To journal, or not to journal
As a quick side-note, this will be the first in a series of entries on different writing techniques that I’ve picked up over the years. I am by no means a revolutionary, nor am I some expert, well-known author, but I’ve got a pretty decent idea as to what I’m doing by now. Some of these entries may turn into regurgitated thoughts that have been thrown out there time and time again, but it doesn’t hurt to put my own spin on it and see how it plays out.
The one recommendation above all other recommendations I can give to any writer is this: get a copy of The Elements of Style, by William Strunk Jr., and E.B. White. Whether it’s a pesky English 102 paper or the next best-selling page-turner of a novel, most writers will agree that The Elements of Style is the best tool to have around. It’s small, it’s tremendously helpful, and it’s not hard to get or on the bank account. Get it.
Moving on, we arrive at this entry’s topic: to create, and maintain, a writer’s journal or…well, not to do so. In my experience, the concept of maintaining a writing journal, jotting down ideas and snippets of stories and so on as they come to mind, has been drilled into my head for years. However, is it really necessary to keep a journal?
While I wish I could give a definitive yes or no answer, what it boils down to is the habits and needs of each individual writer. I can’t claim this to be an unbiased look at both sides, as I’m not big on the use of writing journals, but I’ll be sure to argue as fervently in their favor as I can.
Journals, and I mean any kind of journals, can prove helpful if only because they, unlike the human mind, are guaranteed not to forget that great idea you absolutely have to write about later. This method is especially helpful if, say, the idea is particularly complex, involved, or if it’s a considerable number of ideas. Building off of this, it should be noted that a writer’s notebook does not necessarily have to take on the form of the traditional one, or five, subject notebook. It could range anywhere from a series of MS Word documents to something punched up in the Notes application on an iPod Touch or iPhone. Regardless of how the idea finds its way to a text form, it’s pretty well safeguarded from being lost among the flotsam and jetsam of other thoughts rattling around in a person’s head (or getting lost in the vast, empty void in some cases).
A writer’s journal can also help to establish and maintain some solid writing habits. Finding time to write every day is, at least to the best of my knowledge, any writer’s dream come true. At the risk of stating the obvious, this isn’t always feasible. Most people have classes or work to be present at, possibly kids to take care of, or maybe just can’t think of anything to write. Whatever the reason, life doesn’t always let writers enjoy their trade every day. Through establishing habitual writing, it’s supposedly a lot easier to make sure you get some writing done every day. I don’t really buy into this school of thought, myself, but this feeds into the whole “to each [writer] his own” sort of logic.
That being said, here’s my reasons for not being much of a fan of the writer’s journal method.
Here’s a scenario. You’re at Starbucks, getting your nice, tall cup of steamy caffeine goodness and that disgruntled homeless man with a shoe on his head comes to mind. You get an idea. Crap, where’s my notebook? Which pocket?
Yes, an exaggeration. However, this brings forth several questions: where would one store a notebook, exactly, so that it is present at every hour of every day? If we’re talking the typical, 8.5×11inch page spiralbound or other, notebook…To be blunt, where the hell would you store that? A briefcase? Okay, I’ll buy it. Beyond that, you’re restricted to a smaller notebook to cram in a purse (man-purses count, too), pocket, or bodily orifices. Then there’s the electronic version of the writer’s notebook, which can come in a variety of flavors ranging from laptop to iPod Touch. The portable ones are more feasible for transport, less feasible for quick text input on the go. Admittedly, a weak argument if you’re one of those people who has mastered the art of using the touch screen keyboards on an iPhone/iPod Touch or other portable electronic devices with decent enough note-taking capabilities, but it still stands.
Then, while silly, my favorite reason for doing my best to hold onto an idea or, at the very worst, texting it to myself, versus busting out the writer’s journal is simple: a rain storm, surprise splash of water, or, least favorably, a sudden dunk in the toilet won’t fry my brain. That last one would merit a shower, yes, but the last phone or iPod I saw that got dropped into the toilet didn’t handle it so well. I imagine notebooks won’t do much better.
Lastly, the issue of the writing becoming forced, and therefore losing its quality, comes into play. Something that I’ll cover in a later entry is the importance of voice (something that has been expertly drilled into the very depths of my brain by a number of my English teachers/professors). If the cost of making sure you update a journal frequently is to compromise the presence of your writer’s voice in the piece, it’s not worth it. To be fair, however, it should be noted that a writer’s journal is generally a means by which ideas are jotted down and note where the full-fleshed pieces see the light of day. The problem of forcing regular writing, which would invariably to writing of a poorer quality, still exists.
Once again, we come back to my main point: it’s all about what you, the writer, are comfortable with. If you’re the kind of person who has a need to write things down as they come to you, that’s terrific. If you’re the kind of person who isn’t as fond of the writer’s journal method, that’s just as well, too. It all comes back to what you’re comfortable with, what gets the ideas flowing, and, ultimately what works well for each individual.
This was a very wonderful idea. =) I really admire you as a writer and I can’t wait to read the next installments.