The Journal Newsletter
Introduction
After a very mild winter, spring is breaking here in Oklahoma. Rain. Tree buds. Flowers. Children on temporary reprieve from classes. Allergies. Some crazy “spring forward” nonsense. It’s great. =)
A new update of The Journal 7 is available. See “The Journal News” below for more information.
This month’s tip tells you how to use the editor’s optional ruler, and we have a handful of new writing prompts that might or might not have anything to do with spring.
Thank you for using The Journal!
The Journal News
The Journal 7 is the current release.
To see if you have the latest version of The Journal:
- Click on the “Help” menu in The Journal.
- Choose “Check for Update of The Journal”.
If you are using The Journal 6 (or an earlier version):
Tips & Tricks
TIP: Using the Ruler in the Entry Editor
The Journal’s entry editor includes a horizontal ruler. To make the ruler visible, click on the View menu and choose “Ruler”. To hide the ruler, do the same thing again.
The ruler displays either inches or millimeters, depending on your system settings. (NOTE: You can change from US to metric measurements, or vice versa, in User Preferences, on the General tab.)
The ruler displays the default tab positions as dots beneath the ruler. (NOTE: The default tabs are 0.5 inches for US measurements, and 10 mm for metric. You can set the default tab in User Preferences, on the Editor tab.)
You can use the ruler to set explicit tabs in the current paragraph by clicking on the ruler where you want the tab(s) to be.
You can also set the left and right margins for the current paragraph, and the first line or hanging indent levels. These features work much the same as they do in other word processors, by clicking on the margin or indent indicators and dragging them to where you want them.
(NOTE: If you need more precision when setting your tabs or indents, click on the Format menu and choose “Paragraph…”)
Writing Prompts
Free Writing Prompt – Write for 20 minutes using the following as your starter: “Creaky Springs”
Journaling Prompt – Are you old enough–or lucky enough–to have childhood memories of fresh-baked bread? Home-made lasagna? Hand-cranked ice cream? What do you remember? What do you miss? What have you tried to bring back?
Memoir Prompt – If you’re over a Certain Age, you probably owned a water bed. Admit it. How many? What kind of water bed mattress(es) did you have (and how did your cats like them)? What kind(s) of water bed pedestals/frames?
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.