One of my awesome author friends, Kelly Stone Gamble, has just had her debut fiction, They Call Me Crazy, published by Red Adept Publishing. In honour of the release, and because she’s running around doing the promo thing all of us authors must do, she’s visiting to ask you all an interesting question:
Journaling-Yes or No?
Dear Diary,
Mark is the cutest boy ever! I want to marry him someday.
Kelly + Mark=forever!
These are the words I was taunted with for several months in the fifth grade. Of course, writing them in my diary should have made them private, but when you have an older brother, especially a nosy one that knows exactly where to find your private diary, you aren’t always guaranteed that your inner most thoughts will remain private.
As an adult, I don’t keep a diary, nor do I journal. I tried, but I found myself too worried about what someone might learn about me if they found it, so I held back, or just lied. Lying to your journal kind of defeats the purpose. But I do see the value in writing things down: thoughts, ideas, dreams. But is there a point where you limit yourself? And am I being foolish for caring what others would think?
One of my favorite aspects of writing is the research process, and when I was working on a historical fiction novel set in the 1930’s, I spent a lot of time going through the writings of those that lived during the period. It’s amazing what you can learn about people by reading their thoughts, especially those from a time long ago. So another side of me thinks that if I started journaling, my words may be valuable to a writer in the future, and what a wonderful gift I could share with them.
But every time I try to start again, Mark, (the cutest boy ever) pops into my head, and I can’t write a word. Not. One. Word.
So maybe I should just stick to fiction.
Do you keep a journal? Why or why not?
Thanks for the post Kelly! I hope we get some answers. I don’t keep one, but I used to — it always helped when I was going through ‘stuff’. And if anyone wants to check out her new release, which looks amusing and suspenseful, click on the book cover below and you will be magically whisked away to Amazon. If you like Kelly’s style, you can visit her website too.
Hi I keep a journal in the hope that everyone that reads it knows my true thoughts upon everything… especially how much they mean to me and that I think often of them … also to reference occasionally …
Nice. That’s a lovely reason.
I agree. Maybe I should just keep track of the things I want my kids to know one day?
I keep a journal, but it is all about trip notes, writing ideas, and such so I can remember them when I get back to the keyboard. If anyone could read my handwriting, I’m not too worried about them finding out that I ate ramen noodles with sriracha sauce on day five in the White mountains.
Lol D.R.! I’m like you with the handwriting; I’m lucky if I can read my own.
I want to hear the ‘good stuff’ in your journal.
Hell no, I don’t keep a journal. Firstly, because my life is pretty boring. What what I write? “Dear Diary, today I took all three kids to school, then folded some laundry, the I tried to write but got distracted by my toddler who wanted me to help her build a Lincoln logs mansion….” I almost fell asleep just writing that right now. If by chance I did have some deep dark secret, I sure as hell wouldn’t leave evidence of it in my diary in case Kelly’s older brother Mark might read it.
Ha, yes beware the Mark. You did do one exciting thing — you replied to Kelly’s post ;).
I won’t tell my brother where you live. I’m sure he’d be up for a challenge.
Greetings. Best wishes on your success. And yes, I keep a journal/diary. I started between the ages of 13 & 16, but those old hand-written tomes were lost in a fire many years ago. I still keep up with my crazy life but not as much as everyday. I keep doing it with the hopes that I can someday look back on the person I was at different times and ages in my life.
Hi Tracy. That’s terrible to lose it all in a fire. That event, in itself, needs to be written about!
I think that would be fun, looking back on who I was, but I’d have to wait until I could handle that. So, I probably never would.
Thanks for having me, Dionne! And as a side note, Mark (the cutest boy ever) didn’t age well, so I dodged a bullet there!