We read a very interesting essay in our books about keeping a journal. I personally don't have a journal but i think am going to start writing in one. The writer was a very insightful man and these are the things from the essay that really stirred feelings in me that i wanted to share.
The essay that we worked on in our books was a very interesting and thoughtful essay. We used the double entry process on it, but the way I like to work is to read the whole thing and then take notes on it. The essay was about how everyone should try to keep a journal, diary or notebook with them so that they can write down how they feel or what they see at any given time.
When reading this essay the first word that popped out at me was the word notebook. The writer said he started carrying around a notebook when he and his friend started a trip to Alaska. My first thought was, what kind of notebook was it. But then I started thinking about how he started journaling so late in life. I was always told that I should keep a diary or a journal of some sort, but I could never get into it. I guess you just need the right experience to want to write out your thoughts and feelings.
So I continued on with my reading and I found a phrase that really popped out at me, the younger me. The writer was talking about looking back through his notebooks and seeing a different person then he was today, and I can relate to that. I have been out of high school for 3 years, which to some isn’t a long time; but amazingly, it is in terms of maturity and experience. No, I am not saying that I know everything now. There is no way to know everything and i wouldn't want to know everything. But i have been through a lot in the last three years that has totally put a different focus on things and i don't think like i used to. I am not as easy-going as i used to be. It is amazing how much you can change in a short amount of time.
The writer kept going on about writing out all of your experiences. He kept stressing that you should write down how you feel about pretty much everything, but i have never really been able to do that but i will try to do it every now and then. I know that it is a good way to look back and remember how you used to feel about a certain event that is now fuzzy.
There was something that the writer put in the essay that really stuck out to me. He wrote, and i quote, “honesty wilts when a parent, teacher, or a friend looms up in your imagination to discourage you from putting your true thoughts on the page.” i have personally found this to be true. That is the thing that gets in my way when i write. I always hear a voice telling me not to write this or that. When you learn to control that inner voice and to find a place where you wont be distracted; this will help anyone become a better writer.
By keeping notebooks is the last phrase that struck my mind at the end of this reading. The writer continues on and tells us to write like no one is going to look at what we wrote. He tells us that notebooks will help link us to the past if we ever look through them one rainy, cold day. I agree. I have looked at letters i have written or saved and i remember that exact day. How i felt reading the letter, or the private jokes my friends and i shared. Writing will keep your memories down so you don't forget and it will also help you in your writing process. It helps you to loosen up and just express yourself.
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