Tips On How To Write a Journal

“What is a diary as a rule? A document useful to the person who keeps it. Dull to the contemporary who reads it and invaluable to the student, centuries afterwards, who treasures it.” — Walter Scott

Make a commitment to write journal regularly.

Set up a schedule that suits you and follow it. Don’t skip writing sessions if you don’t know what to write about — just start with a rough paragraph and keep developing it 

Just write.

Writing is hard, but it becomes easier as you write more.

“The beginning is the most important part of the work.” — Plato.

Open your journal, type in a few words — just your thoughts — and you’ll get into the flow. You don’t have to keep your first paragraph — it’s just for a warm up.

Add photos to your journal.

A picture is worth a thousand words.

We are lucky to live in the age of digital photography — you can take millions of photos at no cost. Not everything can be described with words, keep some of your pictures in your journal.

Try different styles.

In your journal entries talk to yourself, your journal, or some imaginary or real person. Write as you would write a letter, or a newspaper column. Try different styles to find your true voice.

Review your journal.

Review your journal regularly (for example, once a week) to get inspiration. Keep notes about your feelings (you can even write them down in a new journal entry).