Way back in the day, or about 20 years ago, I attended a university lecture during which the professor spoke about ladies' book clubs and literary societies in 19th-century England. This included information on one of the most famous groups, the Bluestocking Society.
One of the women involved with one of these clubs kept a diary, which she called "Liliana." Her first name was Lilian; however, I've since been unable to locate her name or information about her diary. This is all I remember.
When I learned about this diary and how she used it, I created my own. It's called "Jilliana," a nod to Lilian. It's a blank journal with a fabric cover. The title is written on the front in blue ink pen, complete with quotation marks. If I hadn't done this, I probably wouldn't have remembered about the diary at all.
"Keeping a writer’s notebook reminds me, every day, that I’m a writer." — Shaunta Grimes
Today, we call this a writer's journal.
This can be an extremely useful tool for any writer, regardless of industry or genre.
This isn't a slate to write a full novel (Although, if you want to do that, go for it.) but for inspiration, cataloging, and note-taking.
Famous writers who have kept these kinds of journals include Mark Twain, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Joan Didion, John Steinbeck, and even J.K. Rowling.
You can see some examples of notebooks kept by some of these authors here.
Rowling has said in interviews that she keeps lists of names for her characters as part of her journaling.
But there can be so much more to it than that.
“The habit of writing for my eye is good practice. It loosens the ligaments.” — Virginia Woolf
Here are some of the things I write down in mine:
Quotes from famous people, songs, books, articles, or from conversations I've had.
Lists of names for people and animals. I keep first and last names in separate lists.
Story ideas. (Obviously.)
Sections of stories that come to mind. These are usually two to five pages long, like a first draft. The intention is not to write a whole story, just part of one. More often than not, this is as far as the story gets, but in writing, as with any other skill, it's about the practice.
News articles inserted between pages. I did this when researching a multiple-murderer that was inspiration for a novel I'm still working on and again with news stories I found inspiring in some way.
Snippets of conversation between characters for a potential scene.
To be read lists. The best writers are also readers.
Lists of places I find interesting and that could make for good settings. Some of the place names are just interesting.
Website URLs with resource or research information. I don't have to do that today, but when I started this, internet and computer technology wasn't as user friendly. I also seriously doubt those websites are still available.
Drawn symbols. While it may seem a bit odd, symbols can have meaning as much as words.
Doodles. Because, why not? Scribe monks have done the same thing in the margins of illuminated pages for centuries. There are doodles on the cover, too.
"Keep a notebook. Travel with it, eat with it, sleep with it. Slap into it every stray thought that flutters up in your brain." — Jack London
There are lines on each page of this particular journal; however, much of the content is written at an angle on the page or sideways in a margin. It's not about keeping it organized for me; it's about having the information on the page. Most of the time, I'm in a hurry, open it to a random page, and write my note in the first available space I see.
And there's at least three colors of ink in those pages.
A question I've heard is, "Why can't I do all that on my phone?"
The biggest benefit is that paper and pencil are inexpensive, portable, and don't require batteries or a cell signal. I've also found that putting pen to paper gives me a greater sense of ownership of what I'm writing in my journal.
Writing by hand can also force you to slow down a little, give you time to think, make the act of writing personal, and you can customize your journal however appeals to you.
How you choose to keep your writer's journal is entirely up to you.
Keeping a writer's journal is a best practice that will stay with you for years and continually inspire you to write and get better at it.
Endnote: While finding quotes to include in this post, I ran across one that isn't about journaling, but writing. I'll be adding this to my journal today:
“What would you write if you weren’t afraid?” — Mary Karr
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