No Explanation Necessary

This has now happened to me enough times that it's worthy of a write-up. Someone will ask me the innocent question, "What's your book about?" and, though I could wax poetic about it for hours, I'll offer the simplest, most straightforward answer I can: "It's a book about journal writing." Instantly and without meaning to I have convicted the person standing by and he or she finds it necessary to come clean, "I tried to keep a journal once, but it just didn't work out. I do think it's a good thing to be able to do." Or I'll get something along the lines of, "I wish I could keep a journal, but I just don't have the time to write everyday."

Can I tell you something? I don't write in my journal everyday. Yes, it's true. Sometimes six months will go by and I won't motion to write even once. Other times I've got my pen poised and ready to feverishly write every other minute of the day. It all depends what's going on in my life. My journal accommodates me, not the other way around. This, I believe, is the key to being able to keep a journal—making it what you want it to be rather than what you think it should be.

I think many would-be journalers also feel pressured to recount the events of the day. Once upon a time I tried retelling my journal everything that happened during the day, and I gave it up long ago. I prefer to write about how I'm feeling. I like to record what's going on in my head rather than chronicle. Sometimes writing about how I'm feeling requires me to tell the tale of something that happened but not always. Some days I emote for pages and pages, and other days I write one or two sentences. There is no telling what I'm going to do. It surprises me even.

I can't stress enough that there are no rules to keeping a journal. It's the one craft that you should be able to approach however you want. It's hard to handle all that freedom. So tell me: Journal writers out there, what is it about the process that enables you to keep writing? Non-journal writers, what is it that stops you?

Learn more about this book throughout July in the Bright Ideas from Bestselling Authors group on Gather. Click here to join.

Click here to buy the book.