As a new writer, I’ve picked up a few tips to start writing a journal. Depending on your goal for writing, you may want it to describe your thoughts or feelings, make an account of the day, write poems or short stories, or just to increase your writing ability. Whatever it is for you, here are 9 helpful tips to start writing a journal.
This seems like the most obvious of tips to start writing a journal, but because it’s so obvious, it’s sometimes forgotten! No matter what it may be, write in your journal. Jot down your thoughts, your feelings, or whatever comes into your head. This will help create a habit of writing. Eventually, it’ll be a go-to for you!
Well, of course! That’s how it becomes a habit to write in it every day. I take a small notebook with me that easily fits in my purse. Taking it with me reminds me that I should write. If you forget your journal, take a few notes in your phone and go back to them later.
Like most people, I carry my phone with me everywhere. Because I use it so often, I utilize it to fit my needs. I place a timer for every couple of hours to remind me to write in my journal. Every time it rings, I stop what I’m doing and take a minute to just write. Even in a busy world, if you set time aside to write, you will do it.
When you have a pretty looking journal, it becomes more appealing to fill its pages with your thoughts. A friend gave me a notebook and decorated the front and back covers. It’s begging me to write in it! I also try to write with a special pen, and carry that with me, as well. That way, it feels like a grand occasion when I take the time to write.
Reading can help stir ideas or thoughts, which can then turn into beautiful writing in a journal! Reading allows us to expand our minds, challenges us in ways we never knew, and creates new visions. Pick up an old book you’ve loved for ages, or start a new one you’ve always wanted to read. If you don’t have too much time, browse a few short stories or poems.
What I’ve been doing more and more recently is jotting down a list of words that are in a similar category and seeing if I can piece them together in a cohesive thought. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t. The point is to get your mind thinking about how words work with each other. I can always go back to those lists and see what works and what doesn’t to help me when I get stuck.
Sometimes, I write down the everyday things that happen in life, or that particular tree I always see on my way to work. Those things around you can provide inspiration later for poems or short stories. It also helps you take notice of the living world around you, and that in itself is a beautiful, inspiring thing! The gist of these kinds of exercises is to get you to at least think about writing all the time.
Writer’s block is a natural experience for all writers. Enjoy and embrace the process. If it happens, just relax. Writing should be fun, not a chore! It’s okay if you don’t feel like writing one day. Maybe that’s the day you take a nature walk, or sit down read a book with some tea. Then who knows, maybe it’ll help you get in the writing zone!
Start today, right now! Now is always the best time to start something you’ve always wanted to do. Whether you start on scraps of a napkin at the restaurant or have a beautifully leather-bound journal, make sure to actually start. The rest of the tips will help you get in the habit of writing.
A journal allowed me the freedom to write again. It gave me the confidence boost I needed to put myself out there with my writing. It was also a healthy outlet for my thoughts and feelings. I hope these tips have helped you start writing in a journal again! What advice do you have or have been given to help you start writing?