Journals and Papers

Paraphrasing the Oxford Dictionary, the meaning of a journal is to keep a book, where the writer records his/her daily experiences, thereby creating a permanent account, kept for information.

Delving into this meaning, the book can be anything from:

• loose leaf sheets of paper or fine writing paper, which are inserted into a refillable journal;
• spiral notebooks;
• hardcover journals;
• leather bound journals;
• notebook journals;
• to a sketchbook.

The book could be lined, blank, made for art medium or pen and pencil.

A writer who keeps a journal is anyone who wishes to write their thoughts on paper. The record could be of daily thoughts and actions – similar to keeping a diary, “Today I had the time of my life when…”. It might be a recording of in-depth ideas on a particular subject, or emotional thoughts that need to be released therapeutically without an audience. The record could be something as simple as writing down favorite quotes.

A journal is a permanent account, but only when the author chooses to make it so. Some people who keep journals have volumes and volumes, created and collected over years of writing, stored in home libraries. Others have small notebooks strewn about, kept close at hand for writing urgent thoughts, tossed when full and no longer needed. Some journals never see the light of day, hidden carefully away each night, the owner hoping it remains private.

Is a journal kept for informational purposes? In some cases yes, when the writer wishes to remember ideas and thoughts and share them with family and friends, or one day have them published. In other cases - no - the thoughts of the writer must find their way to paper as a release only, temporary; a writing never to be viewed again.

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   May 6th, 2008 at 5:55 am

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