Writing in your Journal...
Pages from the last few days (I did change the page here by adding some rub ons and more text):
People often ask me how I know WHAT to write about in my journal or even just how I start. I don't do themes. I sit and make the pages with whatever idea pops into my head. Themes are very, very hard for me. I struggle with having to stick to a theme when I usually just want to do whatever! So, I have to note that right away.
Some days I write, other days I don't write. I go with what pops into my head. I pick up my pen and start writing. I write and write and write until what needs to be said is said. Here's the thing, I don't censor myself. I think that's the very first thing about writing in a journal that is the most important. When you work in your journal, it's for *you* first and foremost. It's not for public eyes. It's not for your parents. It's not for your children. It's for you. It's documenting a moment in time when decided to pick up a pen and let something take form on the page.
I usually start by dating the page. If I don't know what I write, I will "doodle" and "embellish" the page with my different pens until the "ah ha" moment hits. If I don't want someone to read what I'm writing but I need to get it out of me, I'll write in various ways:
Layering my writing by:
-turning the page in different directions
-using different color pens on top of each other
-writing very close to the previous letter/word
-writing sentences on top of each other
-painting/collageing over what I wrote
That rarely happens. Most of the stuff I write is very personal and I have worried about things being taken out of context, but I tell people to take my thoughts and ideas as a WHOLE not snippet by snippet. When you take it as a WHOLE it forms a story, a being, an idea, MY thoughts, MY story, MY life.
What do I write about?
My life. My family life. Growing up-things that happened. Thoughts that flicker in my head. Real life. Life going on in my neighborhood. Life going on in my state. Life going on in the world (what some people call "politics", what I call "Life-REAL life."). I might hear someone say something that needs to be written down. I might ponder their words. I might hear something on the radio that pisses me off and I'll write that down and why it struck me so hard. I might hear about something that happened in the past "this day in history" or something that happened historically on THIS day, documenting my reaction to the news. In other words, I write about it all. My journal isn't a "bitch fest". It's not a "vent fest". It's not a "rave fest". It's a place where I gather ALL of my thoughts-the positive, the negative, the little flickers that pass through my head in the middle of the night. It's me. It's what we all are-the good, the bad and the (some times) down right ugly or glowing radiant beauty.
What happens when I die or if someone reads the journal and gets bent out of shape? First off, I re-iterate, it's MY journal. If you read something and you don't like it, that's your problem. You need to realize that everyone has good days just as everyone has bad days. We all have moments where we get into a tizzy and may write down something "Hubby pissed me off." or whatever, yet if that person that you wrote about really loves and knows you, they'll realize that it was just a fleeting moment-a blip in your life where you were annoyed, upset, and emotionally hurt enough that you cared to document it and write it down. Someone reading MY book will realize that for that one bad moment, there are pages and pages of "I love you" moments where my feelings for that person shine and glow. When I croak, I want my son to have my journals. After all, they are a document of my "Blip" in time on this planet. They're proof that I was here, that I existed, that I was human.
Isn't that the most important thing? Documenting your life. Being human. Sharing experiences. It really doesn't hurt. Pick up a pen. Try it. Play with your writing. Don't give up. Don't judge. The more you do it, the easier it gets.
*****
Lynda Barry talk in MN about being a writer... She's so fucking funny. Lynda Barry Love Fest time!!!
People often ask me how I know WHAT to write about in my journal or even just how I start. I don't do themes. I sit and make the pages with whatever idea pops into my head. Themes are very, very hard for me. I struggle with having to stick to a theme when I usually just want to do whatever! So, I have to note that right away.Some days I write, other days I don't write. I go with what pops into my head. I pick up my pen and start writing. I write and write and write until what needs to be said is said. Here's the thing, I don't censor myself. I think that's the very first thing about writing in a journal that is the most important. When you work in your journal, it's for *you* first and foremost. It's not for public eyes. It's not for your parents. It's not for your children. It's for you. It's documenting a moment in time when decided to pick up a pen and let something take form on the page.
I usually start by dating the page. If I don't know what I write, I will "doodle" and "embellish" the page with my different pens until the "ah ha" moment hits. If I don't want someone to read what I'm writing but I need to get it out of me, I'll write in various ways:
Layering my writing by:
-turning the page in different directions
-using different color pens on top of each other
-writing very close to the previous letter/word
-writing sentences on top of each other
-painting/collageing over what I wrote
That rarely happens. Most of the stuff I write is very personal and I have worried about things being taken out of context, but I tell people to take my thoughts and ideas as a WHOLE not snippet by snippet. When you take it as a WHOLE it forms a story, a being, an idea, MY thoughts, MY story, MY life.
What do I write about?
My life. My family life. Growing up-things that happened. Thoughts that flicker in my head. Real life. Life going on in my neighborhood. Life going on in my state. Life going on in the world (what some people call "politics", what I call "Life-REAL life."). I might hear someone say something that needs to be written down. I might ponder their words. I might hear something on the radio that pisses me off and I'll write that down and why it struck me so hard. I might hear about something that happened in the past "this day in history" or something that happened historically on THIS day, documenting my reaction to the news. In other words, I write about it all. My journal isn't a "bitch fest". It's not a "vent fest". It's not a "rave fest". It's a place where I gather ALL of my thoughts-the positive, the negative, the little flickers that pass through my head in the middle of the night. It's me. It's what we all are-the good, the bad and the (some times) down right ugly or glowing radiant beauty.
What happens when I die or if someone reads the journal and gets bent out of shape? First off, I re-iterate, it's MY journal. If you read something and you don't like it, that's your problem. You need to realize that everyone has good days just as everyone has bad days. We all have moments where we get into a tizzy and may write down something "Hubby pissed me off." or whatever, yet if that person that you wrote about really loves and knows you, they'll realize that it was just a fleeting moment-a blip in your life where you were annoyed, upset, and emotionally hurt enough that you cared to document it and write it down. Someone reading MY book will realize that for that one bad moment, there are pages and pages of "I love you" moments where my feelings for that person shine and glow. When I croak, I want my son to have my journals. After all, they are a document of my "Blip" in time on this planet. They're proof that I was here, that I existed, that I was human.
Isn't that the most important thing? Documenting your life. Being human. Sharing experiences. It really doesn't hurt. Pick up a pen. Try it. Play with your writing. Don't give up. Don't judge. The more you do it, the easier it gets.
*****
Lynda Barry talk in MN about being a writer... She's so fucking funny. Lynda Barry Love Fest time!!!
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Paula
Alix