As a writer, one of the best ways to get into the writing habit is to improve your writing by journaling.
Is one of your goals for 2021 to improve your writing skills and/or become a better writer?
You may be asking yourself, “How can I use a journal to improve my writing?” or “Does journaling really help me become a better writer?”
The answer to either of those questions is a resounding YES!
In fact, here are 5 ways you can use journaling to become a better writer this year.
1. Develop the Writing Habit
We’ve all heard the old story about the tourist who asked a man on a street in New York how to get to Carnegie Hall.
“Practice, practice, practice” was the reply the tourist received.
That advice holds true for writers as well.
The best way to improve your writing is to write, write, write.
Make a commitment to write something in your journal every day or every other day and you will see an improvement in your writing.
As your writing improves, so will your confidence.
2. Relieve Stress
Our lives are increasingly busier by the day.
This busyness can cause a buildup of stress.
Caring for elderly parents, family, friends, and work, all serve to cause us to lose our focus on ourselves and our needs.
This stress can cause you to put your writing on the back burner.
During these times, why not pull out your journal, turn to a blank page, and just start writing.
Use your journal to blow off some steam and get back to the task at hand. Writing.
3. Clear Out the Noise
In the Artist’s Way, Julia Cameron advises that writers do “Morning Pages”, a brain dump of every random thought floating through your mind when you first wake up.
This allows you to get all of these thoughts onto paper and out of your head so that you can get your creative juices flowing and focus on your writing or those important tasks you have to during the day like that project that’s due in two days.
When your mind is drained of all the confusion.
You will be able to settle back into your writing.
You might just find a gem within those musings you can use in your project or story.
4. Develop Well-Rounded Characters
Create character profiles in your journal and delve deeply into who your characters are.
Plot out your hopes and dreams for each of your characters.
Talk to them.
Get to know them intimately.
Then when you sit down to write your story or novel, you already know everything there is to know about your characters.
5. Keep Track of Story Ideas
Having trouble capturing those awesome ideas you come up with in the middle of the night or while driving?
Record them in your journal.
Create a special page in your journal that you label ‘Ideas’ and write down ideas as they come to you.
Keep your journal with you at all times.
This allows you to write down those ideas as they come to you. Even in the middle of the night.
Your journal is your own.
You can write in it whatever you want.
But using these five tips to develop a journaling habit is a great start.
And, the more you write, the better writer you will become.
No one will see what you have written in your journal unless and until you choose to share that information.
As we move into another month of this new year, commit to a regular journaling practice and become the writer you are meant to be.
Remember: Practice, practice, practice and improve your writing by journaling.
About Patricia Bumpass
Patricia (Pat) Bumpass (www.patriciabumpass.com) is a North Carolina-based freelance writer.
She writes a weekly blog for her current employer while building her freelance writing business.
Pat enjoys writing and has journaled since she was a teenager. She lives with her 17-year-old son who is blessed with Autism.
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Hi Marge and Windy, thanks for your replies and feedback.
Marge: I am finding that the busier life gets, the more I depend on my journal just to decompress, whether the issues I’m having are related to my writing or whether they are of a more personal nature. You mentioned you have four journals and that you wrote in them for about a week. My suggestion would be to work on getting started with and maintaining one journal. Don’t overwhelm yourself trying to keep more than one type of journal until you get back into the habit. Good luck with your journaling practice.
Windy: I’m glad that you found the article helpful. I find that developing my characters in my journal keeps me focused and helps me really flesh out the nuances of each character’s personality. Good luck in your writing.
Ladies, again, thank you for taking the time to share your comments and thoughts. Please reach out to me if there is anything else you would like to know more about related to journaling and writing.
Thanks Patricia,
I have about four journals started on my desk. I started using them in January and wrote in them for about a week. Lent is coming, so I’m going to begin journaling again. Hopefully, that will give me a new beginning. This was a good article explaining journaling for writing. Thanks for the encouragement.
I just wants to say that using your journal to develope and explore your characters is an awesome idea! I’ve started short stories only to be discouraged by my character development! Thank you!