The Joys of Journaling

Elizabeth in the News!

Ashley Miller is a delightful young journalist who came to visit me at Riverwood recently with a very specific inquiry on her mind. She wanted to know about journaling, and someone told her to come talk to me. If she was taken aback by the piles and variety of journal books I showed her or the many different types of pens I use, she was too gracious to show it. She asked wonderful questions, and we had a lively and far-ranging conversation. Her article was published in both the Northern Virginia Daily and the Daily News Record. I hope you can read at least one of them without being  blocked by a paywall. 

Journaling as a connection tool

I was a journaler long before I considered myself a writer. In retrospect, journaling gave me important writing practice in a non-threatening environment and I recommend it highly as a powerful connection tool for strengthening any or all of the four essential connections:

• A spiritual or prayer journal explores your relationship with God.
• A diary, free-thought journal, or food journal helps you sort through thoughts, emotions, and habits to know yourself better.
• A reading, correspondence, or Bullet journal documents your relationship with others (real and fictional).
• A nature journal makes you more observant of the natural world around you.

I’ve used them all at one time or another throughout my life. I’ve written here before about some of my journaling experience:

• 10 Great Reasons to Keep a Reading Journal
• 13 Great Reasons to Keep a Nature Journal
• Journaling for Caregivers, a guest blog by Lynn Goodwin

The hardest thing about journaling is choosing between the wonderful selection of journal books available. Check out these beauties on Amazon  Right now, one of my journals is a “five-year” or “one line a day” journal. Each page represents one day of the year and has just three or four lines for each year. It’s fun to look back and see what you were doing on the same day in previous years. 

I’ve used everything from leatherbound journals to inexpensive spiral notebooks, and I’ve loved them all. Here’s a photo of one of the journals my grandfather gave me as a young girl — leatherbound and engraved with my name on the cover!

I’d love to hear about your own journaling adventures in the comments below. 

PHOTO CREDIT: My dear husband, John A. Cottrell, Jr., M.D.

“5 Notebooks Better Than Moleskine (Especially for Fountain Pens)”

Enjoy this fun review of five journals that this reviewer, Brian Wallace, likes better than Moleskine, including my own favorite, the Leuchtturm1917. I’ve listed the five below with links to get more info or purchase.

NOTE: When you make a purchase from my Amazon affiliate links in this post, you pay no more but I receive a small affiliate fee that helps support my writing. 

• Midori MD: More Info
• Clairefontaine 1951 Clothbound:  More Info
• Rhodia Webnotebook:  More Info
• Endless Recorder:  More Info
• Leuchtturm1917:  More Info

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