Reading & Writing Lounge

As part of research for an article on Journaling, I’ve read some fascinating material on the subject. Leaving a Trace: The Art of Transforming Life into Stories by Alexandra Johnson is a delight to read. Having been a diary writer for most of my life, I bought this book randomly one afternoon. The writing assingment came soon after - talk about serendipity!

In the book, Johnson takes us through the pleasures and benefits of journaling. Journaling is more than a record of what you did each day; it is a record of your life. Johnson identifies key patterns in journals and helps a writer find the story hidden beneath those mundane facts. Her book is full of tips, tested techniques, exercises and quotes from other journal writers. She discusses issues of concern to diarists - what to write, forms of journals and that worrying question of privacy.

If you write a journal or aspire to write one, you will enjoy this book. Personally, journaling helps me take stock of my life. I look back on old journals and laugh at the person I was then. It is by comparing that I can see how far I’ve come. Little memories and thoughts long forgotten float back from the pages. In that instant, I can be a child or a teenager again.

If you have never kept a journal, try it now.

Related on this blog:

• Chronicle of a Past Forgotten-Amitav Ghosh's The Glass Palace
• Freelancing—The Write Time
• Andromache—Unrequited Passion