The Journal Newsletter
Introduction
Merry Christmas! Happy Hanukkah! Happy Kwanzaa! Yo Yuletide! Go Go Winter Solstice!
Welcome to The Journal’s December 2005 newsletter!
There is an update of The Journal 4 available (Build #163). Look in “News” section for what’s new and fixed, and to get download and installation instructions.
Susan provides a new set of writing exercises, and I created another free add-on package for this month’s Tips & Tricks. This package utilizes the new “Default Entry Template” feature (and a bug-fix in Build #163) to create a simple address book category.
Thank you for choosing DavidRM Software’s The Journal!
Tips & Tricks
TIP: Creating a Simple Address Book in The Journal
This month’s tip creates a simple address book in a loose-leaf category. I’ve had a few people over the years ask me about having an address book inside The Journal, and this week it occurred to me that recent new features opened up some interesting possibilities.
Here’s an overview of how I created an address book in The Journal:
- I created a new loose-leaf category and called it “My Address Book”.
- In “My Address Book” I created a new, simple template entry called “Address Book Template”. This template has a table with places for the person’s name, email address, telephone, and so on.
- I created top-level entries for each letter of the alphabet: “A” through “Z”.
- In Category Properties, on the Entry tab, I set “Address Book Template” to be the “Default Entry Template” of “My Address Book”.
Now, when I wish to add someone to my address book, I only have to do this:
- Bring up “My Address Book”.
- Right-click on the letter I want to file them under, and choose “Create New Sub-Entry | Document”.
- Give the new entry their name.
Since the address book template is automatically loaded in every new entry, all I have to do is fill in the table with the person’s contact information.
Plus, being a loose-leaf category, I can easily re-arrange the contact entries or even sort them (Right-click the parent/letter entry and choose “Sort Sub-Entries…”). And with “Search Entries” (on the Search menu; hot-key: Ctrl+Shift+F) I can search on whole or partial names, or even address or other information.
And that’s all there is to it.
You don’t have to do any of the setup I describe above, though. I created a free add-on package, called “My Address Book for The Journal”, that you can download from here:
https://www.davidrm.com/download/j4mabsetup.exe
Make sure The Journal isn’t running when you install the package. The next time you run The Journal, you will be asked if you want to install the “My Address Book” package. Click on “Yes”.
NOTE: I recommend that you be running the latest update of The Journal *before* you install “My Address Book”. Look in the “News” section above for download instructions for the update.
Let me know if you have any questions about using or customizing “My Address Book”: support@davidrm.com
Writing Prompts
by Susan Michael
Free Writing Exercise – Write for 20 minutes using the starter, “Under the Microscope”.
Poetry Exercise – Write a poem about playing Jacks, Hopscotch, or another such game.
Prose Exercise – Write a job resume for a character from a fairy tale or from Aesop fables.
Journaling Exercise – Practice your descriptive skills. Write descriptions of people, buildings, decor, etc. For each category you choose write at least two separate descriptions.
Memoir Prompt – Have you ever received something from a contest or giveaway? Try to recall all the things that you have “won” and what you did with your winnings.
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.