Journals

Something that both Columbia College and Bath Spa University have in common is that they encourage us to write everyday.  It makes sense really, we are writing students after all.
In my first year Core class, the equivalent of Fiction 1, we were told that writing 500 words a day was something that we should be aiming for.  In Fiction 1 we are asked to make regular journal entries, including lists, observations, fragments of stories and essays. 
The 500 words often resulted in people coming to class and saying they had not really done much writing and that a lot of the time was spent re-visiting and editing old work which is not quite the same thing. It can be very tempting to type out the 500 daily words but the problem here is the delete key.  Whole paragraphs of work can we erased with a simple click and that goes against the point entirely. By maintaining regular, handwritten journal entries I've found that not only am forced to create new work but I also have a tangible object I can hold in my hand.

My journal is also the notebook I use for class...

Personally my journal is in the same book that I use to make my notes in class.  I am horrifically unorganised and so have found having one book that I use for all of my Fiction Writing and journal I am more likely to write each day.
One of the only gripes I have with the journal idea is that John Shulz, author of Writing From Start To Finish and creator of the Story Workshop method that our class follows, says that journals should be private - meaning writers have absolute freedom to develop and explore their writing. Every few weeks however we are asked to type out one or two journal entries and hand them in. Not only does this mean they are no longer private, but occasionally we are aslo asked to read aloud from our journals.  
An easy way to get around this is obviously to just write entries that you are happy to share but that does suggest a level of self censorship that would not have been there otherwise.

The main thing I love about my journal is that I am using it.  I find myself revisiting descriptions or phrases, whole chunks of prose, that I have scribbled down in it's pages, whether it is work that class, another class, or for an article. This idea that I have a constantly growing resource is a very attractive one.  
If you're a writer and you're stuck not being able to write consistently then I would recommend a journal for sure.


P.S I think I am the only person in class who illustrates theirs...
P.P.S I turn 22 tomorrow.  Happy Birthday to me!