Ready. Set. Write!

Via

In our diary journey, we are up to the writing part. We have chosen the book and have personalized it (if you have not yet done so, I would encourage you to read the last two posts concerning this here and here).  But now comes the hard part, writing. Many times we think we have nothing to write about. We fall into that misconception that our lives are boring. 

You do not have to live on a farm, tackling pigs and milking cows to have an adventurous day.  Nor, do your days have to consist of the hustle and bustle of city life to make for a movie plot line.   Adventure is found in many different ways. Each person's life is unique and different. 

I like to write a personal count my blessings everyday to be thankful of all the things big or little that have happened that day. That is a great way to get the creative writing juices flowing. Since this is a journal you can elaborate on your simple one sentence blessing of that day. You may thank God for the great time you had at the zoo, but in your journal you could write your thoughts and expand further on what you saw and heard. What was your favorite part of the experience.

You could write this journal directed to your future children, God, or even just yourself. I think I am going to write it for myself, but descriptive enough and meaningful that if my children were to read it they could understand my life as a teen. You could include small prayers and petitions to pour out your heart to God.  

I encourage you to start simple. I had a good day... I went to... I got a new pair of... Make sure to keep any reminders of that day such as your ticket to the zoo, or your sticker from the doctor.  This is a list of ideas you could write about, which I found on Becky's blog. The list is guided towards picture taking ideas, but you could very well use the same ideas for writing. Hope it helps.

Do not get discouraged if you do not write on a daily basis. It can be frustrating to see that the last time you wrote was 3 months ago. You just have to pick up where you last left off and continue.

Designing Your Diary

So the last post about the diary was about the importance of and starting your diary. The next step is designing your diary. I chose a composition notebook because of the size and also so I could design it. 

There are many ways you can design your notebook. You could cover the front cover with scrapbook  paper, add stickers, paste photos of yourself, or cut out words and things that describe you.

If you chose a stationary notebook that comes already designed you can not do much. You could probably design the first page. Write your name in a beautiful script and add stickers. 

This is my notebook transformation.

 Before:

This is a picture of a composition notebook. It does not look like a pretty journal to write in.

 After:

I chose to add some scrapbook paper to make it look elegant.

 Front Cover:

 Back Cover:

I added a similar looking paper for the back of the note book.

The finish product is one beautiful journal waiting to be filled up:)

I encourage you to get your notebook, and personalize it. Then you can move on to the next step: what to write about. So stay tuned.

Dear Diary...

via

When my mother was a little girl, she used to love to write. She had many journals where she would write in, but where are they now?

Many times, I start some things but do not finish them. So yes, like almost every girl I too had a diary. I would start Dear Diary, jot down a couple of entries, and then it was forgotten. Where are those journals now... in the garbage.

Recently, after hearing the audible version of Stepping Heavenward by Elizabeth Prentiss and  reading The Sister Wives series, I became inspired  to start my own journal. (Although I might not agree with everything in it theologically speaking, Stepping Heavenward chronicles Katie's spiritual journey from her teenage years to adulthood. The Sister Wives series does the same but it is geared toward "mature" readers).

What do these two books have in common? Well they are both diaries. Diaries and journals are good for writing down feelings, prayers, and just everyday life (I'll touch into what to write in your diary in a later post.) Imagine if my mother still had those many journals that she wrote in. I would be able to see my mother at 14 living through the 80's decade.  What were her emotions, what did she like, who were her friends? She tells me so many stories about her Kissing Koolers and all those TV shows she watched, but pictures and written memorabilia would have been so much insightful to her world. 

We ladies belong to a new generation where cameras, video cameras, and other scrap-booking tools abound.   These tools are all used to preserve memories. You may not have your mom's old diary, but you could give one to your daughter. 

If I have a daughter at 25, that's  about ten years of journaling, it would cover most of my teenage years and adult life. When my daughter turns 15 and wants to read about me at that age, she would then have ten years worth of memories of her mother  to delve into.   She in turn, can write one to leave to her daughter along with mine and so on. What a beautiful legacy to leave. 

Written accounts not only benefit future generations, but yourself as well. If you review your past year and compare where you are now, you can see your growth spiritually, physically, and mentally. So how many of you want to start your diary? 

First step is to choose the perfect notebook. It could be a pretty stationary notebook, or composition notebook, even a spiral.  It all depends on what your preference is. I am choosing a composition notebook. The main reason is the size. I will be able to write more per page. It also allows me to paste ticket stubs, pictures, and candy wrappers to add visuals to my journaling. So I encourage you all to start your own journal. 

**NOTE: I have not actually started my diary. This process will somewhat start step-by-step alongside you here on the blog. So be prepared to read some following posts on this particular subject:)