2b:Journal Writing Experience

Having kept my diary a few weeks now and experimented with the different ways in which it is possible to write a journal, I have taken note of the ways of writing that I am happy using and also the ways I did not feel particularly comfortable using. Although some of the suggested ways to write worked for me more than others, I found it very useful to change up the way in which I keep my diary and experiment with different formats of writing.

Description and Initial Reflection
I feel that although these were listed separately in the reader, that when writing they go hand in hand. When you think of a diary you would assume it typically consists of the days events and then your thoughts and feelings in regards to them. I feel most at ease using this writing technique, and although there is minimal structure, the freedom to write with no 'rules' can be quite theraputic.

List
I LOVE LISTS! So although this was a new approach to journal writing for me, I absolutely loved it. I am an avid list maker at home anyway, there is always a to do list in the kitchen and I keep a notepad on the bed side table incase I think of anything I need to jot down to remember for the morning before I can sleep, so this style came quite naturally to me! When writing in this format I found it best to begin by listing an event followed by anything I saw or felt in regards to the event. I found this way of journalling quite fast paced, almost like a word association game, by highlighting key events rather than rambling on in my usual style!

Evaluation
Evaluating my day is something I would not normally do when keeping a diary but I found it very helpful as teaching has highs and lows and it felt very positive noting down what worked well in class and any break throughs I had had, as well as keeping track of things that didn't work so well. I have continued to write a short evaluation daily now to highlight the days learnings that I should remember.

Graphs, charts and diagrams
I didn't find this helpful in the slightest, and although having researched 'My life in graphs: a guided journal' and finding the ideal quite novel I couldn't use it effectively when keeping my own note of events.

What if?
To me this seemed like storytelling and therefore defeated the point of keeping a journal. There are plenty of things in life i'm sure we would all love to happen or dream of doing, but that isn't reality and therefore this style made little sense to me.

Another view
To be blunt, I disliked this way of writing, a lot. Writing from the view point of an object seemed...silly, and I felt silly writing in this style. I tried writing from the view of my handbag as this is the only item that seems to follow me where ever I go! But I really struggled with this and didn't feel that it benefitted me in any way. However, I did find looking at the day from someone else's point of view very helpful. Although I wouldn't chose to write the whole day in this style, reflecting on certain situations from another persons view point is extremely effective when trying to solve a conflict of disagreement in opinion.

In conclusion I find writing in a descriptive style with initial reflection most natural. I intend to continue with evaluation because as I previously mentioned, this has proven itself in being a helpful way of tracking the good and bad and therefore allowing me to reflect and learn. I will also be using the list format if I am ever in a rush to write one evening because it was a quick, snappy way of jotting down that days events and took considerably less time than my usual essays do! More than anything, this exercise has shown me the power of perspective and although this doesn't happen daily, if I do have a disagreement or feel strongly in opposition to someone elses opinion, I will use the technique of writing from their point of view to analyse the situation and hopefully learn from it.