Journaling Makes You A Better Writer

Probably one of the most underestimated tools of writing is your ability to write for you. Regardless of your field, channeling a company voice is vital, but impossible without mastering your own.

I’ve always been in love with my journals, it may be days or months between entires but I’ve always found it to be a great way for me to ground myself or process my day.

Later in life, it was no surprise that I continued to persue a career in writing. Marketing may have more statistics or numbers than I’m prepared to process. But at the end of the day I still get to squeeze in a substantial amount of writing in my day to day life.

Writers block comes more frequent than I’d like and more often than not I struggle to maintain my writing streaks that I’ve recommended on here previously. Which is why when worst comes to worse I always turn to my journal. We rarely get much chance to write by hand nowadays, unless your a waiter or old school journalist that insists on a pen and paper. So journaling gives us a much needed opportunity to break away from my laptop, lower my screen time and channel my energy into something nourishing.

If you don’t journal, then I’d consider picking up the pen and having a go. As a write, there are so many benefits that can come with the practice and mindfulness that journaling brings:

Boost emotional intelligence

Journaling doesn’t just help you get in touch with your own thoughts and feelings- it helps you better understand others too. Take a moment to think about everything thats happened that day, you’ll be surprised how much you missed. Thinking about it, you might have taken a harsher-than-needed tone with a colleague, or missed someone dropping a sly hint that they need your help. Reviewing these moments, spotting signs you missed a few hours earlier will better equip you the next time round.

From a writers point of view, emotional intelligence can be a vital tool of your trade. Regardless of whether you write fiction, understanding emotions and knowing the correct response will improve your storytelling and add a huge amount of depth to your writing.

Vent

Personally, I know I’m a very petty writer. If something bothers or offends me, I’m likely to end up writing a blog about it. Typically those blogs are career focused, tackling a small issue I’ve faced in the day. But I know that the blog isn’t the place for it.

Journal about your issues, vent about them somewhere that won’t be immortalised on the internet. That way you can work out your issues without effecting your writing project.

Plus, venting feels like it’s best placed in a journal. How many of us ranted about the boy/girl we liked in diary entries as a kid? As an only child, my diary was full of gossip, rants, and inner conflicts. Why should we grow out of that?

Discover your own voice

Every writer has their own voice, a distinctive flair that makes them stand out from the crowd. For me, I’d like to think I take a chatty approach, informal and positive.

Having an abundance of space to write, with no set brief allows you to find your voice…work out how you tell stories and decide how to play that to your advantage.

Make your journal your sandbox.

Improve flow and structure

Daily journal entries are a great way to improve your story telling skills, as well as hone the nitty gritty parts of writing: like spelling, grammar, flow, and structure. Sure, you’ll probably never reread the entries again. but as you write you start to become more aware of how you’re articulating yourself in the text. Humans all think differently, but it’s a rare thing to find someone who thinks in broken words.

It’s all for the memoir…

Just think, one day when you’re a famous writer. You’ll already have the material needed to publish your memoir.

Journaling is such a rewarding hobby for writers of all experience levels. It’s therapeutic in it’s own special way. I know over the years I’ve hammered home the benefits of it. But if you’ll start, I’ll stop nagging.