Content

• To step
• Part 1 of 2: Starting your own diary
• Part 2 of 2: Write good diary entries
• Tips
• Warnings
• Necessities

Keeping a journal is a creative way to record your own feelings on paper without worrying about other people's opinions and criticisms. Writing in a journal allows you to work through complex problems and examine them thoroughly and candidly. It can also be a way to reduce stress, rather than mistakenly taking your unexamined feelings out on someone else. To start keeping a journal, go to Step 1 below.

To step

Part 1 of 2: Starting your own diary

1. Find something to write your journal entries on. Traditionally, people who kept a diary literally used a physical diary - little paper notebooks. You can use a cheap notepad with a spiral or a notebook, but you can also choose a nicer diary with a hard cover. Currently, there are also several additional digital options that you can choose from. Any computer program that allows you to enter and save text is a possible option for a journal - regular word processors are good options, as are free online word processors such as Google Docs.
   • If you are exploring the possibilities of keeping a diary on the computer, you may want to consider starting a weblog - this is essentially an online diary that other people can read. There are several websites where you can start a blog for free, and some of them let you control who can or cannot read your diary.
2. Start your first diary entry by describing the situation. To start writing in your journal, write the date, time, and location at the top of your first entry, if you wish. For example, you could start with, "Monday, January 1, 1:00 PM, bedroom." You can then write a salutation if you wish. Many people who keep a diary use "Dear Diary" or some other similar greeting to start each entry. However, this is not mandatory.
   • If you're writing a post on your blog, you could start by addressing your readers.
3. Write! Let your feelings run free! There is no right way to write in your journal - just write as you feel right now. As for the topic, don't hold back - you can write about any topic you want: your feelings, your dreams, the person you like, your family life, and many more other topics you may want to explore. If you feel neutral, you can just describe your day. Describe what is on your mind with your pen or with your keyboard. Put your real feelings on paper - don't settle for less.
   • There is an exception to this rule. When you write a post on your blog, you naturally want to be open about your feelings, but you also need to think about your audience at the same time. You can think about carefully adjusting or omitting your most intense feelings and personal thoughts.
4. Develop a routine. A diary works best if you write in it regularly. If you write often, you will be able to keep a continuously running record of your thoughts and feelings. So keep writing! It's very easy to lose motivation after the first enthusiastically written notes, but you can get the most benefits if you manage to make it a routine.
   • Many people who keep a diary prefer to write before going to sleep. This is a healthy routine because it allows the writer to relax at the end of the day by writing off any emotions that have become stuck in their head.
5. Reread old notes to gain new insights. Why put your thoughts on paper if you don't plan on ever reading them? It's always good to read your old notes every now and then for a few minutes. You will be amazed how you felt then! Having the opportunity to view your past thoughts and feelings in an objective way, with the added benefit of being old, can give you insights into how to manage your life in the future.
   • Use your old notes to reflect on your life. As you read this, ask yourself questions like, "Am I still the same person as when I wrote this?", "Is my life going the way I want it to?" and "How can I solve the problems I was having when I wrote this?"
6. Give your diary your own personal style. Each entry in your journal should be written in your unique style. Unless you keep a journal to write down in a factual way only what you did or experienced each day (mileage walked, tasks completed, etc.), try to have fun writing in your journal! Add drawings, lyrics, movie reviews and anything else you want to include in the margin - it's your choice!
7. Take your diary with you when you travel. Of course, if you don't have your diary with you, you can't write in it! Traveling is one of them Best opportunities to write in your journal - if you spend long hours on a plane, train or car, this gives you plenty of opportunities to write extensively. The unique experiences that you often have while traveling ask to be written down. Write regularly during your travels and always look around you - keep your eyes and ears open for new sensations and experiences so that you can write about them.
   • The experiences you have while traveling can be the most influential in your life. When you discover the beauty of nature, make a friend in a distant land, or just leave your home, this can shape you. So record these experiences.
8. Adjust your diary to your liking. Unless you want to keep your journal as simple and insignificant as possible (which, of course, makes sense if you're worried other people will read it), try some things to spruce up your journal. It is up to you exactly how you want to do this! For example, if your diary is a notebook, you can decorate the outside with drawings and stickers. Inside you can stick photos, newspaper clippings, dried flowers and other things.
   • If you have a digital journal, such as a blog, add photos and links to your posts. Also choose colorful templates.

Part 2 of 2: Write good diary entries

1. Try to think of your journal as a safe place to express your thoughts and feelings. Unless your journal is a blog that can be read by anyone on the Internet, assume that probably no one but you will read it. If you choose to share it with others later, that is your choice. A diary is extremely useful, even if you never share it with others. Try to think of your journal as a safe place to share your innermost thoughts. It's a place where you don't have to worry about other people's judgment or be ashamed of your feelings. So don't be ashamed when you write.
2. Write down your thoughts immediately. Most people have inner thoughts that they filter out when communicating with other people. For example, if you saw an ugly person walking down the street, you would be there never just blurt out that you think the other person is ugly - instead, you choose which thoughts to express and which thoughts to keep to yourself. In order to write properly in your diary, you have to make this filter less strong, or even turn it off. This can be tricky - often this is something people don't have very much experience with.
   • If it is difficult for you to turn your filter off, try writing freely as an exercise - just as with an inner monologue, write your thoughts right away when you have them, whether they make sense or not.
3. Refer to old diary entries. Of course, while you want each note to be self-contained and readable without reverting to older notes, you may find that you can improve your notes by explicitly referencing old notes. If you are looking for reasons why having written an old note in a certain way can help you understand your own feelings.
   • For example, did you feel miserable when you wrote yesterday, but do you feel better now? Then refer to that! Doing this can help you figure out why you felt that way in the first place.
4. Use topics created by others if you don't have any ideas of your own. You will not experience much every day. You will also not always be able to write easily. Rather than giving up on writing for the day, use one of the hundreds (if not thousands) of journal topics you can find on the Internet. Writing teachers occasionally give their students academic writing assignments that require them to write a page in a journal - when they do, they sometimes share the topics for the assignment on the Internet. Searching for journal topics on the internet can yield dozens of interesting results. Use the tools at your disposal so that you can keep writing good and interesting journal entries.
   • When using an assignment, you may find yourself writing about new, interesting topics that you would otherwise never have explored. So take the initiative and get involved with these new topics as much as you want!
5. Learn from the great! Many famous and influential books are either the actual diaries of real people or fictional books written in the form of a diary. Both types can help you become good at writing journal entries. Below are just a few of the books you can check out for inspiration:
   • The Diary of Samuel Pepys
   • The Diary of Anne Frank
   • The Diary of Jemima Condict
   • The Diary of Franz Kafka
   • The Diary of Bridget Jones by Helen Fielding
   • The life of a loser by Jeff Kinney
   • The color purple by Alice Walker
   • The genius in the mousetrap by Daniel Keyes
   • Dracula by Bram Stoker
   • Gentlemen Prefer Blondes by Anita Loos

Tips

• It is best if you keep your diary a secret. It is better if no one can read about your feelings and secrets.
• It is best to write with a pen. Text written with pencil can fade.
• Find a quiet, familiar place to write (for example, your bedroom with the door locked), but other sheltered spots are also good, such as your backyard.
• If you'd like to write in your diary at school, make sure no one sees you. Choose a secluded place to write.
• Write to the end of your life. If you have filled out a notebook or notebook, get a new one.
• If you have a blog, make it private so that only you can read your posts.
• Share your diaries with your friends or siblings. Share your secrets with them.

Warnings

• Your secrets can be published all over the internet if you don't make your diary private. (This only applies to people with a blog.)
• Always keep your diary in a secure storage box that no one knows of, along with your other secrets. It is best if your box has a lock.
• Someone might find out that you have a diary.
• If someone finds your journal and reads it, speak to them and tell them that you absolutely don't want them to read it. Then take the necessary precautions, such as buying a diary with a lock.

Necessities

• A cheap but good notepad or notebook
• A working pen or pencil
• Colored pencils or markers