Why Keep a Journal

Here's an excerpt from the book I'm working on now,  Kicking In The Wall: A Year of Writing Exercises for Fiction, Memoir & Personal Essays. If you do the exercises I'd love to hear if they worked for you. 

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"The journals are a way of finding out where I really am…They are not dependant on the muse…They sort of make me feel that the fabric of my life has a meaning. What often seems fairly meaningless, like weeding a patch in the garden, when I write it into the journal, it sort of becomes something else."  –  May Sarton

                                                     

– Write about the fabric of your life. Be literal or think of it as a metaphor. Is your life fraying, stretched, or tucked in tightly? Cotton, wool, silk, polyester, cashmere? Are buttons missing or is it covered with sequins? Ironed or wrinkled? Or maybe – a coat of many colors?

– Write about a time your life unraveled.

– Write a list in your journal of ten ordinary things you did yesterday. If you don’t already keep a journal, start one today.

Comments

[Laura B]

Love this! I have been writing a daily journal for more than a decade. It's like straightening my desk. It helps my brain work better.

[dearrosie]

Thanks for always inspiring us Barbara. I love the May Sarton quote.

I've kept a journal on and off for some years, but I don't write the 3 pages that Julia Cameron says we should write, or do it every morning. Do you write for a specific time or # of pages?