Note: Today’s guest post is from my writing partner, Kristi Bridges. We help people share their story. We’ve co-hosted the It’s About Time novel-writing webinars and we’re also planning live events for 2020. (Workshops for writing memoirs and devotionals.) She invited me to share a devotional entry for her Option Ocean devotional, published summer 2019. She’s a joy to work with and a great friend. And one of the most energetic and motivational people I know!
This week, I’m offering a $50 prize for anyone who can bring me my high school journals.
WARNING: They were last seen flying into the dumpster of a trailer park in Tulsa, Oklahoma, on a toasty July day last century. There’s a 98% chance they’re fertilizing a landfill at this time.
Any takers? I have $50 burning a hole in my pocket!
Why would I pay for old journals about a life I remember well? First, there’s the voice. Five dumpster-bound journals filled with teen angst and wonder were written in a voice I’ve long outgrown. I might shudder at the mistakes I made and laugh at my “top secret” entries in incoherent 9th grade French, but it would be awesome material for building a character. “Awesome” 😉. I haven’t entirely lost my teenage voice. More than the voice, I miss…
Googly Eyes.
Most people remember big events and painful moments. For example, I recall vividly an evening when I was 23, walking the track around Lake Hollingsworth in central Florida. Someone shouted, “You’re fat!” from a passing car. If it weren’t for journaling, I’d still remember jerks like that, but I’d forget the good guys.
3/3/2018:
I was in Walmart with Laura, and this 60-ish black man said, “Is that red hair your natural color?”
“On the inside!” I replied.
“Well, I’d like to give you something, because it’s so pretty on you.” He handed me a little plastic ring with a set of googly eyes. As I put it on, he said with a playful smile, “The googly eyes of God are on you. Have a blessed day!”
Adorable!
I smiled for the rest of that night, but soon I’d forgotten Googly Eyes. As I skimmed old journals while prepping for this post, the story gave me a fresh grin. What happy moments went into that dumpster, forgotten forever?
Since the fifteen-year-old fit when I threw away my life story, I’ve filled four plastic bins with notebooks of ideas, dreams and emotions. When I don’t have a journal with me, I use my phone. From this private stash of self-expression, raw ingredients arise for songs, books, and articles.
A diary can be dangerous.
It feels deceptively safe to vent on those pages. Don’t get me wrong—it’s safer than speaking your mind every time someone bugs you. Still, I know a man who read his wife’s journal. The things she’d written were so dehumanizing, they’re now divorced. A journal is a smart place to think before we speak, but it’s not a replacement for caring conversations.
Having a place to fuss and pray has saved my marriage more than once. Let’s face it, living with someone can be frustrating. I don’t want to be a nag, so I find peace through the pen. However, when I was a newlywed, I found myself journaling only when I was mad or sad. One day I read what I’d written and thought, “After I’m dead, anyone who reads this is going to say, ‘That girl was a grouch!’” I began intentionally logging fun times, like the Saturday morning my husband and I joked around.
11/2/2012
Richard said he was going to throw me out with the trash. “Who would feed you?” I asked. “If I turn into compost, will you eat what grows from my toes?” He said he’d bring me in and dust me off before it went that far.
Red Goo and Raw Material.
I don’t diary every day of my life. I’m not that interesting. I spend most of my writing time crafting books, songs, curriculum, and daily videos. Still, I fill a journal a year, and that material feeds my writing.
Even when nothing new is happening, I make plans and write poems. I write to God, to keep myself focused during prayer time. I store quotes and descriptions of people I meet. I save plot ideas, one-liners, and weird little facts which might feed a scene, such as this one from Car Talk on NPR:
On Stump the Chumps, someone called with red goo oozing from under the dashboard. It dripped onto the carpet and the driver’s socks while she drove. Apparently, transmission fluid was creeping up the speedometer cable. They told her to replace the speedometer gasket to stop the drip.
I save quotes from books or lines from songs.
Seeking joy in and of itself will not bring it to you. Do the work of creating community and you will obtain it – although never actually according to your schedule. Joy is an uncapturable yet utterly predictable side effect of genuine community. – M. Scott Peck
When my creative juices are just sticky stuff at the bottom of the glass, these scribbles get my keyboard clacking. Do you have a journal, where you get quick inspiration to shape a unique character or shake up a sermon? Now is a great time to start or expand your journal.
Give yourself a mindlift.
A few years ago, I spent a season watching TV and doing nothing toward my goals. I grew depressed, so I began a gratitude journal. Every night at bedtime, I wrote one thing for which I was grateful and one thing I had accomplished that day. It didn’t matter whether I’d spent five minutes posting a video or two hours writing an article. I simply had to log one accomplishment each day. A few weeks of daily entries, and I was back to myself.
Writing by hand has been proven to boost creativity, relieve depression and keep us mentally sharp as we age. Plus, flipping through an old handwritten journal is like inviting your soul over for tea. Digital options have some advantages for writers on the go. When I’m not home, I talk-to-text, type or save photos and websites to folders in the Evernote app on my phone. Later, I simply sync it to the app on my laptop. I’ve tried several digital options. I don’t get paid to advertise them, but Evernote comes out on top for portability, ease and organization.
We’d like to know how you journal. Leave a comment below and tell us if you:
- Pray
- Vent
- Dream
- Wax poetic
- Jot weird facts
- Save funny moments
- Copy quotes
- Doodle
Here’s my free journaling ebook: Journal for Joy Calm Focus Understanding Creativity. For more journaling tips, or to see Kristi’s books, devotional writing course, podcast or devotional videos, visit 1 Moment Wiser.
Follow Kristi on Facebook:
Resources:
- Option Ocean: Devotional for people navigating the sea of opportunities and life decisions. Features variety of authors including Sarah Soon.
- Wisdom Better Than Wishing: Devotional based on the Book of Proverbs.
- Wisdom – Journal: Corresponds with the Wisdom Better Than Wishing devotional.
- Spirit Break: A free resource that helps you take time to connect with God.
- Calendar: A free printable calendar with quotes from Proverbs.
- Devotional How-to: Guide to write a devotional.