Gettin' down to basics

Date your entries. Write naturally in your own voice. Don't write as if someone is looking over your shoulder. If your writing doesn't sound like you … then who are you writing for?

Try writing in bullet lists rather than writing complete sentences.

Make sure your entries are readable to you. Drop the notions of appearance, proper grammar and spelling rules, complete sentences. Doodle. Write in the margins. (Remember the funky little drawings in the margins of Mad magazine.)

As an editor and writer it would be very tempting to rewrite and edit myself. Not going there. It's even fun to see misspeelings. For example instead of: is it good enough, I've written is it god enough. Read between the lines on that one.

Discover your natural writing time. Morning, noon, night? Try writing at different times of day and discover when your thoughts flow naturally. Mine is a.m. and p.m.

Write on a regular basis. It doesn't matter for how long you write, how much you write, or how often you write. Surrender the notion of obsessively writing every day. Why are you obsessing? Stop it.

Read your entries out loud, slowly, to yourself. Hearing your voice gives you clarity, hearing God's voice gives you clarity! Slow down. It's a walk, not a race.


Use good judgment about maintaining privacy. My friend Laura keeps a notebook journal and a computer journal.


And just so you know, I've been there, done that betrayal thang. Don't recommend it at all. (I'll save this story for another day.)

Save your journals. Reread, reread, reread. Growth is one of the most exciting things to read in my journals. God has been at work all along, all for his glory. The way to capture it is to see it, hear it, and feel it by rereading it. Don't soak in the lament of your past after rereading but celebrate with God for how much he has done. Use a highlighter and mark the entries that catch your ear. Reflect on how God is at work and then journal your praises to him.

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