Dear Diary...

Getting those ideas down helps keep your head on straight

My ol'faithful journal cover... which two of my new journals fit into. He's just happy to be out of the desk drawer again.

Hello, gorgeous.

I know I’m the new book on the pile here, but I just had to share an old trick that I’d forgotten all about.

Journalling.

Last week, while visiting family, my nephew and I got into a conversation about trust and confiding in others. He mentioned that he sometimes felt like no one understood him… typical teen, amirite?… and he didn’t feel he needed therapy or counselling at all. I suggested a journal.

Me: What about a journal? You could get a really nice pocket-sized journal and write it all out. To get it out of your head.

Him: You mean, a diary? Pink. Ribbons. Bows. Faux fur. Glitter. Girly. Diary.

Me: <rolling eyes> No, I mean a journal.

Him: They’re the same thing, auntie.

Me: No, Einstein, they’re not. A diary is what an idealistic teenaged girl uses to romanticize all the drama in her life and, at that age, it is all drama. A journal is what all the sane people use to jot down ideas, notions, thoughts, that drag down their minds during the day.

He stared at me. Argued with me. Told me point blank I was wrong and there was no freaking way he was getting a diary. Wait until his birthday in August. I’ll see a leather-bound, monogrammed journal, with a matching pen, in his future. No, he won’t throw it out or anything. He knows I’ll know. I also know he’ll use it. He’s that guy. Once he writes in it, it’ll be game over.

But that conversation got me thinking. How do I keep track of my thoughts? Story ideas? Plot twists? Grocery lists? Marketing ideas? Well. You get the gist of it. I found myself forgetting things, even after promising myself in the middle of the night that I would never forget that million dollar idea. Yep, you got it. The same million dollar idea that was like Scarlet O’Hara in the morning… gone with the wind.

So I did what any self-respecting auntie would do. I grabbed my nephew, hopped in the car, and headed over to the bougie stationary store in town to - you guessed it - look at journals. I found a beautiful hard cover green journal with Celtic knots all over it. Another cream-coloured one with deep purple lilacs all over it and a pink one with On Wednesdays, We Wear Pink on the cover. Even picked up a couple of funky pens and a set of gel pens to use with them.

Best part of that trip, though, was that my nephew picked out a journal of his own. I wished him an early happy birthday and added it to my purchase. His pen, by the way, is blue plaid and has the word Sassenach written on it in a flowering script. Gonna make a writer of him yet.

For the past week, I have been slowly getting myself back into not only carrying a journal, but using it, too. Muscle memory is amazing, though. It hasn’t been as difficult to re-enter that world as I worried it would be. Hell, I even jotted down a dream I had the other night because it was the perfect premise for a story.

My family is awesome. They keep me grounded and on track, which is what a journal can do for you, too.

Journalling doesn’t have to be a big production. There is no formula for it or any rules to follow. It is an extension of yourself. Of your heart… your soul… your psyche. Use it how you see fit.

If you want to set time aside each morning and write before you start your day… do it.

Maybe writing in it at the end of the day is what you need. The opportunity to set out in black and white what happened in your day can release it all so it doesn’t weigh your mind down.

Or, and this is generally how I use my journals, write in it whenever the need arises. Might be several times a day. Maybe not at all that day. The only rule you need to follow is to do whatever works for you.

But, if you’re gonna give journaling a try, make it an event. Buy the journal that makes your heart happy. Use the pen/pencil/crayon that puts a smile on your face. If journalling doesn’t make you happy, then it will be successful.

Jotting down your ideas helps keep your thoughts in order, even if all you do is write up a to-do list each morning (or night, for the next day). That is the first thing I do in my journal each day. I set out my to-do list and go from there.

Some days I get all the writing done and thoughts organized. And others I blow out a breath, slam it shut, and go read. It’s all about balance.

Do what works for you.

Work the journalling system and it will work for you.

So that’s my pro tip for today… journalling. Your thoughts. Your emotions. Story ideas. Outlines. Plot twists. Grocery lists. Bills to be paid. It’s all valid, valuable, and very necessary. Trust me, even my stubborn-as-hell nephew, who knows everything, don’t you know, gave it a try.

Best message I ever got was from him saying, “All right, auntie. I’ll give you this one. Journalling works.”

I pumped my fist and did my best Napoleon Dynamite impersonation. “Yas!”

Drop me a note to let me know if you give it a shot. I’d love to talk fancy journals with you. Just what I need… more notebooks in an increasingly more digital world. Thank goodness two of my new ones fit into my trusty black leather notebook cover.

Until we meet again, gorgeous.

Kiss Kiss,

Lylah