What's So Great About Keeping A Daily Journal?
I have been keeping a journal for what will soon be 30 years, so I think I am in a position to tell you what is so great about it. For one thing, you can leave some interesting literature for your descendants to read. They can read about mistakes you made, and the things that you did right which made for a better life. What I have said is what it will do for your descendants; what about what it will do for you?
First of all, it can make you a better writer. Practice makes perfect, as the old saying goes. Where I learn most how to write better is to proofread and correct everything I write at least once, sometimes more. A person can be his or her own judge. It would be nice to have a teacher grading and correcting you, but if you pay attention, you can detect your own errors. If you are typing your journal on a computer using a word processing program, it will point out your spelling and grammar errors, but don't depend too much on the spell checker. I got a letter from a young man once who was writing about being in college. He spelled college collage, but the spell checker didn't tell him he was wrong, because collage is a word too. One thing you learn in writing your journal is to pay attention. One good way to proofread is to read out loud. Your ears may hear an error you make when your eyes miss it. Reading aloud is especially useful in determining where your commas should go. Being a good writer will impress your employer, and perhaps lead to an advancement.
One unexpected benefit of writing, for me at least, has been that I get ideas while writing. I guess you could say that it fuels my intuition. It should do the same for you. My son is a very good writer, and he told me something I had not thought about. He says that I do introspective writing. You can look this up in the dictionary and perhaps hear a more complicated definition, but how I define it is this: I ask myself questions and then work to find myself a good answer. I have been told that some great thinkers arrive at their answers in this way.
Writing can be useful in getting rid of addictions. When I started writing I was a chain smoker and drank too much beer. A great doctor named Viktor Frankl explained that addiction is caused by what he called "existential vacuum." Some would say simply "boredom." Writing is one way that you can overcome boredom. I no longer smoke, and I almost never drink beer these days. I plan to keep on writing each and every day as long as I remain sane and my fingers can still press the keys.
First of all, it can make you a better writer. Practice makes perfect, as the old saying goes. Where I learn most how to write better is to proofread and correct everything I write at least once, sometimes more. A person can be his or her own judge. It would be nice to have a teacher grading and correcting you, but if you pay attention, you can detect your own errors. If you are typing your journal on a computer using a word processing program, it will point out your spelling and grammar errors, but don't depend too much on the spell checker. I got a letter from a young man once who was writing about being in college. He spelled college collage, but the spell checker didn't tell him he was wrong, because collage is a word too. One thing you learn in writing your journal is to pay attention. One good way to proofread is to read out loud. Your ears may hear an error you make when your eyes miss it. Reading aloud is especially useful in determining where your commas should go. Being a good writer will impress your employer, and perhaps lead to an advancement.
One unexpected benefit of writing, for me at least, has been that I get ideas while writing. I guess you could say that it fuels my intuition. It should do the same for you. My son is a very good writer, and he told me something I had not thought about. He says that I do introspective writing. You can look this up in the dictionary and perhaps hear a more complicated definition, but how I define it is this: I ask myself questions and then work to find myself a good answer. I have been told that some great thinkers arrive at their answers in this way.
Writing can be useful in getting rid of addictions. When I started writing I was a chain smoker and drank too much beer. A great doctor named Viktor Frankl explained that addiction is caused by what he called "existential vacuum." Some would say simply "boredom." Writing is one way that you can overcome boredom. I no longer smoke, and I almost never drink beer these days. I plan to keep on writing each and every day as long as I remain sane and my fingers can still press the keys.
posted by Dale at 12:01 AM
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