The Value of a Writer's Journal

As a writer, you need to keep a journal to record every complex and interesting aspect of your life. Just as we wear several hats in life, as we go about living, loving, playing, and making our lives we need a collection of journals. One journal to record all that inspires you in one segment of your life. You will be surprised at the different ideas you can generate from each of your experiences.

Journaling has been done for decades by writers and by those who are not writers, but like keeping a journal. Journaling is not a hobby, it is something that people do to record their ideas, their daily thoughts and anything that they feel is worthy of being recorded.

Journaling has been considered to be a check-in tool. It allows you to record your thoughts on a regular basis, on days when you feel positive, motivated and on days when you do not feel the same way. Journaling in my opinion is a craft where we record our memories, inspirations and thoughts, which are like a treasure chest we create for ourselves as writers.

There should not be too many rules on how you need to keep your journal. You do not need to write in it every day. You do not need to write in your journal, at the start of every morning. When you experience writer’s block, turn to your journal for inspiration. Create a Gratitude list and a Bucket list in your journal for inspiration in the future. Try different journaling techniques from making lists, to sketching plans to writing done concepts and ideas for your work and life. It should always be a pleasure to keep a journal. Remember to keep your journal close at hand. Keep your journal for stress management. Your journal does not need to be in a book, it could be saved as a file on your computer. Make journal personal, messy and for your eyes only.

The most important reason for us to record myths and legends in a journal is that they are an integral part of our cultural history and identity. Myths and legends also reveal the history of humanity and ultimately, they provide us with interesting stories about life, death, and re-birth. Use a Writer’s Myths and Folklore Inspiration Journal to record your favourite myths and folklore inspirations.

A Writer’s Plot Outline Journal comes in handy when you as a writer want to make outlines in minutes as you sip your cup of tea or coffee. Most writers need to make notes of their latest plot outlines, characters, conflicts, climaxes, scenes, and resolutions.

A plot outline is defined as a prose telling of a story that can be adapted into a screenplay. An outline needs to have a logical sequence of events for your story. Use plot devices to propel your story forward. A plot device is a storytelling tool or technique. An example of a plot device is a character’s simple flashback, which helps us know and understand the character.

There have been times when I am watching a movie and I start getting many good ideas. I immediately run to get my journal and write them down. I used to always think to myself in the past, that I would remember the ideas I was getting while watching a movie. However, at the end of watching a great movie, all the ideas were blown away in the wind.

A family journal packed with all the golden memories of your family members will be the perfect gift for the researcher, writer, and journalist in your family. Almost every family has that one person who is interested in recording the story of the lives of the individuals of a family.

Today is another day bursting with new ideas waiting to be explored. The best writers can take something ordinary, routine, and make it sound wonderful and interesting. This is your own created list of ideas for stories, articles, and blog posts to enrich and advance your literary career.

There is a journal for you to use, as you explore your imagination and draw inspiration from your life experiences. Your next story idea could be the one that changes the world in a positive way. Capture that idea before it is taken by another writer to chisel and transform it into a literary masterpiece, to change the world forever.