The Benefits of Journaling
July 30, 2008
Practice makes perfect, right?
That’s exactly why journaling is essential for writers. Do all writers keep journals? Of course not. But most of us have kept journals at some point and for many writers, journaling has been instrumental in generating ideas, developing a strong voice, and learning how to flesh thoughts out onto the page.
Morning Pages
Probably the most famous application of journaling comes from Julia Cameron’s The Artist’s Way
Writing morning pages is like boot camp for your muse. By writing every day at the same time, you train her to show up when you say it’s time to work. Cameron’s methodology also involves turning off the inner censor, that little voice that berates every sentence.
The key is to simply let the words flow.
Think about this — if you write three pages a day, then in seven days, you’ll have twenty-one pages. In a month, you’ll have about ninety pages and in one year, you’ll have well over a thousand pages. That’s a lot of creative material to pull ideas from.
Get on the Writer’s Express
If you’re new to writing or want to explore writing as a career or hobby, then journaling is your ticket onto the expressway to becoming a writer. You can use your journal to draft stories, sketch characters, jot down poems, or just record the events of your daily life. Maybe after one year and over a thousand pages, you’ll be able to do some editing and publish your memoirs.
Journaling is also great for us freelance writers, who spend all day crafting and editing copy for clients. This type of writing is a lot different than writing stories or poems, so journaling can help to get your head out of business and into more creative pursuits. I find blogging is good for that too.
Then again, for many of us, our blog is much like a journal.
Sticking to a Schedule
Even if you don’t stick to a rigorous schedule, it’s important to journal somewhat regularly. This helps keep ideas and language flowing and helps you to build the journaling habit. You may only be able to journal on weekends, or certain days of the week. While I do think sticking to a schedule (preferably daily) is the best way, it’s not always realistic.
The most important thing is that you commit to journaling and then proceed to keep your journal with you or nearby at all times. You can also carry smaller notebooks or scraps of paper and either glue or tape them into your journal later.
The Journals I Love
A couple of months ago, I wrote a post on my other blog about my favorite journals. Technically, the Watson-Guptill Sketchbook
When I journal, I usually do freewrites or describe the goings-on in my life. Sometimes I write about my goals or beliefs. Other times, I draw, and I usually do that with Crayola Markers
Recently, I’ve got it into my head that I’ll start journaling on the computer, now that I’ve got a shiny new Mac. But it’s just not the same as having that book and pen in my hand. It’s almost like I’m closer to my creativity or my subconscious when I’m using a pen. I’m not sure if that’s true or even possible, but it sure feels that way.
Do You Journal?
Have you ever kept a journal? Do you keep one now? Let’s talk about how journaling has impacted our writing or even our lives. And don’t forget to mention what type of book or paper you prefer to use for journaling — or do you do it on the computer? Online? Is your blog your journal?
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A is for Apple
July 22, 2008
So the computer crash of ‘08 is finally behind me. What a week it’s been!
I spent hours online checking prices and specs and finally decided to buy another PC instead of a Mac. The windows computers are more affordable and frankly, I felt like the last thing I had time for was learning a new system.
So Many Choices
After perusing the many options, I settled on an HP tablet notebook, but I wanted to go into a store and try it before buying. The tablets are attractive because you can take handwritten notes, use a stylus on the screen, and also navigate by touch.
In the store, I was impressed by the way it worked but wondered if I would really get much use out of it. Plus, after browsing the aisles, I realized I could get a more powerful laptop and buy a peripheral stylus and tablet for less money. I started over, checking out the oodles of windows-based laptops and that’s when I started getting sick and tired of computer shopping.
Keep in mind I was sticking pretty much to the HP section. The models are so poorly named I couldn’t keep them straight in my head and a couple hundred dollars difference between the various models was confusing because the features were basically the same. What a nightmare.
What Would You Do?
Throughout all this, a very helpful salesman was assisting me and answering my questions. In the midst of my frustration, I finally said, “Alright, tell me this — what kind of computer do YOU have?”
“Me?” He sort of blushed. “Oh, I built my own.”
“Nice,” I responded, impressed. “Is it all tricked out?”
“Yep, it sure is.” Wait, that wasn’t a blush. This kid was glowing with pride.
“Okay, so let’s say you wanted a store bought computer. What would you get?”
“Oh, that’s easy. I’d get a Mac.”
All I could do at that point was sigh.
Zen Happens
I walked over to the Mac section and sat down in front of the MacBook Pro. I’d already done the research and knew if I was destined for Appledom, this would be the machine for me.
It was sleek, simple, and easy on the eyes. I blinked and ran my finger across the touchpad. The screen lit up.
And that’s when I got The Feeling.
The Feeling always shows up when I’m in great need. Sometimes it shows up when I’m not. But whenever it appears, I do as it says because The Feeling is always right. It’s helped me buy cars, make career decisions, and gotten me through some tough times. Sure, The Feeling is a little bit like my muse, and has a tendency to run off at times when I could really use its advice. But for the most part, it’s always there when I really need it and that’s what matters.
So I was pretty relieved when The Feeling showed up while I was sitting at the Mac station. Actually, I was so out of sorts from the whole experience, I would have been happy if it had appeared at any station, maybe even Dell.
Okay, not Dell. I may have actually doubted The Feeling if it rooted for Dell.
Deciding Factors
“Apple it is,” I said. And the rest, as they say, is history.
There were a few things that sealed the deal for me.
- Two years no interest means I can afford to spend a little more (thanks Best Buy!).
- All the new PCs have Windows Vista and the older versions of Microsoft Office conflict with it. In other words, I had to buy the latest Office whether I got a Mac or a PC.
- I’m sick and tired of Microsoft. Their software doesn’t work right and they build an operating system on which their own software doesn’t run properly. Could they be any lamer?
- Everyone I’ve ever talked to raves about how well their Mac works. PC users just complain.
- When my intuition rears its little head and starts giving me instructions, I obey.
The Mac Life
I’m not fully switched over yet. I’m still using my old laptop for most of my client work because I’m much faster on the PC than on the Mac. There are some significant differences that I need to adjust to before I can switch over completely. Also, I need some (expensive) software for the Mac and that’s going to have to come later.
Here are the things that are difficult for me with the Mac:
- I miss the HOME and END keys. I use those a lot and really wish the Mac keyboard included them.
- The DELETE key backspaces and there is no BACKSPACE. I liked having both.
- Right click used to be my friend. Yes, I know I can connect a two-button mouse, but then I’m not really adjusting to the minimalism that is Apple. I’m learning how to do CONTROL-click.
- I do not like COMMAND- keyboard shortcuts for cut, copy, and paste. That key is just in the wrong place and CONTROL is in a better location for those shortcuts.
- No games! Where is my spider solitaire? Eeek!
Other than that, I’m loving the MacBook Pro. It feels solid, is nicely designed, and easy to use. I’m looking forward to making the full switch over the next few months.
It’s a beautiful thing.
Oh, and I hope you all backed up your computers this past week!
Now, back to our regular blog posts about writing.
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When it All Comes Crashing Down
July 11, 2008
You know what sucks? When you wake up in a glittering mood and after enjoying a cup of rich, aromatic coffee, you turn on your computer to find that the hard drive has been conspiring with your muse. And now they are both on vacation.
That’s exactly what happened to me Thursday morning. Curse the muse and her little hard drive too!
And while the muse will surely return (hopefully with all my files braided in her hair), I have a feeling the hard drive’s vacation is going to be a permanent one.
If you think that sucks the big one, keep reading, because there’s even more suckiness to this story.
Years ago I started developing smart computer user habits. I save documents every five minutes while I’m working on them. I use virus protection software and I’m rigorous about renewing it on time. I even backup all my files. Annually.
Oops.
You see this happened to me before. It was the hard drive crash of ‘98. Since then, I’ve backed up everything about once a year.
But that was when I had a normal job and didn’t spend all day every day creating hoards of files on my personal computer. If I lost a year’s worth of stuff, it was not the end of the world because back then, it took me a year to generate the amount of files I generate now in oh, about a WEEK.
About a month ago it suddenly dawned on me that now I’m a freelance writer and with all the files I’m generating, I really should backup monthly. You know, just in case. I wasn’t too worried about it because I do know (from experience) that they can usually retrieve files from a cracked out hard drive, but still, that can be pretty expensive.
So, being the smart chick that I am, I splurged for an external hard drive, which cost $100 (not too bad) and proceeded with the gargantuan task of organizing all my files. All sixty plus gigabytes of files — because I’m just anal like that. I figured that I’d peck away at it for a couple of weeks and then plug in the shiny new (and awfully pretty kiwi-colored) hard drive and load that baby up.
Obviously, I did not get organized in time.
Unlucky me.
But let’s look on the bright side:
- I have an old laptop that I can use for the time being.
- I have a LOT of stuff online and in emails that I can retrieve.
- There is that backup from last year — wouldn’t want to lose thousands of dollars of music and all my photos.
- My writing folder is on a four gigabyte thumb drive (my creative writing, NOT my client writing).
- If my hard drive is dust, I might be forced to buy a Mac. If that’s not silver lining, I don’t know what is.
And the guy at the computer repair shop was confident that he’d be able to restore my files, which is why he’s now in possession of my lovely new and unused external hard drive.
I admit, I’m horribly ashamed about what’s happened. I am so embarrassed that you could say I’m mortified and that would be an understatement. But I will put myself on the chopping block of backup gurus everywhere so that for this week’s writing exercise, I can offer you this:
Back. Up. All. Your. Files. Now.
Mac, hard drive, file retrieval, computer crashes, and backup stories and tips are welcome in the comments section.
Have a fabulous weekend!
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