The Journal Newsletter
Introduction
The new year is now well underway. I spent the last week or so of December hammering out my goals for the year. And then spent the first couple weeks of January revising them. Life is like that. Sometimes you make plans. Sometimes the plans find you.
Denise Alsop-Rhoades shares how she has learned to keep a journal, and I offer a new set of writing exercises and two more tips for getting the most out of The Journal.
Thank you for choosing DavidRM Software’s The Journal!
Tips & Tricks
TIP: How to Make an Entry on Any Date, Past, Present or Future
The Journal makes it easy to make entries for the current date, of course, and even for the current month (since you can just click on the calendar to bring up an entry for that day).
But did you know you can make an entry on ANY date? Here’s how:
1. Click on the “Go” menu and choose “Go to Date” (hot-key: Ctrl+F5)
2. Type in the date you want, and click on OK (or press ENTER).
If that date has an entry, you’ll see it. If not, then a new blank entry will be made available.
There is no limit to how far back you can go, nor how far forward. Any date is valid.
TIP: Search The Journal Web Page, Newsletters and User Discussion List
There is now a way to quickly and easily search through The Journal’s entire Web page, including all issues of The Journal Newsletter, and The Journal’s User Discussion emailing list.
Go to The Journal’s Web page and type in what you’re looking for at the “Search” prompt, below the site menu.
If a tip has ever been in a newsletter or a question discussed in the emailing list, you’ll be able to find it.
Writing Prompts
Free Writing Prompt – Write for 20 minutes using the following as your starter: “Hello Coffee…”
Journaling Prompt – Are your favorite drinks your favorite because you enjoy drinking them? Or is there something more sinister at work? When was the last time you tried a new type or flavor of drink?
Memoir Prompt – What did you drink as a child? Tea? Coffee? Milk? Juice? Kool-aid? How did your drinking habits change as you grew up? Do certain drinks remind you of specific times in your life? What are the most exotic beverages you’ve sampled?
How I Use The Journal
Editor’s Note: The Journal is used by people from all over the world, from many nations, representing a variety of personal, professional, and religious backgrounds. Journaling is by definition an intensely personal undertaking, so it should not be surprising that when someone writes about how or why they keep a journal that they will end up sharing personal information. The Journal Newsletter does not support any particular personal or religious lifestyle, but rather attempts to support anyone who keeps a journal, for whatever reason they do so. Thus, the views and opinions expressed in “How I Use The Journal” are solely those of the submitter and not necessarily the views of DavidRM Software. Whether you agree with the submitter’s views or not, I encourage you to read the article and glean from it the information and techniques that “ring true” for you.
by Denise Alsop-Rhoades
I just wanted to start out by saying that I never did any journaling or diary keeping until my recent class through Ashford University. I guess I really never thought of it as being therapeutic or relaxing but I was definitely wrong. By learning different ways and being creative and open, I was able to express my inner thoughts and feelings in a positive and therapeutic manner. I also was able to get my daughter to start journaling and with her it helped in aiding her in a recent break-up and getting through her finals. It is nice to be able to talk to someone but at times it is not always convenient so this was a way to express and analyze the situations.
Some helpful tips to journaling was to be open with your feelings as if you were talking to your best friend. Always and I mean always, put one or two positive things that have happened throughout the day or something that your looking forward to. I believe that alleviates the negativity in journaling and when looking back through your able to smile and not just see sadness.
In closing, journaling is a way to soothe feelings and capture excitement and open windows and doors to a lifetime of creativity.
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.