Reflecting upon my personal journey to understand the creative benefits of journaling for budding writers. Read on…
Journaling is a habit of writing for yourself. Some people prefer daily journaling while others may write on and off as per their mood. You have full freedom to write on any topic under the sky in a journal. Examples – How you spent your day, a memorable incident, a favorite celebrity’s life, your deepest feelings, and more. Vent out those emotions on paper which otherwise you do not like to share with anyone.
Journaling was the best training option available to me as a budding writer. I am sharing those 6 creative benefits of journaling which I have discovered in my writing career. I believe journaling optimizes core competences of a writer in the following ways:
Build a Habit of Writing Everyday
You may love to write but that is not enough. Allow the writer dwelling in you to grow. Allocate a fixed time of the day to write a journal as per your convenience. Never mind if it is just 10-15 minutes only. You need not bother about the nitty-gritty of grammar or sentence structure. At this point, the main objective is to set a creative routine and write consistently. Preserve these opening notes that mark the beginning of your lifelong journey as a writer.
Sharpen Basic Writing Skills
Journaling is the initial hands-on training for creative writing skills. It is like an unpaid internship. The habit of penning down everything plays a significant role in nurturing your inherent talent. Lays the foundation for overall growth and development of an aspiring writer. Dedicated journaling keeps creative part of brain active. It shapes an ideal mindset required for productive writing.
Express Thoughts in Written Format
Journaling provides an excellent channel for self-expression. Many of us consider it as one of the most valuable creative benefits of journaling for writers. Before writing, read your mind to get familiar with random thoughts and feelings. The next step is to organize scattered thoughts for a new creation. Then, find exact words to express them correctly. In this way, most budding writers learn the process to convert their thoughts and imagination into meaningful sentences.
Improve Creative Thinking Skills
Journaling introduced me to the creative world of writing. In writing, we always describe positive and negative sentences differently. Through regular journaling, master this skill to set the right tone of a sentence with appropriate words. It is one of the most difficult aspects of writing.
When we sit down to write our brain is flooded with thoughts and ideas. Some of them are useful and some others are useless. It clutters our mind and creates confusion. As a writer, you must have a clarity to pick the right ones for your writing and reject the rest.Journaling helps you to sort out your creative thoughts and label them.
Track Your Growth as a Writer
You are the lone reader of your journal. Read some of its old pages at regular intervals to analyze your work. Every reader and writer has an inner critic. Review your journal with the eye of that critic. Take note of errors and mistakes. Revise and edit to make them better. Remember and do not repeat those mistakes in future. You are thus perfecting your craft of writing and evolving as a writer. If you come across a page with zero error, celebrate it as an achievement to stay motivated.
Cultivate Your Identity as a Writer
In the journey of journal writing, you get enough scope to identify your likes and dislikes as a writer. Some people record daily reports in a journal. There are some who insist upon self-reflection. Some dream-weavers love to scribble down their fantasy. When you explore a wide range of topics in a journal, the writer figures out your area of interest. So, it becomes easier to decide whether you want to be a storyteller or nonfiction writer.
As a teenager, I enjoyed writing in my notebook. Later, I switched to typing on PC because making corrections or rewriting a sentence is easier. Likewise, creative writers have a set of preferences. A handful of them still stick to use pen and paper for the first draft. Most others prefer digital tools. They are comfortable typing out on a computer or smartphone. Journaling prepares you to understand the options available to a writer and make the right choice. It simplifies your future life as a writer.
Final Thought: There is no age restriction that you have to start journaling as a teenager. You can take up this creative journey at any age and have fun playing with words!
