NWFCC April Author Showcase Book Tour

Today I am thrilled to host writer
Tina Games

Welcome to day three of Tina M. Games’ 6-day NWFCC
May Author Showcase tour where she discusses
how Journaling Can Benefit a Writer.

Hi, I'm Tina M. Games, author of
Journaling by the Moonlight: A Mother's Path to Self-Discovery.

Because I use journal writing quite a bit, to map out my article and chapter ideas, I'm often asked, "How can journal writing help me as a writer? And what kinds of journals would you recommend for a writer?"
 
Let me begin by describing how journal writing is helpful to a writer:

1.    Most writers carry a notebook, scraps of paper, old envelopes, to jot down ‘thoughts of the moment.' This is a form of journal writing.
2.    A journal (or a diary) is a place to record everyday happenings or thoughts and feelings. It can be a tool for self-discovery, a place to brainstorm ideas, a safe space to release emotions, or an aid to help with concentration and overwhelm. Journal writing is the process of chronicling those many thoughts that are swirling around in your head – with no worries of being censored.
3.    As the words pour out onto the paper, it can reveal inner guidance that can help a writer make sense out of various scenarios and give some order to her or his life. It can provide awareness of patterns and offer perspective on the decisions that lie ahead. It can also help clarify beliefs and provide a safe place for self-expression.
4.    Incorporating journaling into your writing practice may not only make the process of writing more enjoyable, but may help you become a better writer, too. There are no rules in journal writing - no worries about whether to use a comma, a semi-colon, or a dash. There's also no one to impress and no deadlines. Because journal writing is relaxing and not stress-inducing, the writing flow feels easier.
5.    The act of writing things down makes thinking much clearer. It’s like taking all the rambling thoughts out of the mental file and dumping them onto the page to sort out - line by line. Journal writing slows down your thoughts and allows you to think more clearly and to process with more clarity. And by writing in your journal, it can help you focus your mind with laser-like accuracy. Slowing down your mind through writing enables you to clearly hear the voice of your creative self.
For most people, when they hear the word "journal," they automatically think of a daily diary. But for writers, there are many different types of journals that one can keep for supporting various parts of the creative process. So what types of journals are best for writers?
•    Dream journals allow you to capture the intuitive insights that come to you in dreams. As creative’s, many writers get the best ideas when they're dreaming. Characters and storylines can come to you in the form of dreams.
•    Personal journals provide you with the space to record your innermost thoughts as they come to you throughout the day. It's a way of "clearing the mind" so you can focus on the writing project at hand.
•    Project journals enable you to log your progress on a particular long-term endeavor, like writing a book or starting your freelance writing business.
•    Idea journals are a perfect container for the creative person who is rich with ideas about potential projects that could evolve in the future. It's a place for you to collect those many wonderful thoughts about future stories you want to write or characters you want to develop down the road.
•    Synchronicity journals are places where you can log the magical experiences you have and the people you meet that feel important in the moment, although you may not fully understand why. They may prove valuable in the future or in the bigger scheme of things.
•    Character  journals allows you to stay in the mind of your character and actually "be" your character before you begin the actual writing process.
•    Gratitude journals allow you to capture all that you're grateful for in any given day and support a positive mindset - seeing things from a glass half full versus a glass half empty. This helps minimize writer's block and is a great aid in seeing the gift in every thread of thought.
•    Travel journals enable you to log the details of a journey - and your observations and experiences. It allows you to experience the journey from a writer's point of view.

Thank you for allowing me to connect with you here today! Join me tomorrow as I share a few journaling techniques that are helpful to a writer.

Follow Day 4 of Ms. Games’ tour tomorrow at
www.mayrassecretbookcase.com

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