There are a few tools that every writer needs: a good pen, some paper, a dictionary. But, there is one tool that often goes overlooked. A journal is the single most useful and important tool in the writer’s tool box.
I have always kept a journal in one form or another. As a teenager, I would scratch notes and ideas, poems, songs, into a five subject notebook. As I began to write, I would pull out a composition book for the “final” draft. After school, I kept a diary as I toured the country with a relatively unknown band. It wasn’t until recently that I really started to keep a journal.
A journal can be many things, but mine has become a depository for all the fleeting thoughts and random memories that I stir out of the underbrush each day. I write about the day—in diary form—sometimes, make notes at meetings, record my grocery list, and scream out my frustrations regularly into this book. I have found that journaling is not only cathartic, but wholly necessary for me as a writer.
Writer’s block is no match for a well kept journal. When I find myself struggling to create a scene or a character, my little black book is right there to prop up my pursuit. Rarely is there an answer my journal cannot point me toward. So, how should one keep a journal? There are a million ways, so I’ll give you a handful.
First, the basics:
Buy a book that you will use. One that is easy to carry and will not draw undue attention. I prefer a Moleskine. It is a medium black book with 240 sheets of nice smooth paper, complete with a bookmark and a pocket to hold all the little things (fortune cookie fortunes, tickets, receipts, etc.) I collect throughout the day.
Next, get a nice pen. A nice pen does not have to be an expensive pen. I prefer a Uniball Jetstream (1.0mm) which only costs two dollars or so at the local pharmacy. I take the pen, put it under the cover of the Moleskine and mold the cover over it. The Moleskine has a bungee cord to hold the cover shut, so my pen is always at the ready.
Now, what does one write in this thing:
- Record daily events
- Make notes as you eavesdrop on conversations (great for dialog in stories)
- Keep track of ideas for stories or articles
- Write nasty letters to people that upset you (a great stress reliever)
- Ask questions that you cannot answer (as you look back on your journals years from now, these question will be answered, then you can write about how—these make some of the best stories)
- Write stories while sitting on the bus, or while waiting for the doctor
- Describe things that you are seeing while they are fresh in your mind (this will help you with description later, as well as give you a mental picture of places long forgotten)
- Spend a few minutes writing on a prompt (Check out my daily Creative Sparks) before a writing session, to stretch your imagination and get the words flowing.
Once you are journaling regularly, you will see the benefits in your writing, I promise. Happy journaling!