10 Reasons Why Writers Should Keep Journals

Thursday, October 15th, 2015

Journals are a great place to deal with rejection. (They’re also a great place to bask in your success.)
You can choose to use a journal as a space to figure out if you should or shouldn’t write about a particular topic, person, event, or feeling in your more public writing.
You can write about your creative process in case you become famous and people want to know how you worked!
You can just enjoy playing with words and concepts without having to shape them into high-quality writing for public consumption.
You can do exercises that will provide specific and tangible information that you might use in your more public writing.
It’s a place where you can let out words regularly, just to know that your creative voice is always there and doesn’t shut down even if you’re not writing for public consumption.
You can do exercises that will help you remember events and feelings that happened a long time ago.
In a journal you can consciously choose to write in a different mode than you usually do; maybe this new way of expression will become something you begin to use in your more public writing.
Most writers are introspective. A journal is the perfect blend of words and self-awareness.
Journals offer another opportunity for you to buy “school supplies,” which most writers love – and to tax deduct them!

Janet Falon explains the immense value of keeping a journal and/or scrapbook as an integral part of cancer therapy.

Write a list answering the question, “Why do I want to write?” Follow this with a second list: “What will happen if I do (write)?”

Writing-Defogging Blog