Journal writing is a close cousin to memoir writing, but like all cousins, the two have many differences in their DNA make up.
Journal or diary?
The word journal is from the French jour (day) and ultimately from the Latin diu (daily). You can see that diu leads to our word diary also. In popular thinking a journal is perhaps perceived as more serious and lengthy and a diary is perhaps thought of as less serious, more about dates and appointments.
Why write a journal?
In this category, you will find posts that will help you define what writing a journal may mean for your memoir writing.
- Some people write journals to record life as the writer is living it and has lived it. A journal records details of the moment that otherwise slip away: conversations, feelings, descriptive scenes. This “record” journal emphasizes portraits, vignettes, and descriptions—all great to feed into memoir writing.
- A journal celebrates and gives honor to the life the writer has lived. This may contribute to the point of view you choose for your memoir.
- A writer may also want to alleviate pain and explore personal issues. Journal keeping can be used as a confidante. It is a book in which the writer pours out her soul. Her journal habit assures her near total privacy.That privacy depends on how carefully the journaler secures the journal and how respectful of the writer the people she lives with are. Studies show that sharing pain—even privately in writing—invariably leads to lessening it. You can support this cathartic role of journaling by writing portraits, vignettes, and descriptions that emphasize and explore your writer’s point of view, by free associations and other exercises that facilitate the expression of your writer’s unconscious.
- Some writers seek to bring closure to or to wrap up unresolved life experiences. Life does not always provide opportunities to bring an experience to conclusion. It may be possible to do so in a journal as the writer tries out imaginary endings to relationships, efforts, and experiences.
In conclusion
Writing in your journal regularly is a great way to stay in the memoir conversation.
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Another memoir finished: what was the writing process?
Writers can doubt their process. This is understandable as writing a memoir is a long undertaking that can—and usually does—have many discouraging moments.
You Don’t Have to Rush To Complete a Memoir
You don’t have to rush to complete a memoir, but taking these action steps will keep you writing until you finish your memoir.
3 Benefits of Keeping a Journal
Keeping a journal can be a useful tool when you are writing your memoir. When keeping a regular journal, some people feel a release of energy they don’t have in other writing forms.
Journal Writing for the Memoir Writer
Journal writing is an effective practice for the memoir writer. It is a spontaneous and generally free-flowing activity and so can be very helpful to you in loosening up both your thinking and your writing type (the two usually go together). Your journal is an opportunity to bypass the familiar rules that govern much of […]
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