2006 will be my thirty-second year of keeping a paper journal

[pegkerr]

I learned about the LJ community embodiment from dreamflower02 (note: if you want to join, join now: they are locking down membership on Jan 1), and this is the intro entry I posted there.

I started keeping a daily paper journal when I was fourteen; this year I will turn 46. I used to use a journal sold at Woolworths. When all the Woolworths in my area went out of business, I started using the At-A-Glance model SD-385:



I think the fact that I have kept a journal so long and so faithfully is a large part of the reason I went on to become a published novelist. Certainly I learned how to quickly delineate scenes, characters, dialogue. It has been integral to the cultivation of my inner mind.

An issue which I have had to consider is what to do with all my journals after I die. My husband will be allowed to read them if he survives me, and my girls after they reach the age of 21. Other than that, I don't know. I suppose it might be an issue if I have enough of a literary legacy that they are of interest to scholars, or perhaps they might be of interest to a historical society.

I have been very faithful. I will skip a day now and then, but I probably make an entry 95% of the time. Probably the longest period of time I have missed was two weeks.

I keep a Moleskine book in my purse and use those for jotting down notes, phone numbers, bits from books I'm reading in bookstores but don't want to buy.

And I keep this LiveJournal, and I print out entries having to do with my family life or my children and bind those. So I'm living a pretty well-documented life.

Comments

[silme.livejournal.com]

Congratulations!

LiveJournal has been my saviour in terms of keeping a diary. I had a journal similar to the one pictured above when I was 12, except it was smaller; I purchased it with babysitting money at the local five and dime. (Remember those from 'older' days in the US? :) I wrote in it almost religiously, and I still have it. A couple of years ago, when we were doing a journal module with Year 8 (7th grade in the US), I brought it to school to show them since I was their age when I wrote the entries. I read a couple aloud.

However, after I filled up that book, I wasn't able to find another one like it. Perhaps there was something magical about that little book because, no matter how pretty the new book was, I just couldn't discipline myself to write in it in a regular basis. Until LiveJournal, I couldn't maintain a regular journal.

It's a different format than what I used to keep, and I admire you for maintaining a print journal in addition to LJ. I'm grateful, though, that LJ has helped me become a diarist once again. I have a feeling that blogs in general are assisting many, many people whom otherwise would not have print journals.

Keeping a diary

[nwl.livejournal.com]

I don't recall when I started keeping a diary, probably early teens. I used to get a standard "diary" with a little lock and key. One of my college diaries was stolen out of rwl's car when I was in the hospital, so I stopped keeping one for a few years.

When I started up again, the diary with a lock seems a bit childish, so I use a standard bound note book and write my own dates in it.

What I write in LJ doesn't come close to what I write in my diary.

What I was going to say concerning your diaries when you pass away - in the ASK AMY column in the Post, someone was wondering what to do with the papers her mother left behind, such as college degrees, etc. Amy had some suggestions such as the local historical society. In subsequent columns, several other people have made suggestions. I would guess that her advice column is on the web. If not let me know and I'll do some research.

[minnehaha.livejournal.com]

Are the old years locked up in a safe somewhere?

If not, well, um, what makes you think no one has read them already? I mean, well, you know. Attractive nuisance, and all.

[magentamn.livejournal.com]

What do you mean, they will be locking down membership on January 1st? No one else can join? I looked at the home page, but saw nothing useful.

I've been keeping a journal since 1976, but very erratically. I used to use a 3 ring binder and notebook paper, then spiral notebooks. It takes up a whole file drawer. Some years, I only wrote a few pages a month. When I switched to using a computer, some time in the late 80's, it expanded my writing considerably.

[pegkerr.livejournal.com]

From the user profile of the community: Membership cut off for 2006 is Jan. 1st. Spread the word, because I'm locking down membership for a whole year at 10 PM EST on Jan. 1st.

[chamisa.livejournal.com]

This idea is very cool. I think I shall join in. I'm really impressed that you've been keeping a paper journal so consistently in addition to Live Journal. I've been keeping paper journals on and off since sixth grade, and I've noticed that since I joined LJ, my paper jounraling has dramatically slacked off. And it's kind of worried me. Because I *love* having the actual paper journal, with my handwriting in it, a little physical thing I can carry with me and write in when I'm alone in a cafe or in a car or flying over the ocean...I like seeing my handwriting from the sixth grade and from the eigth grade and from high school and from college, and from when I was 25...and it worries me that being too into the virtual journal has deprived my interest in the paper one. So, that's why I think I'll join in.

Thanks for posting this!

[kokopoko.livejournal.com]

That is amazing! How neat it must be to go back to around big events and read your thoughts about it. I started journalling again last week in just a plain lined notebook.