Begin your own creative journey!
Journaling began when I needed to way to deal with grief. My 46 year-old sister had an unexpected heart attack which left her family and two children devastated trying to navigate the world without her.
She was my best friend and the one person I could talk to for hours and share happy news as well as challenges we were facing navigating life.
On a trip to the dollar store one evening, I saw a little blank book I couldn’t resist. Brought it home and been writing ever since.
It took years of writing through tears to help get to the other side of my pain. But journaling allowed me a way to continue to love and honor my sister.
Journaling helped me and can do the same for you:
Benefits of Journaling
Journaling offer a tremendous amount of benefits for writers. First, it serves as a safe space to express your thoughts without fear of judgment.
By putting pen to paper, you can release any pent-up emotions, allowing your mind to be clear and focused on the task at hand.
It also helps to improve your writing skills. When you consistently write, you gain a command of language, grammar and structure without your even being aware of it at that time.
Journaling can also help to enhance your self-awareness and understanding of yourself as a writer. You began to find your own areas of self-improvement as you continue to write.
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Different Journaling Techniques
There are different writing techniques that can help you tap into your potential as a writer.
One of the more popular journaling techniques is called freewriting. Set a timer for ten minutes or any amount of time you feel comfortable and without any distraction. Write continuously without stopping and worrying about the grammar or any problems with punctuation.
This technique is simply to write until the timer goes off. By doing this, you bypass your inner critic and access your subconscious thoughts.
You should also try gratitude journaling. By focusing only on the positive aspects of your life and writing them down, you’ll cultivate an attitude of gratitude and positivity. Those positive thoughts will help to develop your creativity if you journal on a regular basis.
Another great journaling technique is call stream-of-consciousness. To do this, it helps to have a pen and paper with you at all times.
Stream-of-consciousness involves writing down your thoughts as they come to mind without editing. This technique can help you explore new ideas that may lead to major breakthroughs in your life and writing.
Tools to Help Unlock Writing Potential
In this digital work in which we live, there are numerous tools available to assist with your journaling and note-taking.
One of the more popular tool is Evernote. It allows you to organize your journal entries across multiple devices. There are a ton of AI generated tools to assist with journaling as well.
If you prefer a simpler approach, a notebook and pen can be just as effective. The act of physically writing can help your connect with your thoughts and ideas on a deeper level.
Now that you know of three ways to get started journaling, I would encourage you to start your own journaling practice.
And would love to hear how you got started and the impact it’s made on your life. Please share them here. I would love to know more.
By Pamela McCullough on December 17, 2023.
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Exported from Medium on January 6, 2024.