Do you keep a journal?

[CharleeVale]

I don't mean the normal writer's journal, full of notes and ideas and bits of dialogue. I mean a 'dead diary', I did this, I did that journal. I've never been able to. Maybe because spending time writing that doesn't benefit one of my WIPs seems like a waste of time....

But I'm wondering if there are any of you that do, and how you find the time/motivation?

CV

[Moni12]

I kept a journal when I was younger, but could never keep up with it. Recently I tried keeping down a dream journal because dreams fascinate me. I may have written one dream and that's it. Journaling just isn't me, writing is, but maybe to me it just seems silly writing about my life. It works for some people, but for me it just doesn't.

[JohnDurvin]

Journal + the ADHD generation + technology = Facebook and its cohorts. These days most of us--Amish folk and Thoreau imitators aside--keep a journal of sound bytes written on impulse and on display for the entire world to read. I suspect that in a hundred years, instead of publishers printing famous authors' journals and letters, they'll publish "The Collected Tweets of CharleeVale, Vol. 1: The Early, Early Years (2004-05)".

[Collectonian]

My personal blog long ago replaced my written journal, having two big benefits over the paper one: redundant backups and I can actually read it again after a day. My handwriting sucks! I plan on doing a printed, bound copy of some of my older entries, as well, so there is an offline copy as well. I originally started journalling as a kid to record what I thought were the important bits of my life. Today I do a mix of public, friend only, and occasionally private posts which do the same thing, except far better because I actually write/post far more often (generally once a week or more). :-)

[wordranger]

I started keeping a journal of the funny things that happened with my kids... guess what?

It turned into a novel. Mommy was an author, but she was prettier and had a more interesting life. Everything that happens with the kids, though, is real. No one can make that stuff up. Kids are just insane.

I'll probably never try to get that one published... it's too personal... but it's a heck of a lot of fun to read. It always makes me smile.

[J. T. SHEA]

Notes, ideas, I did this, I did that, dreams, blog comments and posts like this one, all that and more goes into my diary, which is a computer file, but not online or for publication. Several hundred thousand words each year, much more than my novel writing.

'The Collected Tweets of Charlee Vale, Vol 1: The Early, Early Years (2004-2005)'? I'd read it!

[Sommer Leigh]

I kept a sketch journal for a long time and I'm not sure why I stopped carting the thing around, but eventually I did.

I blog. I've blogged since 2000 in one way or another. I was never able to keep a written journal because I write too slowly and I can type much faster. Also on my blog people talk to me :-)

[Cookie]

Like Moni, I tried to keep a dream diary. I have one entry in it.
Surprisingly (and luckily), I can remember my dreams very well.

I should start carrying around a sketch diary. I did for a little bit in middle school, then stopped.

[CharleeVale]

'The Collected Tweets of Charlee Vale, Vol 1: The Early, Early Years (2004-2005)'?? Bahaha! That would be hilarious...although I'm afraid you all would be vastly disappointed. My tweets are not that interesting...

Buuuuut if you're interested in following me anyway its @charleevale. :)

CV