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Wednesday, November 16, 2011

Back to the Basics: Start Journaling

Journaling is a journey. Many people think that journals hold only the ramblings of a budding teenage girl or the memories of a senior citizen. Yet, journaling is much more than simply intermittently jotting down one’s thoughts and feelings. Journaling, when done with a purpose, is the journey of self-discovery.

One thing that has helped me enjoy the journey of journaling is that, for the most part, writing comes easily for me. I realize that is not the case for everyone. However, I believe there is a writer in each and every person, including you. Maybe the writer in you has been suppressed for various reasons. Perhaps, harsh criticism by a teacher was all it took for you to decide that you were not a writer. Maybe, throughout high school or college you found it difficult to express yourself effectively in writing. Perhaps someone laughed at a poem you wrote or a supervisor rejected a proposal you worked painstakingly on. Whatever the reason you might approach writing with diminished enthusiasm, now is the time to move beyond that trepidation. Now is the time to discover you through your writing.

My book, Write Your Life: Create Your Ideal Life and the Book You’ve Been Wanting to Write will help you navigate the what, when, how, and why of journaling. The ultimate goal is to create—even if on paper only—your ideal life. This journal can help you heal from your past hurts, discover the authentic you, see into the future, and dream freely of what you truly want.

Beyond the personal, psychological, and emotional benefits of journaling, you can learn valuable techniques to help you write the book you’ve been wanting to write. We each have a book inside of us that is meant to be birthed, a story that is destined to be told. Telling that story is a process. It takes time, nurturing, and creative focus, not to mention determination and vision. The impact of your book on your readers is more about your passion and authenticity than about how skilled a writer you are. Granted, every book should be well written. Books should respect the time-honored techniques of good writing and the cherished art of storytelling. Whether you plan to write a memoir, an autobiography, or a how-to book, using this journal will develop your writing skills and help you discover your voice, your style, and your story.

Through journaling, you will experience your book unfolding. In fact, that is what the Write Your Life journal is designed to do. As you write your life, the journal will become a framework for your book. That way, you’ll have half the battle won before you even realize you’ve started writing your book.

Journaling is a process that should bring you pleasure and lead to power within. Learn the pleasure, power, and process of journaling to create your ideal life, and the book you’ve been wanting to write. Begin the journey and enjoy the ride!

Excerted from Write Your Life: Create Your Ideal Life and the Book You’ve Been Wanting to Write.

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