Writing in a Paper Journal
Posted on February 24, 2009 | Categories: Life | Tags: embodiment, opinions, writing
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My blog was down for the majority of yesterday because my host suspended a bunch of accounts by mistake. I am assuming things are back to normal now because my blog is no longer suspended, so my apologies for the downtime yesterday. I managed to get a post in before the suspension occurred, so for those of you who missed it, Monday’s Internet Find was A Twilight Parody.
Those of you who were curious to see what my handwriting looked like, wanted to read what I wrote in my personal journal, or just felt like being sneaky in my Every Hour on the Hour (2/09) post and viewed the full-size image of my paper journal photo read that I am taking part of Embodiment once again. Essentially, Embodiment is where you write something in a paper journal every day for a year. You can express yourself however you want, with words, drawings, or some other form of creative expression, but it must be done on paper and not in electronic format. It’s a nice change to revert back to “old school” journaling in this world of blogs and online journals, and I really enjoy keeping my paper journal and participating in Embodiment.
I started on January 1, 2008, and wrote an entry every single day until my 18th birthday. I’m not sure why I stopped writing on such a monumental day, but I did, and there’s this huge gap in my journaling from August 23 to December 14, which is when I started journaling again. I then stopped yet again on January 20, the day of Obama’s inauguration, simply because I was so exhausted and I just forgot to journal, and then was too lazy to put pen to paper for the following weeks. And I started again on February 19, and have kept up with it since, and vow to do so for the rest of the year.
Every time I stopped journaling though, I really missed it. I like having a written account of my days and the events that happen in my day to day life, and I like writing it all down for my eyes only. I’m not going to blog or LiveJournal about who I sat next to in class or what homework I had to do or what restaurant my friends and I went out to. No, that’s something I feel belongs in a place that’s just for me, because only I will be interested in those facts. And it’s pretty astounding to read back on some of my earlier entries in 2008 and be able to recall my days in startlingly clear detail, and the funny little memories that I had forgotten about but wrote down at the time.
In a world of digital cyberspace, I think it’s nice to have an account of my teenage years written on paper so I can carry it with me always no matter where I go in life, rather than on a public or private site that could end up being deleted in the future for all I know. It’s a nice feeling to know that everything I need to remember about my years are written in my collection of journals. I really recommend joining/participating in Embodiment and trying out the paper journal thing. Writing a little bit down every day is really not as hard as it sounds!
Olga
For me it’s the opposite–I tend to journal moments that are particularly special, not just the mundane; unless I’m traveling, in which case it’s the opposite!
Krissy
I have nothing of importance to say except… Yay Embodiment! ;D
Angie
I love the new domain name! :D It’s so pretty! I used to write in a paper journal sporadically and I flipped through it a couple weeks ago and laughed at the things I wrote.. I like writing down random, simple things. :)
Michelle
I totally agree that writing in a journal is really awesome & a good thing to do for future reference. I have tried Embodiment three times… The first time I dropped off around March, the second time I filled one journal and then just kind of… forgot :P and the third I went through July but then got really busy with life and let it drop off again. It’s definitely something I want to accomplish sometime in my life though… This year is bringing about a lot of awesome changes so maybe I’ll take this post as inspiration and start a March to March year-long journal. :P
Michelle’s last blog post: It’s In My Coding
Carmen
I miss actually writing about my days too but I’ve gone for so long, I don’t know how I’d get myself back in the habit. It took me forever to break the self-consciousness barrier when I first started to write and I’m pretty sure it’s all come back since. But I’m going to try. I like putting things down on paper, it’s very satisfying.
Carmen’s last blog post: The Misadventures of Carmen
Clem
I have a paper journal, and I usually neglect it for 4-5 months at a time and then write an entry that’s 8+ pages long about everything that’s gone on in my life. I’m actually due to write an entry about some crappy stuff I’ve been dealing with lately. I just find it hard to keep up with a paper journal when I could post it in my LJ. I bought mine about a year and a half ago, and so far I’ve filled up maybe 40 pages. :P
Kaylee
I don’t feel the need to chronicle everyday things, and when I do have something that I want to write for my eyes only, I just post it privately on Livejournal :P
Writing by hand has become too much of a hassle for me… it’s either too messy or too slow if I try to improve my handwriting. Typing, ftw!
Kaylee’s last blog post: Random stuff about food
Britney
I get lazy and have never been able to keep up with a personal journal. However, I do have one that I wrote in when I was 12/13, and it’s cool to look back and read it. I should probably start one up again to remember certain details in my life. I have my blog, but it’s online and unless I print out every entry (which I don’t because I don’t have a printer set up) than it’s pretty pointless for the future. A paper journal is the only thing I know will probably keep forever. Now all I need is a blank notebook.
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