The Journal Newsletter
Introduction
Welcome to the September newsletter for The Journal!
Susan gives us a new set of writing exercises, and I have a couple of new tips about using the new “Default Entry Template” feature and how to get The Journal to start with Windows.
In somewhat related news, my second nonfiction book, “Serious Games: Games that Educate, Train, and Inform” (ISBN: 1592006221) will be released this month. And, of course, the book was written using The Journal. 🙂
Thank you for choosing DavidRM Software’s The Journal!
Tips & Tricks
TIP: How to have a “Default Entry Template”
If you would like to have a writing prompt (from the Templates category, or the optional Writing Prompts 1 add-on package) brought up each day, or even if you would just like to have a special template automatically loaded for each new day (or each new entry in a loose-leaf category), here’s how you do it:
2. Bring up the “Entry” tab.
3. Select the template to automatically insert from the “Default Entry Template” list. The drop down list will show all of the templates you have available in The Journal.
4. Click on “Done”.
This feature is available in The Journal 4 Build #153 and later. If you’re using an earlier version, you’ll want to upgrade.
Writing Prompts
by Susan Michael
Free Writing Exercise – Write for 20 minutes using the title, “The Shadow Children”.
Poetry Exercise – Write a villanelle, or a terzanelle.
villanelle
A 19-line poem of fixed form consisting of five tercets and a final quatrain on two rhymes, with the first and third lines of the first tercet repeated alternately as a refrain closing the succeeding stanzas and joined as the final couplet of the quatrain. (from http://www.dictionary.com)
terzanelle
A terzanelle is a poetry form which is a combination of the villanelle and the terza rima. It is nineteen lines total, with five triplets and a concluding quatrain. The rhyme scheme is as follows: Ending Type 1:fAFA’ (fromhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terzanelle)
Prose Exercise – 1. Write a short story using the title, “When the Ice Melts”.
2. Write a short story using the title, “Comfort”.
Journaling Exercise – Make a list of things that would make up your artistic “survival kit”, things you would not want to be without as an artist.
Memoir Prompt – Write about a school trip or a camp that you attended.
Opinion Prompt – Write about three films that you think are exceptional.
About the author: Susan Michael currently facilitates the Tulsa Writers Cafe for the Arts & Humanities Council in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Ms. Michael has also led writing & creativity workshops for children, teenagers, and adults.
Submission Information
If you would like to contribute to the “How I Use The Journal”, “Writing Exercises”, or “Tips & Tricks” sections, or would like to submit an article about journaling, writing, or another The Journal-related topic, we would love to hear from you.
Submissions for the newsletter should be sent to: support@davidrm.com
If you are submitting for a particular section, please indicate which one. Try to limit your submissions to 500-1000 words. Submissions may be edited for length and content.
If you prefer to remain anonymous, please state this in the email. Otherwise your name (but not your email) will be used in the article heading.
As always, if you have any suggestions for, or bug reports about, The Journal, please feel free to email them. Both are always welcome.