Journal Writing Basics: 10 Reasons to Write Every Day

Post #13 – Memoir Writing, Journaling – Amber Starfire

BEGINNING journal writers often have a difficult time taking the time to write every day. In fact, many have told me that their daily responsibilities seem more important than their desire or need to write, or that they feel they aren’t being productive enough.

The number of reasons to write on a daily basis are as long and varied as one’s imagination. In fact, I have a series of articles on my website, WritingThroughLife.com, dedicated to answer the question, Why Write? To complement that series, I thought it would be fun to put together the following short list of 10 reasons that prove why it’s beneficial — and important! — to write every day:

1. It moves stress from your body/mind to the page. Numerous studies have shown that journaling on a regular and consistent basis decreases stress. Why hold it in your body when you can move it out to the page?
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2. It gives you time for yourself, away from the demands of others. You may be one of those who feels guilty when she takes time for self-nurturing. If so, remember that when you take care of yourself, you will actually be better ready and able to take care of others, as well as your responsibilities. So self-nurturing translates, in the short and long run, to nurturing others. Try it for a while, and I’m sure you’ll agree with me.
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3. We can’t prevent the possibility of being hurt in life. Journal writing allows you to tap into your emotions and open the doors to healing and personal growth. By writing about issues and problems on a regular basis, not only can you heal past wounds, you can prevent new wounds from festering and help them to heal quickly.
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4. Helps you clarify your thoughts. When your mind seems to be just a jumble of thoughts, impressions, and emotions, and your not sure when you really think about something. Just the act of writing everything down can bring clarity to your thinking. It also helps you organize your thoughts, bringing important thoughts and priorities to the fore, and improves your analytical skills.
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5. Journal writing is empowering. You can use journaling — or even fiction writing — to express what you are not comfortable expressing to others in person.
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6. Journal writing engages and enhances you creativity. When exploring issues from the past or dreams for the future, you can allow your imagination to lead the way, thus engaging and enhancing your creativity.
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7. Journal writing helps you learn how to communicate better with others. You can use journaling to practice writing letters and/or craft ways of presenting ideas to others and to record your personal history for future generations. And if you write nonfiction memoir or fiction that others read, you will get feedback from your readers about your ability to communicate that you can then use for further practice.
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8. It might seem obvious, but sometimes we need to remind ourselves that writing every day teaches us the craft of writing. The more you practice, the more you will enhance your skill level.
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9. Writing every day helps you discover your personal writing process: what time of day and kinds of activities work best for you. You will learn how to be more productive as a writer and, as a big bonus, you will develop a natural and consistent writing voice.
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10. Finally, writing every day will help you become a more thoughtful reader. You will naturally approach reading from the point of view of a writer, taking in ideas and learning craft from every book, article, and essay that you read.
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Photo by Leo Reynolds

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Tagged as: daily writing, diary, journal writing prompt, Journaling, memoir, memoir journaling, reasons to write, writing