Why Bloggers Should Keep A Journal

Friday night I didn't have a whole lot going on. Which... is pretty typical for me. So I perused my phone to see if there was anything remotely interesting I could do.

Silver Linings Playbook was back at my local theatre.

Oh Cape Girardeau, you're so silly. We had the movie here for FOREVER and it's coming out on DVD next week. What are you doing?

Or maybe silly me since I never got off my rear to go see it.



So I decided to get over my phobia of seeing movies by myself and check it out. But I had time to spare. Not enough to make it worthwhile driving home when I was already out just to come back, but too long to just sit around at the theatre waiting for the movie to start. Which led me to Barnes and Noble.

Never a wise choice for my wallet.

I bought a journal. A nice one too. Leather, lots of pages, a place to put a pen or pencil, classy, the works. I've journaled for as long as I can remember. Rarely consistently, but it's still always been a part of my life. A pre-curser to blogging I guess. I have a shelf on my bookshelf that is filled with my old journals. Most of them are only half filled. But that's okay. I feel like you need different journals for different phases of life.

Or at least that's my excuse for buying new ones.

After my purchase I headed out to the theatre. I was still early, but not so early that people would think I'm crazy. I spent my time waiting for the movie to begin alone in the theatre writing away. Eventually two ladies came into the theatre and sat a few rows behind me. It was slightly awkward. I even wrote through the previews. I could have written through the movie as well, but didn't. (HELLO! Jennifer Lawrence and Bradely Cooper. You don't write in your journal when you're watching them on the big screen. You just don't. Also, did you know Julia Stiles was in the movie? Hello 1999! I missed you. No table dancing though.)

Crap. Now I just miss Heath Ledger.

Anyways. Onto my point. It got me to thinking about how journaling is necessary, even when you have a blog.

Yup, that's the journal I bought. Isn't it pretty?

1) You Can Write However Badly You Want. I've heard of some writers saying that they put their terrible writing on their blog. The "fluffy" stuff. I think that's silly. People are still reading your blog, so you should put your best foot forward. In a journal, it doesn't matter. It's the perfect outlet for brainstorming and letting it out. Your blog isn't the place for this, your journal is.

2) You Can Be Brutally Honest. You need to be brutally honest on your blog as well, don't get me wrong. It's good to be transparent and put it all out there. But at the same time... you still filter what you post. I've heard of people who have overshared on the internet, and now wish they could take it back but can't. Sometimes you need an outlet when you're upset or even happy. Have you ever written a blog post in the heat of the moment then pressed publish and then the next day wish you hadn't? Yeah, it's bad. Let it out in your journal. Then go back to it the next day. If you still want to post online, you can, but in a much healthier fashion.

3) Your Journal Can't Judge You. It's an inanimate object, so therefore it's not going to leave you mean comments or tell your boss about something you wrote. There are a lot of people on the internet who LOVE to criticize in the form of comments. This is fine, and it helps the writer to get a backbone. But sometimes it's just hurtful and mean. A journal can't leave nasty comments.

4) You Can Go Into Your Past. Yes, I realize on your blog you have archives and such. But will it remember those personal details you would put into your journal? I'm awful at remembering details. I can remember some general things about my life, but until I go back into my old journals and photo albums, I can't really recall what had happened in the past. Not just WHAT happened, but the hows, whys, and what I was feeling. I get some great boosts of inspiration from my old journals. There are times I wonder what I should talk to the teenagers about at chapel or Bible study. So I go back to my writing when I was their age to see what I wish someone had talked to me about. Or it will give me an idea for a story. 

5) It's Romantic, Cliche, and Sentimental. Sometimes we just need that. Sometimes you need that cliche image of hand writing something to sort out your thoughts and memories. 

6) If You Don't Update Regularly, It's Okay. How many times do you update your blog simply because you "have to?" You have readers! People who need your routine! You aren't going to get more followers if you don't have a regular posting schedule! So you grudgingly go to your computer and slap something up there. Your journal doesn't care if you write everyday or once every few months. It doesn't matter. It's always there when you're ready.

Do any of you journal? If you do, how long? What do you write about? What are some perks? Do you use a traditional journal, or do you use some other format? If you don't journal, why not? 

P.S. The movie was awesome by the way. I knew it would be, but I LOVED it. Can't wait for it to come out on DVD next week.