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Writing: The Magic Of Writing Things Down — 12 Comments

  1. Love the reminder about Ruminating thanks. I keep a type of journal while online as that’s when Ideas strike for me. To help a bit with my short term memory I write it down it doesn’t become just a memory.

  2. Great points. Writing something down is just different from anything else. In fact, I have an interesting story about this. I was cleaning up the house recently and I found a notepad. In it was a list of things I wanted to accomplish with the wife after we got married. We had forgotten it, but now that it’s been almost two years we thought we’d check out what we had written down. It was great to see that most of the items were completed. It was a great feeling to have. And we wouldn’t have had that without writing them down – we wouldn’t have found it later otherwise.

    • Hi Steve,
      Love your story. Must have been a really satisfying feeling to see you’d almost done it all. I wonder if you’ve found in your list some items that do not seem so important 2 years later and if you’ve added new ones. That’s the beauty of these things… we grow and change and they’re a snapshot of who we were at a certain time.
      Makes me want to write a bucket list too!
      Take care
      Isabelle

  3. Yes, Isabelle!

    You’ve struck at the cords of my heart with this post. There truly is magic in writing things down. Pen to paper alerts the brain to assist in what’s important in one’s life.

    And what you’ve said about ruminating is spot on. We recommend that journal writers who want to learn something new (for instance, learning to play an instrument) or build on a skill (perhaps improving performance in golf) use their journals each time they practice or participate with the explicit instruction of:

    1)Write about what you did well.
    2)Write about what you can do to improve.

    Notice that both 1 and 2 are framed from a positive view point. Dwelling on what you did wrong is a surefire way to sabotage your efforts.

    • Hi Yvonne,
      I knew you’d like this article 😉
      I really like the idea of learning journals too. I used one when I took my pottery class recently. It’s full of tips and ideas of things to do next. I also record what I do, the techniques and glazes I use, the results I get (what works well or not so well, what to try next). A gold mine!
      Like you say, it’s positive and can work for many other activities.
      Take care
      Isabelle

  4. I started a blog recently about creativity, specifically to bring it to the forefront of my mind as I never make time for the stuff I love to do. It’s worked a treat. The act of having to write about it makes me make time.
    I also decided to start a diary this year again after a long absence (a decade) but because I’d been finding it difficult to keep up journaling in the recent past I called the journal ‘Therapy’. I use it to write down when I feel emotions strongly. It helps put things in perspective and, I am certain, saves my family from a lot of grumpiness on my behalf. 🙂

    • Hi Fiona,
      That’s a great example of making journaling work for you. Some people don’t like the word ‘journaling’ and I love the fact you’ve called it ‘Therapy’. Straight away, it becomes a very useful tool to you. Thanks for sharing.
      Best wishes
      Isabelle

  5. For me, journaling doesn’t stick. Maybe it is mental hang up on the term. I find writing things out to be very helpful, especially brainstorming or lists. But when I try for a narrative, if not in a blog post or a letter, nothing comes. If I force it, and I can’t seem to make myself do that for long. Maybe it is saving me from ruminating!

    I must admit, though, that I use my sent emails in much the same way that others use journaling. Periodically I go back and reread what I sent to friends years ago. It is amazing to see how I have matured over the years. Some times I don’t even recognize the writer at all.

    I suppose it is a rose by another name.

    • Hi Tammy,
      I do that too… emails to friends as a snapshot of moments, feelings and events in the past. That’s a good point, we should not force ourselves but just write things down in the format, context and purpose that is useful to us and comes naturally.
      Best wishes
      Isabelle

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