What do you write about? What's your style (words, sketches, collage)? What your favorite type of notebook, pens and art supplies for your journal.

I've tried several times, and I'll write in it for a few days straight and then I'll get so busy with other stuff I'll not have time for it, then I'll be out of the habit and forget it completely. If we all weren't so d@mn busy all the time just trying to make a living, we wouldn't need the therapy from journaling. :mad:

I keep a paper one, that I have been writing in every few months or when I hear a quote or song lyric I want to remember. I mostly write about what is going on in my life and I doodle in it too. All my schoolwork is now done electronically so I kind of miss doodling and actually handwriting things once in a awhile!

I do...
it's evolved lately, more planning and not as many personal 'this happened today' sort of entries.

It's loaded with plans for the future, finances, things I've learned, love letters to my honey, recipes, ideas for projects and random thoughts.

I also blog online.

I used to keep 'doodle' journals. I couldn't put things into words so I just drew pictures. It was a bit of an anxiety thing though, I'd withdraw into the book if things made me uncomfortable.

I used to, but not anymore. I've been busy with work since we expanded back in January, but I need to find time to start up again since I always enjoyed it.

I've been trying too since dealing w/ my ED, but I get busy & forget...it's more like ramblings from my mind though, & lists of future plans, etc. It's just nice to put it down on paper though.

I've been trying too since dealing w/ my ED, but I get busy & forget...it's more like ramblings from my mind though, & lists of future plans, etc. It's just nice to put it down on paper though.


I found it was great therapy for me too after getting myself out of my bad situation.

I keep a couple of different journals: but most of them are writing/school related (meaning, not for personal accounts, I guess).

In one, I write down quotes and thoughts about different books I read about photography, art, and creative writing. Then, sometimes I will go back later and respond to them.

In another, that I keep with me all the time, a small pocket-sized moleskine, I write down random things: beginnings to stories that come to my head, directions to places, stuff I want to remember. It's kind of a a catch-all.

And then, I have a third in which I write down different types of school stuff-- copy down assignments, notes from class (minimally), etc.

I would love to keep a daily account, and I may begin this summer. I took a class in Creative Non-Fiction, and learned what a wealth of writing material you can get just from keeping a small account daily. Travel Journals are also interesting, and something I'm considering doing since I'm returning home to Alabama after being in Maryland for a year-- what I notice, what I miss, what I don't miss, etc.

Oh, and I always hand write them. I find that typing, for me, always leads to self-editing, which I don't want in my uninhibited thoughts :)

I've been trying too since dealing w/ my ED, but I get busy & forget...it's more like ramblings from my mind though, & lists of future plans, etc. It's just nice to put it down on paper though.
OK, I have to ask: what is ED? The only thing I can think of is 'erectile disfunction' and I suspect THAT was not a problem for you. :p

OK, I have to ask: what is ED? The only thing I can think of is 'erectile disfunction' and I suspect THAT was not a problem for you. :p


*giggles* I can see how that would be confusing!
ED is short for Eating Disorder.

*giggles* I can see how that would be confusing!
ED is short for Eating Disorder.

OK, I have to ask: what is ED? The only thing I can think of is 'erectile disfunction' and I suspect THAT was not a problem for you. :p

Oh wow that literally made me LOL :D Meagan is right though!

Whew, thanks! I was beginning to worry about you, Katie. :D

I have a livejournal, but I suppose that's not the same thing. For the amount of writing that I do, I really don't like keeping a diary/journal. I've tried many many times in the past, but I usually don't last very long. I suppose it's because I think I'm not all that interesting (whereas with my LJ I can use it so that my friends who don't see me that often know what I'm up to. Or that's what I tell myself. XD).

On the other hand, I have four journals of sorts that are full of story ideas, snippets, incomplete synopsises, basically just random bits of work that may or may not get further work done on them. I've always had journals like those for years now.

I used to, but I quit for the sake of my mental health, lol. It's funny, usually doctors recommend journals as a great form of therapy, but for me it does nothing but make me over analyze situations and drive me further up the wall. :p

I used to, but I quit for the sake of my mental health, lol. It's funny, usually doctors recommend journals as a great form of therapy, but for me it does nothing but make me over analyze situations and drive me further up the wall. :p


eek. I can imagine how that would work.
No journaling for you!

Yup sure do, it is my therapy.

What is strange though is I have different journals spread out in different places. I have random blogs, I have a personal journal that I keep to myself that I am able to write on on my 'puter, I have a public life journal on one of my sites that I frequent..I have a paper & pen journal lol They all serve different purposes.

I generally buy handmade journals and I love my glittery metallic pens that I find cheap in the Target dollar bins.

I don't, but I'm thinking about starting. Not like something I have to write in everyday, but just when I feel like it. Like Meredith's, it'd probably be a catch-all. Just whatever really, but there are lots of things I'd like to remember that I'm sure it'd help to write them down.

Yup sure do, it is my therapy.

What is strange though is I have different journals spread out in different places. I have random blogs, I have a personal journal that I keep to myself that I am able to write on on my 'puter, I have a public life journal on one of my sites that I frequent..I have a paper & pen journal lol They all serve different purposes.

I generally buy handmade journals and I love my glittery metallic pens that I find cheap in the Target dollar bins.


Where do you buy handmade journals? I was never good at the diary thing. I would like to start a Summer Entertainment Journal. I'm going write down what I feel about the books, movies, music and summer tv series I encounter.

I used to write in journals. I always bought hard bound decorative journals with metal or wire rings. I stopped writing in them because my ex was always snooping through them. In fact he had ripped out a page from an old journal and tried to use it against me in court last year, but it didn't work. I don't feel that comfortable writing what I think anymore. It feels dangerous to have written words floating around out there on paper.:eek:

I used to write in journals. I always bought hard bound decorative journals with metal or wire rings. I stopped writing in them because my ex was always snooping through them. In fact he had ripped out a page from an old journal and tried to use it against me in court last year, but it didn't work. I don't feel that comfortable writing what I think anymore. It feels dangerous to have written words floating around out there on paper.:eek:


I'm so sorry to hear that. Hopfully things are looking better for you now.

I used to write in journals. I always bought hard bound decorative journals with metal or wire rings. I stopped writing in them because my ex was always snooping through them. In fact he had ripped out a page from an old journal and tried to use it against me in court last year, but it didn't work. I don't feel that comfortable writing what I think anymore. It feels dangerous to have written words floating around out there on paper.:eek:

Yikes, that's terrible! :( Sorry to hear that!

When I was younger (and had a lot more time!) I used to write every single day. I started out writing in a little journal with a lock and key that my teacher gave me in the 5th grade. And from there I just used regular notebooks (spiral bound or composition notebooks). I wrote everything ranging from the most mundane (e.g. what I had for breakfast, what I wore, etc) to my feelings and thoughts about my life. Sometimes I wrote poems. I get a kick out of reading my old diaries now and feel nostalgic reading even the little "boring" things I wrote about. :o

Nowadays, I don't have as much time but when I need to clear my head or get things out I write journal entries on my computer. Mostly because I don't want to create more clutter. As a grad student, I have papers, books and notebooks all over the place. I don't need another to take up space. So a computer file is ideal. I do like having an actual notebook though because I can take it with me where ever I go and write whenever I want.

Sometimes I also document dreams I've had (it's amazing how they correspond to what is going on in my life!). But in general journaling is no longer a daily thing any more.

I love my glittery metallic pens that I find cheap in the Target dollar bins.

I love those glitter gel pens too. :D I have a huge set in a zip up case from Costco. But I use them for my to do lists. I figured it will at least bring a little bit of joy when I look at my neverending list of tasks! lol.