Journaling Journey

Our pasts define us, yet memory is untrustworthy. By keeping a journal, I can capture those memories when they’re still reasonably fresh. Journaling helps me keep a narrative of my life. It keeps me honest with myself.
— John Dumas

Your journal will stand as a chronicle of your growth, your hopes, your fears, your dreams, your ambitions, your sorrows, your serendipities.
— Kathleen Adams

The true purpose of journaling is to celebrate your life. No matter how small or mundane or redundant, each drawing and little essay you write to commemorate an event or an object or a place makes it all the more special.
— Danny Gregory

When I last updated my journal, I realized I had only a few pages left before I’d need to start a new one. This left me in a quandary – do I go online and find a replacement journal, or do I use one of the many blank journals I have sitting on the bookcase behind me.

While this may seem like a no-brainer to most people, here’s the thing. I have a particular “type” when it comes to a personal journal. In my stack there is only one that fits the bill and I really hate to use it because it’s so beautiful. It has a dragon’s head embossed on the cover – too nice to be wasted for such a mundane purpose, right? On the other hand, that’s what it was given to me for. I guess I’m going to suck it up and use it anyway, and worry about the next journal when this one is full.

I’ve been keeping a journal for as long as I can remember. Not all of them were saved, and some of them were pretty sketchy, having more white space than not, but I think it’s safe to say I’ve kept one all of my adult life. One of my sisters is an avid journal-writer – she writes in hers pretty much every day. The other sister . . . not so much. She did when she was younger, but like many of us, found it too time consuming to keep up with.

Journals contain ten categories of life patterns: longing; fear, mastery; (intentional) silences; key influences; hidden lessons; secret gifts; challenges; unfinished business; untapped potential. Each category corresponds to a way we engage or hold back in life.
— Alexandra Johnson

You can call it a journal, a log, a diary, a chronicle, or notebook – whatever you want to call it, the idea is to create a written record of your thoughts, feelings, insights, and memories. More people than ever are keeping a journal these days. Here are a few reasons to start one:

To de-stress.
Sometimes the best therapy is to get things off your chest. A journal is the perfect place to do this. You can write about your thoughts and feeling, relieving your stress and anxiety as you do so. This only works if your honest with yourself though. But keep in mind there’s no judgement in a journal, no one’s going to see it. It’s an outlet for your emotional well-being.

Boost your creativity.
Writing in a journal can stimulate your imagination and creativity. It’s also a great place to capture ideas for future use. You can give free reign to your imagination. Here is a safe place where you can give birth to new ideas without having to censor yourself. Insights and solutions to a problem can result simply by writing about them.

Improve your memory.
Writing things down can act as a reminder of the meaningful things going on around you. You can reflect on past experiences, remembering details that might have been forgotten. This is the place to keep track of important events, people, and places that you don’t want to forget.

Improve your mental health.
A journal allows you to reflect on your thoughts and emotions. It can be an effective way to deal with symptoms of depression and anxiety. When you write about your feelings, it can help you process them, finding ways to cope with them. And it’s a healthy way to release all those pent-up emotions inside you to get them out of your system.

Motivation and satisfaction.
Writing down your goals can help keep you motivated. You can track your progress, gaining a sense of satisfaction when a goal is completed. Even completing a journal entry can give you that sense of accomplishment. You can reflect on daily activities and see how far you’ve come.

Help you to communicate better.
When you write about your experiences and emotions, it can help you better understand yourself, helping you to communicate better with others. It’s also a good way to show appreciation for the people in your life, expressing your gratitude towards them.

Leads to greater productivity.
Writing in a journal can allow you to prioritize tasks and make a plan for your day/week, which in turn can lead to greater productivity. One thing productive people seem to have in common is a system of organization that works for them. Having a written plan in your journal will help structure your time so that you can accomplish all of the tasks you set yourself.

Make a legacy.
Think of your journal as your gift for future generations, an insight into your life. It could become a valuable source of information for your descendants. It can show them what the world was like during your lifetime – your hopes and fears, your dreams, and your struggles and accomplishments. It could some day be a priceless legacy.

Join me here next week when I delve into some of the different kinds of journals you could keep.

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WORDAGE REPORT

THE WEEK IN REVIEW
The word for last week is . . . backslide.

While I’m doing all right on establishing my morning routine, I’m still getting distracted easily. I do well when I’m in my office in the mornings, but I still tend to linger in the living room (where I eat my lunch) and then it’s kind of a downward slide from there.

My blog posts were done, and up on time, but I had a couple of late nights to get them done. I was good on my journalling, and started a letter to one of my sisters, but not really any other writing.

This is very disappointing. I look back in my day planner and while I have several things jotted down for each day, none of it is very time consuming. I need to start having lunch at the dining room table so I’ll be more inclined to go back to my office afterwards.

The weather is still very much fall-like. Cool enough in the mornings that you need a jacket when you go out, but it warms up rather quickly when the sun is shining, which it’s been doing most days.

Things don’t seem to be as much of a struggle (mentally), I just seem to have backslid into my old habits of procrastination and time-wasting. I can’t help thinking of the song by Trans-Siberian Orchestra that goes: “I wasted my time until time wasted me.” But the only one who can do something about that is me.

NEW WORDS:
2448+639+291+803=4,181
DOWN: 478 – words

I kinda knew the word count would be down from the week before, but that’s because my posts were all shorter. I know, that’s a pretty obvious conclusion, but seriously. Most weeks the different posts will vary both up and down by a few words, but last week the posts all turned out a little shorter. I just said what I had to say in fewer words. It happens.

I took forever trying to figure out what I wanted to write about for last Sunday’s post. The post-COVID thing was sparked by a conversation I had during the stitch-in at the library, where we talked about all the changes that have been going on since then, and not always for the better. I spent way too much time on the internet checking out how it’s affected other writers, but not enough to really get into depth on my topic.

Monday was a picture post, which is usually short on words. Then I took forever to decide on a form for Wednesday’s poetry post – the well for them is starting to run dry. Yes, more forms are invented every day, but I like to be able to talk a bit about their origins and information is not all that forthcoming.

Friday’s post was pared down quite a bit. While the creature’s point of view is important, I don’t want it taking over the story, so I only included the important parts. Guess I’d better start figuring out what I’m going to do for Fiction Fridays when this story is done.

Goals For Next Week:
Try to get the blog posts done a little earlier; find some other writing to work on.

EDITING:
??? Hours

To be honest, I didn’t spend all that much time thinking about Elemental Spirit. Didn’t I say I work better with hard copy pages?

I did pull my notes out for the Illezie, the historic records (that I was planning on starting each chapter with), and the prophecy, but they got buried under a pile of other printouts and I kind of forgot about them. Out of sight, out of mind. *sigh*

And I’m going to have to start marking down the start/stop times for editing because even the super old unsupported version of TraxTime is no longer available. At least not through any sites I have access to. So, old fashioned it is.

Meanwhile, there’s this other book I started writing several years ago that has been on my mind. It’s actually the first in a series of three. I don’t remember if I actually finished it or not, nor how bad of shape it’s in, but I’m having to be firm with myself to ignore the impulse to open it up. I will never get Elemental Spirit finished if I allow myself to be side tracked.

Goal For Next Week:
Ignore my other WIPs that are clamoring for editing and stay focused on Elemental Spirit. Eyes on the prize!

POETRY:
I had a hard time picking a poetry form last week. One was a little too complicated for the time I had, and a couple more were invented forms that I couldn’t find any extra information about.

The Landay was a simple enough form, but there was a LOT of information available about it. And then I got side-tracked by the article Poetry Magazine had written on the subject, which gave the whole form more depth than is apparent at first glance.

I’ve been doing a lot of thinking about my poetry lately. I feel like all I do any more are the forms, and I’m running out of new ones to share. I don’t know what this means for my poetry for the future, but it’s something I’m ruminating on.

And it serves me right. I did NOT write myself a note for my desk, reminding me to at least start printing out my poems to update my big book o’ poems, so I didn’t. Seriously, what is wrong with me?

Goal For Next Week:
Find a new form to share; work on the extra forms. Print poems to update big book o’ poems.

CRAFTING:
I am seriously starting to wonder what I do with all my time! Not only did I not work on my zentangle sampler, I didn’t even figure out what I’m putting in the next square. I’m going to have to step up my game if I want to have it done and turned into a tote bag for November.

The only work I did on the kit was during the stitch-in at the library, but I did get a lot of the satin stitching done, which is my least favorite stitch. Once it’s finished I think I should turn my attention to that non-existent list of Christmas crafts.

I decided against trying to squeeze in the time to sew a skirt or two at this time. Maybe I’ll do it when I’m a little more organized with my other stuff. It’s not the sewing that’s putting me off, it’s having to cut out the pieces for it. Having to set up the table in the office/library so the cats don’t bother me is a bit of a pain.

Goal For Next Week:
Work on my zentangle; work on the kit I started.

WHAT I’M READING:
I’m about halfway though Trashlands by Alison Stine. Slow and steady wins the race I guess. But I want to finish it this week because I have other books waiting to be read. :-D

As a punishment for spending too much time reading on my Kindle, I’ve been trying to limit myself to only reading while on the exercise bike. So last week I read Wild Nights With a Lone Wolf, by Elisabeth Staab, and I’m about halfway through A Midlife Shifter’s Dream, by Ruby Raine.

Goal For Next Week:
Keep up the non-binging of books.

THE WEEK AHEAD:

I think that new leaf I turned over is starting to take root, but it needs fertilizer or something.

While I seem to be doing better at starting my day out right, it does tend to fall apart by mid-day. And nothing seems to have changed during my evenings – if I’m not scrambling to get a blog post done, then I’m playing games on the laptop.

Next week is going to be super busy for me. I have an appointment with my mental health counsellor on Monday, a meeting with the stitchery guild on Tuesday morning, followed by an appointment with a new dietician, and Wednesday there’s a gathering with the poetry group. Then Thursday morning I’ll be loading my bags into the car and heading for Kingston for Writersfest. Oh, and if there’s time, Monday there might be a trip to Costco.

This means there will be no dilly-dallying and time wasting!

I would really like to have the installment of Winter’s Child ready to go before I leave, but I need to distill the creature’s part and figure out where her little speeches are going to fit in.

The editing didn’t go all that well last week, and I’m pretty sure it’s not going to go much better this week. But I do plan to take my notes with me, and the rest is on the computer. Going by previous years, once I’m at Writersfest my evenings will be free, and as I recall, the television options are pretty limited. I do have access to streaming services on my laptop, but I really don’t like using it for that.

As for poetry . . . well, as I said I have a poetry gathering on Wednesday, so I probably need to do some poemwork for that, as well my regular poetry post. I’m hoping I can find a form that’s quick and easy. Maybe something that doesn’t rhyme. LOL

I think there’s going to be a presentation by someone who does beadwork at the stitchery guild meeting. It should be really interesting, and maybe it’ll revive my interest in doing beadwork myself. If not, I should seriously think about re-homing some of my supplies.

I’m in a quandary about the kit I’ve been working on. Should I set it aside and focus on my sampler, or should I finish it first? I’ll probably take it with me to the meeting, in case there’s time to do some stitching after the presentation – it’s just easier to work on. But after that I feel like I should focus on my zentangle. Maybe instead of trying to work free-hand, like I did with the first square, draw a few guidelines on the next square like I did the previous one.

I did well with my exercise last week, and I plan on taking my hand weights with me to Kingston. My hotel sits right on a fabulous walking trail, so, weather permitting, I’ll be getting a lot of walking in instead of riding the stationary bike.

So much to do this week, and very limited time in which to do it. But I’ve always said I work better under pressure, so who knows, maybe I’ll get everything I want to do done. Wouldn’t that be surprising? I might even get to relax and enjoy my writing conference.

Stranger things have happened.