avatarBaye Amina

Summary

Keeping a journal is beneficial for writers as it enhances their expressiveness and serves as a repository for ideas.

Abstract

The article emphasizes the importance of journaling for writers, suggesting that it not only improves writing proficiency but also captures fleeting ideas that could otherwise be lost. The author, a writer for over three years, shares personal experiences about the transformative journey of writing from a task to a soulful art. Journaling is presented as a tool to navigate through the chaos of thoughts, providing a structured approach to express and record them. The act of writing in a journal, whether digital or physical, is encouraged as a means to maintain a steady flow of ideas and to witness one's own improvement in the craft. For those aspiring to write daily or create content consistently, starting a journal is recommended as a foundational habit for capturing and cultivating potential content.

Opinions

  • Writing evolves from a chore to an art form that the author finds addictive.
  • The author advocates for repurposing old notes into journals to manage both structured and random thoughts.
  • Journaling is considered a necessity for writers of all kinds, as it fosters expressiveness and skill improvement.
  • A journal is a valuable tool for collecting scattered thoughts and maintaining enthusiasm for writing, even on challenging days.
  • The author believes that keeping a journal is crucial for preserving spontaneous ideas when computers are not accessible.
  • Starting a journal is seen as an essential step for individuals striving to develop a daily writing or content creation habit.

Here’s Why You Should Keep A Journal As A Writer

If you don't already; there are benefits of daily journaling as a creative person

Image by Aaron Burden from Unsplash

I have been writing for over 3 years now and I sure know how catching this art tends to be. As time passes, we move from the stage of viewing writing as a chore to seeing it as an art to which our souls are tethered. For some part, I can say writing becomes as addictive as sugar.

Regardless of how dependent on writing one becomes or how naturally good we are at it, there are times we find ourselves struggling to unwind the yarn of ideas and thoughts. Over the years, I have developed a habit of repurposing old notes to journals and scrapbooks for both my random and structured thoughts. As I am hardly ever in short supply of old notes, this habit leaves me trying to recall what note holds what thought. In the wake of the quarantine period, I got yet another note, to purposefully hold more thoughts in the course of the period. Though the note is still very well on the way to being filled out, I’m sure beginning to see the benefits of that purchase.

As a writer of any kind, owning a journal (the good old paperbacks or hardback or even an e-journal) though at times overlooked, is one thing I regard as a necessity. I have come to discover, the more we journal, the more expressive we become.

Essentially, it helps improve our proficiency in art while we also realize how much we have improved. For me, having a journal aids the process of gathering thoughts especially on days when they are all over the place — probably happens too often. The idea of filling out the book within a time-frame also makes me look forward to writing. Even on days that I have to drag myself by the collar. A journal sure comes in handy for unexpected bursts of ideas, when PCs aren’t within reach. For those of trying to come to terms with daily writing or content creation, starting a journal is a step in the right direction of making a habit of writing. You don’t realize how much potential content scurries away till you begin to capture them on blank pages.

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