Journals and Papers

I’ve heard of a lot of authors who derive some of their best works from journal entries and ideas. I am a writer and I have a complete journal dedicated to ideas, comments, quotes, newspaper clippings, and articles that aid me when I am looking for material to write about.

Both my children’s books, Little Blue Penguin, and my recent release of McKenzie’s Frosty Surprise, started with ideas written into a simple notebook journal that I keep in my purse. With the story, Little Blue Penguin, we were out walking at a local park when my daughter, who was a toddler at the time, lost her new stuffed toy, a little blue penguin. I got to thinking that it could be a cute story, and didn’t want to loose the idea, so I wrote down a few ideas in the journal I had with me.

McKenzie’s Frosty Surprise came about when out for a daily walk. We live in the country and I was walking by one of our local wetland marshes. There was a nest of ducks and their ducklings. It was so cute to watch them playing and in and out of the marsh. I had my journal with me, so I found a rock to sit on some distance away and just started writing, keeping an eye on the feathered family as I did so. The ideas flowed from me as I felt I was in the groove. I am not sure if that I hadn’t been carrying a journal, whether the ideas might have disappeared before I was able to jot them down.

Handy journals come in so many sizes now; it’s easy to find one to store in a pocket, purse or back pack. You never know when a story idea or even the story itself might nudge you to do some writing.

Patricia L. Atchison is the author of 2 children’s books, Little Blue Penguin and McKenzie’s Frosty Surprise, available through Wood Lily Publishers and Wood Lily Books.

Ben Franklin, one of the founding fathers of the United States is known as a copious note taker.  He wrote journals throughout his life accumulating many volumes throughout the time when he was alive.  He said that a lot of his best ideas were writing in his journals and actually retrieved later when that concept would be connected with other concepts that learned later.
 
 At his death he had over a hundred journals that he filled.  Benjamin Franklin is arguably the most important figure of the American Revolutionary War because of his role in convincing France to take our side and provide more troops for our forces to use in the war.

The ancient art of journal writing has come back into vogue this last decade.  People are reconnecting with this pastime in a big way.  And with good reason too.  In our fast paced world, it is hard to keep things straight.

 Journal Writing has affect of a meditation.  It keeps us focused and organized.  It gives us that time to reflect and think about our lives in a direct way.  Personal journal writing is an affective way to concentrate on what is going on with our lives.

It’s not an uncommon fact that many teens keep a journal. When it’s difficult to talk about problems with a parent, sibling or councilor, turning to a writing journal is the next best thing. It may seem strange to get started if you’ve never written in a journal before, but it’s so easy to do.

You don’t need anything fancy, use a simple scribbler, or if you want to keep a small notebook in your purse or backpack, that’s a great idea too. Small notebooks are discreet and if you feel a little foolish bringing out a huge scribbler (someone might think you are doing homework – Yuk), then that’s your best bet.

Not sure what to write about? No worries. Try something which is called freefall writing. But first, never start writing on the first page of your new journal. It’s way too intimidating. Not to mention if you catch someone taking a quick peek at your journal, they usually begin on the first page. Writing a few pages in gives you a chance to catch the culprit and grab the journal before they get too in-depth into it.

Back to free fall writing. This is a method of writing where you let the pen go as fast as your wrist can keep up to jot down whatever your mind is telling you. You’ll be writing using the right side of your brain, which is the creative, intuitive side, or the heart part of your brain. That ‘romantic, don’t care how messy I am’ side of yourself. For once, forget about grammar, punctuation and form. Just write like crazy – don’t censor your thoughts, don’t prompt your brain for new ideas, and don’t even worry if what you are writing is good or not. Just write. Write from your heart.

Are you worried nothing will come? Don’t worry, it will. If it isn’t, then quit censoring yourself. Just let it be and let go. Keep a journal when talking won’t help. Once your thoughts are off your chest, you might feel a little drained, but you will also feel lighter somehow.

Go for it and let us know how it works for you, by replying to this post.

Writing a personal history is a daunting task for many of us. Where do I start? What things should I include? What’s so interesting about my life anyway?

Your personal history, however, is a very important part of your family history, and no one will be able to tell your story better than you. You can start off small, by keeping a personal journal. Or, you can capture your entire personal history by working through the questions in this great tutorial for writing your personal family history from arduous research. If you really can’t face writing about yourself, then a family newsletter may offer an interesting alternative. It’s a fun way to capture some of your family’s personal history for future generations.

What comes to mind when you think of a writing journal? Do you see a hardbound book? A password protected file saved on your computer’s desktop? A sketch pad? A three-ring binder with pages that can be moved around? The fact is, there are as many types of journals as there are people who write in them.

Despite the variety, all journals fill one important need – they serve as safe harbors where one can write without censorship, exploring new ideas, trying out different personalities, and clarifying values. To begin a journal, or continue one, is to embark on an inward voyage that has outward implications. Great writing is not required, only a desire to discover who you are at your core.

I was recently at a journaling seminar where a discussion ensued about the types of journals. One lady mentioned that between their families, they used letter writing as a form of communication between family members, and wondered if that could be classified as keeping a journal. I think it could be. It is a dated account of events and a journal is defined as an account, a record of daily experiences, and what better way to record these than in a letter to loved ones.

I don’t know how many of us have a drawer full of old letters from family members, friends or lovers. If you do, consider yourself fortunate. These are thoughts that your loved ones were willing to share - unlike a journal, where most likely hide it away.

In recent years, letter writing has taken a twist to the contemporary, with any type of paper being used. Prior to the nineteenth century, letter writing was an art, where special papers were used, with quill pen and sealed wax emblem. If you want to get creative with your letter/journal, try surprising them with some fancy Amalfi paper, handmade from Italy.  Its lush decaled edges demand serious attention.

If writing in a journal doesn’t appeal to you, but writing to friends and relatives about your thoughts, then what a treasure you are passing on! 

My dad loves to write anything under the sun.  He can go on the whole day just writing about anything that comes to mind, he finds a sense of fulfillment knowing that he didn’t miss any thoughts he had in mind and kept it in a journal.

That is why I was thrilled to find a nice assortment of fine leather journals at this online store. Since father’s day is just around the corner, I couldn’t think of a better gift than this to give to my dad who has a great passion for writing.

It has always been part of my everyday routine to update my personal journal.  For me, this is my own private way of expressing emotions from life’s daily experiences. It was great to find quality journals at your online store. The variety offers different styles for every journal needs.

I love the idea that I get to keep my journals in fine elegant papers, all bundled in a nice and durable leather; perfect to ensure that my journal would surely last a lifetime.

Penmanship otherwise know as handwriting is defined as the art of writing with the hand and writing with an instrument. Handwriting styles existed based on the period when the writing was done and varied in script formats (see calligraphy). Our English has changed from formal to a somewhat slang version and is changing rapidly with the onset of Internet, email and instant messaging.

Have we lost the art of penmanship and writing on paper? Do people still write letters, or has email taken over for communication? For those that still do write and consider a quality piece of paper worth investing in to send their message, there are several choices available.

There are many crafters who make a decent living at creating their own papers for use with handmade cards and tags and some are great for writing on. Acid free paper has become a norm when doing scrapbooking; of course there are hundreds of thousands of different types of papers used in the printing industry.

If penmanship is something you delve in, be sure to take note of the handmade papers from Italy. The ancient duchy of Amalfi, Italy is one of the oldest and most renowned papermaking centers in Europe. Cartiera Amatruda has produced fine stationery since 1380. From that area, the tradition has been to watermark paper with cities’ coats-of-arms, and some religious and heraldic symbols.

Today’s Amalfi Paper is crafted using traditional methods originally created in the middle ages. Made of the finest cotton rag, each deckle-edged sheet is crafted with penmanship and calligraphic writing in mind. For those wishing to create a lasting piece of writing, or to incorporate penmanship into a memorable event, then the Amalfi papers are something worth looking at.