Tag Archives: journaling questions

Q&A: “How Can Journaling Help Me Get My Book Finished?”

Publishing for a public audience and keeping a private journal are two spheres of a Venn diagram that do, in my opinion, have a very interesting intersection. This episode, long-time JournalTalk listener Nestor asks, “How can journaling help me through the process of publishing my book?”

Janet Wiszowaty, a Jack Canfield success trainer, joins me in sharing tips and ideas about using a private writing practice to further the publishing process.

I’ve also interviewed several writers on previous episodes of this program, so I offer this list of related conversations which highlight different ways that journal-keeping have helped people succeed in the writing process:

Journal-Keeping for Fiction Writers, with Danielle Hanna
Journaling for Transformation (explains how I won the 2014 National Novel Writing Month)
Can Journaling Make Me a Better Writer?
Journaling Her Way to Freedom (with the “Writing Whisperer” herself, Shannon Hernandez
Journaling, and Other Dangerous Pursuits (with Samara O’Shea)
Travel Journaling, with Lavinia Spalding
Turning Journals into Memoirs, with Joan Leof

Nestor also mentioned how transcription might help with the authoring process, and I’ve heard people experience great success with Dragon Dictation.

Your turn to answer: Has journaling helped you to complete a novel or other writing project? Does your diary deserve some credit for anything you’ve published? Post your responses at the bottom of this webpage, in the comments section.

You may email your own journaling question to be featured on a future episode of JournalTalk. Or, pick up the telephone and leave a voicemail with your question at 1-805-751-6280. When your question is featured, we will send you a thank-you gift for sharing your voice! (JournalTalk Q&A, Episode #36, January 5, 2016)

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Q&A: “What are the Rules of Journaling?”

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In the first session of every journal-writing workshop I teach, we spend a little time sharing (and debunking!) the myths and rumors we’ve all heard about “the rules” of proper journal-keeping. So when I saw this question online, I knew I had to make an episode about it.

Should I start a certain way? Does each entry need to be a minimum length? Do I have to use pen and paper? Do I have to write every single day? I think people ask these questions because they want some structure, and want to hear some of the “best practices” that have worked for others — not because they want to be boxed-in.

Starting from my favorite pet answer, “there’s no wrong way to write,” Jayde Gilmore and I work backwards into a select few guidelines for best results, including: dating your entries, practicing complete honesty and exploration of feelings.

Your turn to answer: What journal-writing “guidelines” have served you the best? In what ways do you “break the rules” in your journal? Post your responses at the bottom of this webpage, in the comments section.

You may email your own journaling question to be featured on a future episode of JournalTalk. Or, pick up the telephone and leave a voicemail with your question at 1-805-751-6280 (only normal toll charges may apply). When your question is featured, we will send you a thank-you gift for sharing your voice! (JournalTalk Q&A, Episode #30, July 7, 2015)

Credits:
Audio Editing: Netrix Marketing
Music: Pond5.com
Voiceover: Thomas Gerrard

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Q&A: “How Can Journaling Be Used As Meditation?”

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Mapping the inner journey. Mindful reflection. Developing awareness. Sharpening perception. These are some of the ways people refer to their writing practice. Is it true that journal-writing can be used as a kind of meditation?

Jayde and I take turns with examples we have used, and share ways that have helped others. For example: incorporate breathing, nature, and focusing your senses on the present moment.

Your turn to answer: Have you found journal-writing to be a meditative routine, or can it enhance meditation? What are your tips or techniques? Post your responses at the bottom of this webpage, in the comments section.

Credits:
Audio Editing: Netrix Marketing
Music: Pond5.com
Voiceover: Thomas Gerrard

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Q&A: “What Kind of Journal-Writing Makes for the Best Future Reading?”

Q&A: “How Many Words Make a Decent Journal Entry?”

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Julia Cameron suggests 3 pages. Jeff Goins recommends 500 words. Some popular websites say 600 or 750 words is the goal. WHAT’S THE STORY HERE?

Co-host Jayde Gilmore and I both agree that having a mental marker can help with the consistency and depth of your writing practice. But being overly concerned with word count can backfire also. In this episode, learn some principles about that balance between the two. We answer a listener’s question, “What is the minimum number of words to write each day that yields the best results of journal-writing?”

Fuel the dialogue: Do you use a word counter to determine how much to write in a given session? Can you make a great journal entry in less than 10 words? What standards or goals have been helpful, and when do you change them? Post your responses at the bottom of this webpage, in the comments section.

You may email your own journaling question to be featured on a future episode of JournalTalk. Or, pick up the telephone and leave a voicemail with your question at 1-805-751-6280 (only normal toll charges may apply). If your question is featured, we will send you a thank-you gift for sharing your voice! (JournalTalk Q&A, Episode #23, February 10, 2015)

Credits:
Audio Editing: Netrix Marketing
Music: Pond5.com
Voiceover: Thomas Gerrard

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To Listen: Click on the “play” button > at the top of this article.

Q&A: “What Are Some Good Journaling Prompts?”

Q&A: “What Should I Do With This Awful Gift Diary or Notebook?”

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It’s gift-giving season, and those well-meaning friends or relatives know full well that you enjoy journal-writing. But they might not understand your personal style enough to give you the perfect journal notebook!

Has this ever happened to you? Someone gives you a diary or journal, maybe one they spent some thought picking out for you, but you just don’t “get along” with it?

Jenny asked for some advice on how to accept the gift, without accepting the pressure that comes when they start wondering why you’re not using it!

Fuel the dialogue: Have you ever received a gift journal notebook that you hated? Was it from someone who keeps pressuring you to use it? What did you do with it? Can you tactfully turn it down? What’s the best way to be honest without “looking a gift horse in the mouth”? Post your response at the bottom of this webpage, in the comments section.

Credits:
Audio Editing: Netrix Marketing
Music: Pond5.com
Voiceover: Thomas Gerrard

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To Listen: Click on the “play” button > at the top of this article.

Q&A: “Can Journaling Help Me Become a Better Writer?”

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Raul wrote in to ask, with deep yearning and colorful examples, “Can journaling help me become a better writer?” Both Mari and I reassured him that he’s already on that path, with a significant piece of evidence hiding right inside the four-paragraph question!

For a more detailed response to this question, you will surely enjoy my interview with Danielle Hanna, crime-fiction writer, and author of Journaling to Become a Better Writer.

In his book, 101 Reasons To Write a Journal, the author devotes an entire chapter to thirteen different ways that journal-writing improves your general writing skills, regardless whether you keep an analog or digital journal! Here are the first ten.

1. Capture ideas before they vanish.
2. Build grammar, spelling, and vocabulary.
3. Learn how to start, tell, and end a story.
4. Find your sense of humor.
5. Increase your writing speed.
6. Practice writing every day.
7. Develop plot-building skills.
8. Increase your writing confidence.
9. Discover whether you even enjoy writing.
10. Destroy writer’s block.

Please join the dialogue: Post comments (on our website’s comments section) if you have more examples of how journaling has improved your writing.

If you are receiving this in email format, you may also reply with your own journaling questions to be featured on a future episode of JournalTalk. Or, please call and leave a voicemail with your question at 1-805-751-6280 (only normal toll charges may apply). If your question is featured, we will send you a thank-you gift for sharing your voice! (JournalTalk Q&A, Episode #13, September 23, 2014)

Credits:
Audio Editing: Netrix Marketing
Music: Pond5.com
Voiceover: Thomas Gerrard

To Subscribe:
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To Listen: Click on the “play” button > at the top of this post.

Q&A: “How Do I Stop Writing In Circles?”

Q&A: “How Can I Archive All My Handwritten Journals?”

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Whether you type or handwrite your diary or journal, you’ll eventually need to answer the question, “How can I preserve and protect all this writing from fire, flood or other natural disasters?” Unless you are Mari L. McCarthy, who throws all her journals away (wouldn’t you love to be her trash man?) this question is not easy.

As we discuss the implications of converting all handwritten journals into digital format, Mari and I send listeners to our respective sites for more information: CreateWriteNow’s Facebook page, and my other podcast series, “Capturing Life Through Technology” at Easy Journaling.

Fuel the dialogue! Feel free to write your comments below with more journaling questions. Or, provide your own answers and opinions to this week’s featured question. (JournalTalk Q&A, Episode #6, June 24, 2014)

Credits:
Audio Editing: Netrix Marketing
Music: Pond5.com
Voiceover: Thomas Gerrard

To Subscribe:
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To Listen: Click on the “play” button > below.

Write4Life

Journaling for Passion, Clarity & Purpose!

Tag Archives: journaling questions

Q&A: “How Can Journaling Help Me Get My Book Finished?”

Q&A: “What are the Rules of Journaling?”

Q&A: “How Can Journaling Be Used As Meditation?”

Q&A: “What Kind of Journal-Writing Makes for the Best Future Reading?”

Q&A: “How Many Words Make a Decent Journal Entry?”

Q&A: “What Are Some Good Journaling Prompts?”

Q&A: “What Should I Do With This Awful Gift Diary or Notebook?”

Q&A: “Can Journaling Help Me Become a Better Writer?”

Q&A: “How Do I Stop Writing In Circles?”

Q&A: “How Can I Archive All My Handwritten Journals?”