either. lol.

My grandfather was a journaler. My grandma gave me his daily journal from the year I was born. On my birthday it said, "Karen [that's my mom] had her baby today. It is a girl." Or something similarly excited. lol.

Wow ladies. You've inspired me. I think I shall start a Book Journal. What a great idea! So often I read books so fast that I often forget what they were about or what I thought of them. Unless, of course, it is a book that cements itself in my heart.

I also love the idea of the family journal. What a gift to have your grandfather's journal to read. And also the one for each child. I wish I had done that. They are now 20 and 17, I guess I could still do one with things I remember about them growing up and then some of the things I've learned that i want them to know and remember.

You all have given me a lot to think about.

Tera: I tried to do the gratitude journal and I too didn't get into it. I think I made it a month before I quit.

My biggest problem with journaling is that I am always cognizant of the fact that one day I shall die and people are going to read these journals....so I found myself editing my thoughts. I eventually got rid of anything I thought had the possibility of hurting someone.

I wish I had what it took to write a journal. Over the years, I've tried to start one. Never successful. :(

I kind of use GoodReads like a book journal. For (almost) every book I finished this year, I wrote a review. At least I'll have an idea of what I read and whether or not I liked it.

I use a journal for story ideas and write down things that pop into my head.

I journal on a regular basis, not daily and don't have a particular format or something that I follow. Whatever I'm feeling the need to write about goes into my journal. Having separate journals for different things long ago became too much work for me so in the last 7 years I only use one and despite my arthritis, I do hand-write my journals because keeping one on the pc didn't feel right for me. I guess you could say some of my blog posts are journal-like but as a whole aren't.

I used to, when I was younger, and then randomly in spurts throughout the years, but not recently. One journal I'm glad I kept was of my journey to, and the three weeks I stayed, in St. Thomas. I should really start back up but, with work and just getting by, nothing of interest to write about.

I am over 50 and am so thrilled that I have been able to keep track of the books that I read. I keep a journal, like a diary, that just has the book titles & authors of the books read. About once a year I put those books into a rolodex. I had a bad experience years ago with a computer crashing without having a backup so I always have paper. And then there is the reading list I keep up on Goodreads. I love having the access to the books I've read but I don't count on it as the only way!

I do encourage everyone to keep track of their reading. When you're young you think you'll always remember every book you've read but I can tell you truthfully that some of the books slip through your memory bank.

I've done regular train of thought journaling over the years but haven't been able to keep at it.

I agree that there's nothing like writing on paper and holding that journal in your hand. The computer has a place, but it just can't compare when it comes to journaling in my opinion.

On Halloween, I was listening to Glenn Beck on my XM. (I don't usually listen to him, but he was doing a dramatic reading of Poe's Telltale Heart that was excellent.)

Then it went to his regular show and he was talking about how "they" (whoever "they" are) are deleting things from the internet - news stories that didn't go well for certain people in particular. He was suggesting to all his listeners to keep journals on paper and write down what is happening and how we feel about it. He said historians would thank us and we'd be the next Mary Chesnutt. (Well I added that last part, but that was the gist of it.)

I realized that I dont' write much about current events. Maybe I should include a little bit of it in my daughter's journal.

That's a great idea for your daughter's journal! I try to include some current events, especially those that affect me in some way (emotionally).

Nothing on the internet/computer is permanent, sites/pc's crash, things get deleted all the time (on purpose & by accident) - even handwritten journals can be lost or stolen but they're more likely to stay with us throughout our life's journey than something in cyber space.

When I was in NYC last year, I LiveJournaled everyday during the month of May 2010. I want to keep a regular journal but I either have no time or nothing all that interesting to say. :\

I've been with my LJ for ... 6 years? I don't want to leave it but then again, whenever I think of going back into journals and blogging, I want to start over with a fresh new blog. IDK. LOL.

I really enjoyed this thread. I think I am going to start a journal whether it be a book one or gratitude one I am not sure. Thanks for the ideas.

I have two journals: one for books and one for everything else that flows through my head. My main journal includes spiritual thoughts (Bible verses, meditation habits, new yoga poses) daily thoughts, new ideas, drawings and randomness. :) Without writing in my journal I'm extremely bitchy. Plus I love the act of writing (pen on paper). Many people don't take the time to WRITE anymore!

I used to keep several different types of journals and wrote in them most every day! For years and then all of a sudden I couldn't write in one anymore. I have struggled for the past 8 years to get into writing in a journal again. I miss the release, sometimes just writing things done organizes my feelings and thoughts. Helps me find answers to questions I was not aware I was asking. Sometimes just writing feelings/thoughts done helped me let go of them.
I am very much into writing on paper with pen too. BUT I got this free App from Starbucks called Momento and I love it! I have started to journal again just like that! years and years and years of trying and I now have the perfect tool to record my feelings and thoughts! I especially like it cuz I can post pictures to my entry and I have it every where I go so if I find a second I open it up and jot something down, when I am having the thought or emotion. I love it! WHO KNEW!?

I write two journals, one for each of my kids. I try to write at least once a week. I put in pictures, stickers tickets and birthday cards, and I get their dad and grandparents to write in them from time to time as well.

I'll probably do it for a few more years, the idea was, to tell them about the first years of their lives, stuff they've said, done and experienced, which they won't remember much from - and already (they are now 3 and 5) there's much stuff in the first journals, that I'd forgotten all about.

Louise that is very nice your kids will treasure that one day

I hope so :-)

Yes. I have kept a daily journal for day-to-day chat since I was sixteen. I write about anything and everything, and vent when I can't scream. ;)

Yes I consider journaling part of my meditation practice some days. If I don't write then I get agitated and have difficulty relaxing. I have journals dating back to when I was 7 years old. My question to everyone else is where do u keep your old journals?