The Journal Newsletter
Introduction
Welcome to the New Year, 2007!
Joan Korte brings us a new tip for using The Journal’s reminders, and, as always, we have a new set of writing exercises.
I’m working on a new minor update of The Journal which should be ready in February. Some of the new features (and a couple fixes) make possible some new add-on packages that will also be available soon.
Thank you for choosing DavidRM Software’s The Journal!
Tips & Tricks
TIP: Reminders in Reverse
by Joan Korte
Reminders seemed to me to be a feature more for appointments and projects et cetera, a type of PIM. I didn’t think I would use The Journal’s reminders at all since I don’t work.�But …
I’m finding a tremendous use for reminders, because I’m someone who likes to place check marks AFTER accomplishing tasks. I do it all, after the fact, and then if I want to see what I have accomplished in a weeks time I look at “View All Reminders” (on the Reminder menu).
For example, I complete reading a book on a certain day.�I enter that as a task in The Journal and check mark it. Or if I do a task for a friend, I enter that task after and check it off.
Usually I enter and check off the reminder at the same time.�It is a tool to help me to feel like I am making “measurable” headway and actually FINISHING things I start. Me, I have ten books in various piles, all of which are partially read. I feel better when I finish one and even better when I can look at a check mark next to that book in The Journal. What the common denominator in all of this is–I don’t have deadlines but just a need for closure and organization.
For what it’s worth, this is how I use reminders–somewhat backwards.
God Bless,
Joan Korte
For most journaling and scrapbooking purposes, images, especially digital photos, don’t need to be stored at their full size. However, having to reduce the images before putting them in The Journal can be inconvenient.
The Journal’s automatic image resizing feature, though, makes it possible to have your images automatically resized when you insert them.
You can activate this feature by clicking on the “User” menu, and choosing “User Preferences…” Bring up the “Editor” tab to see the image resizing options.
Resizing can be fully automatic (check “Automatic”), or you can have The Journal prompt you (check “Prompt”). Of course, you can also turn resizing off (check “None”).
The images are resized according to their largest dimension. If the image’s width is greater than its height, then the “Resize if Width > (greater than)” setting is used to scale the image. If the height is greater than the wide, then the “Resize if Height > (greater than)” setting is used instead.
The default values for both width and height are 800 pixels. You can set these to any value you want (so long as it’s greater than 0). You can even set them to different values, if you want. Feel free to experiment to see what image sizes look best in your configuration.
The image is resampled during the resize, so that the quality of the image remains high. If you like nitty gritty details: The resampling uses the Lanczos resampling algorithm with a 6×6 cell size.
Writing Prompts
by Susan Michael
Free Writing Prompt – Write for 20 minutes using the following as your title or starting phrase: “A song of allusion…”
Journaling Prompt – It’s easy to forget how much we’ve accomplished. Make a detailed list of all of your accomplishments, big and small, for last year. In the New Year, consider how you can keep better track of what you’ve done.
Memoir Prompt – What are the different ways you’ve celebrated the New Year throughout your life? Do you have a traditional way you celebrate New Years with your friends and family? How has that tradition changed over the years?
About the author: Susan Michael 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.