Journal Writing

Journal Writing

For one of my classes we have to keep a journal, writing at least four entries a week. The entries can be about anything really and the teacher doesn't read them, just makes sure that they are done every week. The entries can also be any length whatsoever.

Not gonna lie, sometimes in my entries I only write one sentence. However, on other entries I end up filling up pages of my notebook. Most of my class isn't too keen on the assignment though, and they end up only writing one sentence per entry. What is it that makes journal writing so appealing to some and so repulsive to others?

My classmates that aren't too fond of the assignment all say the same thing: Well, I don't do anything. The thing is, neither do I. Our days are largely identical, so what's the difference between us?

Over the years I have managed to amass a vast collection of spiral notebooks, composition notebooks, loose leaf papers, and various websites where I have cataloged years of my life. Why? They are for the most part very boring even for me to read. When I die they will probably be recycled. Plus, my time writing them could be spent writing stories or spent with my family or my friends. So why do it?

Initially, I could only really think of two reasons, the first of which mainly just applies to me. 1) the people I prefer to spend time with don't live very close and 2) it's so much easier than paying a therapist.

However, I did come up with a new theory consisting of two parts. The first part is how people who enjoy and avidly write journal entries are most likely introverted [in my opinion, I have no science to back this up]. The second part is that these introverted journal writers probably think better once their thoughts are outside of their head, and since talking to yourself has that whole, "You're crazy," stigma, journal writing is not only the next best thing, but an accepted form of talking to yourself [or an inanimate object for those of us who start entries with, "Dear Journal"].

Now, I'm not saying that people who write are introverts, just that those who write journals are. But hey, I could be wrong, and in that case, it's just a theory.