Since I published They’re Not Here to Save Us, I regularly talk to people at some stage of writing a book of their own. Most commonly, I meet people at the very early stages who are having trouble getting their WIP off the ground. I have loads of advice for them, much of which I will cover in later newsletters, but my advice always starts the same: get a journal.
MP Kidd: Journal Evangelist
I know I get it. I’m not the first person to tell you to journal. It’s a simple idea you’ve heard since 9th grade English. But when was the last time you considered doing it? Have you looked at all the benefits? ‘Cuz there’s a lot. I’ll start with the biggest benefit . . .
Mental Detox
The other night, my wife and I watched the latest episode of House of Dragon. What happened? I'm not quite sure because while I was watching, I was also scrolling on my phone and reading a comic book. I know there was a dragon at one point . . .
I know I’m not alone in this cycle of constant overstimulation. When I take my dog, Lady, for a walk, I listen to a podcast. When I do the dishes, I’m rewatching Shogun. Before I fall asleep, I’m reading tips for new dads.
Journaling is awesome reason 1: It forces you to unpack your thoughts. Rather than processing too much information, like looking out your side window driving 100 mph, writing in your journal allows reflect. With so much going on in my world, my journal helps me to unfog my brain.
Slow down, dammit!
Journaling is awesome reason 2: You have to slow your brain down a bit to do it. For this reason, I insist that you journal the old-fashioned way: with a pen and paper. Writing your thoughts down retrains your mind to slow down and stick with a thought long enough to articulate it. Do you have a big project that requires focus? Writing the next chapter in your book? Writing a newsletter about journaling? Take a moment to chill and linger on your thoughts.
Work stuff out
I don’t know - maybe it’s the Irish in me, but I’m not the greatest when it comes to feelings. I’ve just never been good at processing or understanding them. Often, my wife will notice that I’m in a bad mood before I do. Does that sound familiar?
Reason 3: journaling lets you figure stuff out. Something is so grounding about journaling. It’s not something you can do passively. You need to be present and focused. This has a way of diverting all your energy into the subject at hand. Is that subject the weird fight-that-didn’t-need-to-be-a-fight-with-your-significant-other? Or is it a log jam in your story? Journaling combats writer’s block on and off the page.
Again, I know I’m not saying anything new here. My hope is to remind you about this simple phenomenon that can help you in more ways than you might realize. It’s worth doing before you start a project or make a big decision. Or for after you’ve made a big decision. Unmotivated? Journal. Feeling down? Write about it. Want to write a book? Collect your thoughts first.
Stay Tuned . . .
Starting soon, I'll be sending pieces of a short story along with this newsletter with new chapters each week. Make sure to subscribe to get the whole story.
Interesting read my friend