Writing Your Life

Glossary:

Journaller, Journallist
One who keeps a journal or diary, first coined because the term 'journalist' was already taken by the news people.

Notification List
This is a mailing list, usually one way, though it is not always the case, where the owner of a journal can announce to his/her readership that a new entry is posted, usually to a journal that is not updated frequently.

Hit Slut
A journaller who obsesses about the number of hits on their counter, and thus, the people reading the journal.

Old Fogies
The journals who have been around the longest, who's keepers are near-legend.

Burb
A list of journals related by varied characteristics of the owner. This is as varied as age, sex, profession, demographics, or astrological sign.

Archives
An area of a journal site that holds the past entries of a particular journal. Most diarists will tell you that this section is mandatory for an online site, along with a cast-of-characters.

Online Journals and Related Links

Why Web Journals Suck
a discussion of style errors commonly made with the online journal community, and a good list of pointers on what to include in your entries and on your site....and what not to include.

Simple. A journal.
Almost married and a quarter-century old, this journal is a treat to look at.

Willa's Journal
Willa is everywoman. In the midwest she chronicles her life, with style.

Ed's Big Ol' Yapface
Updated only infrequently, the site is worth a look for the language he uses.

Day By Day
Mostly anonymous, this is the life of an english teacher turned diarist.

Amethyst
Amethyst is one of the old fogies (see above), and her writing and design will show you why.

[ w a t e r ]
Maggy is a web designer by trade; her journal will leave you breathless.

The Mighty Kymm
Kymm Zuckert writes every day, with observations sure to make you smile. She's also an old fogie. (above)

More Information

Open Pages Webring
The grand-daddy of all diary-related webrings, this was the first, and is still the largest. Several more have sprung up since then, ranging from rings like Archipelego and the Mandelbrot Set (which focus mainly on design) to Silent Scream (which is for anonymous journallers), to rings like Just My Words, On Display, and Storytellers. The website also contains a burb list, or list of lists about the journallists themselves. (See above glossary)

Metajournals
A collection of journalists coming together to advance the journalling community online.

The Journal Collaboration
Each month, there is a question posted, and several dozen journallists answer it in entry form. The list of where the entries are and instructions on how to get involved are on the site.

The Registry
Begun as a project less than a month ago, the registry tries to list and categorize alphabetically -all- of the online journals that wish to participate. The Registry is currently listing about a hundred and fifty members, with more being added regularly.

Keeping a journal can be enlightening. Through the eyes of retrospect, very small turning points in your life can be identified, patterns can be established, and Journals: writing your life

your reasoning can be honed to a science. It can also be a forum for exploration of feelings, a way to vent for your eyes only, and a powerful medium for your creativity.

In this article, we will explore journalling, both online and offline, and some techniques to help you get started. In the left bar, links to pertinent information, as well as some helpful terminology will appear.

Online Journals
Online journals have seen a growth explosion since 1995, when the first few began to pop up on the web. Open Pages, the internet's largest journal webring begun by Ophelia Z in 1996, has nearly five hundred sites listed, with fifty to a hundred added monthly. Each one is a life being recorded for the world to see.

Why would someone take their most private thoughts public? The reasons vary by journallist. Terry, known online as DaMama of DaMama's Place, kept a journal offline first, to record her dreams and what she was reading. "Somewhere over the years, I got out of the habit of writing the little things down regularly. I wasn't recording things as my son was growing and I knew that if it continued, I would forget a lot of what happened to him as a child. My online journal was started as form of motivation to write things down on a regular basis again."

The theme of having an audience as motivation is common, as is the anonymity of the keyboard. If there is one place that you are truly only the sum of what you write -- it's on the web.

Taking your journal online can be stressful if you are just beginning. It is strongly recommended to keep a journal the old-fashioned way first. After a few months of 'getting comfortable' with your writing style and your own voice, then begin the task of finding a site and a design.

Once you are ready, there are several things that a successful journal site should posses.

A stable site. Whether this is your account space at your ISP, a free site such as Xoom or Geocities, or your own domain, the site should be stable to save yourself extra work and your readers will appreciate an unchanging link.
A consistent, readable design. There is nothing worse than a good journal that you can't read due to an overpowering background or a too-small font size.
A Cast of Characters page. This way, your readers know who you're talking about. Major players in your life should be listed with a blurb of who they are to you.
A good Spell-Check program. Typos are inevitable. However, if you can't spell 'mouse' without a dictionary, it can be frustrating for your readers.

For more information on online journals, Diane Patterson has put together some terrific tips on her site. (see left)

What To Write

A journal reflects the personality of its owner. As a result, no two are exactly the open book same with regards to content or design. Let your journal reflect who you are and what's in your head.

If you are at a loss about what to write, some tried-and-true techniques can help.

Lists: Make a list of at least one hundred items. The Top 100 Things I'd Like To Change, The Top 100 Books I've Read, The Best 100 Days Of My Life, or 100 Places I'd Like To Travel; the possibilities are endless. Start making your list and don't stop for any reason. Don't censor or judge yourself, just keep the pencil moving until you can't go any further. Chances are a journal entry or ten will be waiting within your list.

Unsent Letters: This can be a powerful self-healing tool if used well. Find a person in your past that you have unresolved issues with. Write this person a letter filled with the things you did not or could not say. With this, the objective is to be completely honest and to write down all of what you feel -- the good, the bad, and the ugly, to coin a phrase.

Quotes: Pick a famous (or not-so-famous) quote. Write about it as it applies to your own life. One of my recent entries was done this way -- "The More Things Change...".

Go Public: Go to a restaurant or park and write speculatives about the people you see. One of the best entries I'd ever read was from a friend's offline journal where she described in great detail all of the goings-on at midnight in a 24-hour Perkins restaurant.

Read Other Journals: Often, reading other journals can inspire you. Try the classics, like Anais Nin or Anne Frank. Alternatively, you could read one of the myriad online journals of real people. (See the list at left for some possible jumping off points.)

Just remember the most basic rule: write your own life. Include those things you wish (photos, mementos, quotes, song lyrics) and remember that the most important audience is your future self.

Offline Specific

Not all journals are meant to be shared, even with strangers. If you choose to keep your thoughts cloistered, there is the question of how.

Some journallers prefer to write their entries in a word processing program and either print them out or archive them on disk. Some would rather keep their record by hand with a special pen or in a beautiful blank book.

When you are selecting a blank book, keep in mind where and when you are writing. If you are printing entries from a computer, a hardcover journal to paste them in can preserve them if it is archival quality and acid-free. Alternatively, you can three-hole-punch them and use a standard scrapbook. If you write "on the go" or at different locations, I've found that a softcover, spiral-bound notebook, like the ones made by Running Rhino & Co., are invaluable.

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Some experts say that when keeping a journal offline, it is important to 'make up' for the lack of an audience with internal motivation. Alternatively, you could share your entries with a loved one or with a diary group in your community. Check with local bookstores about either joining or starting a journal group in your area.

Transformation With A Pen

Whichever way you decide to keep your journal, one of the main benefits of recording the days is a retrospective look at your life through your own eyes -- even years after the fact. This perspective can offer great rewards in the future, but journalling has its benefits even in the present.

It takes clarity to write something down. Often, even as you are writing, you will notice that a pattern is coming into play, or you will see something in retrospect that you'd not noticed during the actual event.

DaMama comments in a similar vein, "There is a quote that I wish I knew who I should give credit to for writing it. The quote is: "How do I know what I think until I see what I write?" Depending on the nature of the entry, it can either be a recording of events and/or a way of clarifying thoughts on a subject. Often reactions to an event hold more than one emotion. Writing the event down can cause one to analyze the different emotions involved and from that analysis one can get a better perspective of oneself."

If you have never journalled before, take a moment to sit down and write out your thoughts. You never know where it could lead.