Do you like to journal?

Discussion in 'Journaling and Storytelling' started by bestcee, Feb 21, 2017.

Do you like to journal?

  1. Yes

    25 vote(s)
    75.8%
  2. No

    8 vote(s)
    24.2%
  1. bestcee

    bestcee In love with places I've never been to

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    Do you like to journal? Why? Or why not?

    It's one of those interesting subjects that I see a lot of polarization on, especially in scrapbooking and memory keeping.
     
  2. tkradtke

    tkradtke Professional Brainstormer

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    I needed an "it's complicated" option! :giggle

    For the most part, I don't mind journaling... but I hate (I know that's a strong word) people reading it, especially in front of me! I actually don't mind people here at TLP reading my journaling, but some reason it bugs me to watch people read the journaling in my actual books. My in-laws go through my books, page by page, every time they're here and read every single word (an comment). I realize that this is ultimately a good thing, but it still makes me squirm. It also bothers me when my husband reads my journaling (my kids just flip through and look at the photos). I think the reason that it might be is because the physical people in my house have their own version of the events I'm writing about in their heads, and I worry that my version doesn't match theirs. That's one reason I don't journal in the trip albums that I make for the trips I take with my parents. My thoughts are usually in the travel journal that I make just for myself.

    I've been on a journaling rampage lately though. I think it started with my DYD album (which isn't near done yet... sigh). And now I'm doing more of it on all of my pages... even my PL pages. I think some of this is spurred by my parents cleaning out my grandmother's house and finding boxes upon boxes of unlabeled photos. It's motivated me to make sure I tell the story to go with the photo, instead of just creating a photo album.
     
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  3. bcgal00

    bcgal00 Say, "birdseed!"

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    I don't feel very comfortable journaling but I want to improve. I have been making an effort to add a bit of journaling to some of my LOs now. I think family appreciates getting a bit of backstory on what the particulars are.
     
  4. gonewiththewind

    gonewiththewind I choose joy.

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    I don't mind journaling . . . I just don't journal as much as most scrappers do that are heavy-journalers. I used to just date and identify the people in the photos . . . now I end up including location and my thoughts. I'm OK with people reading the journaling, even family, because I'm telling my own story even though they might be family events. It's my perspective.
     
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  5. michelepixels

    michelepixels A pun is not fully matured until it is full groan.

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    I love journaling. I think it's the first way I ever considered recording my life. I started writing my first diary at the age of 8. I still have it. It's a little ugly green thing with orange-edged pages and my entries are mostly short. "Today was no school. I miss school!" :giggle I've been writing about my life ever since, most prolifically in high school when I regularly filled thick spiral notebooks in just 3 months. As an adult I've been very inconsistent about where I write but I have written a lot. This year I think I'm getting into a habit of journaling daily on simple digital scrapbook pages. I'm making them 8x10 and will print them in Blurb's trade book style.

    I also don't feel a scrapbook page is complete without journaling! :)
     
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  6. mcurtt

    mcurtt give me all the paleo brownies

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    I love to journal. I used to have diaries growing up, but sadly they had been tossed out. I journal daily (digitally), create a 2 page spread for each month. When I'm on vacation, I bring along pen & paper to journal. If I'm taking a big trip, I go shopping for just the right journal for me to bring along. Sometimes I pre-decorate the pages with washi tape, zentangles, travel info, etc. I have no problems coming up with things to say.
     
  7. jk703

    jk703 CEO of Anything and Everything, Everywhere

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    I like to journal... but I'm not a heavy full page of journaling. That overwhelms me. I like short, sweet, top the point, and more on the happy/funny side. I will do others, but that is a preference.
     
  8. AliSarah

    AliSarah Oh great. Now I have pixie dust in my hair!

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    I love to journal because I feel like it is a chance for me to share the story of the day or the event with whoever is coming back to look at the pages I make. I'm also a bit of a rambler, so I like that it's a chance for me to say as much or as little as I want about it without anyone interrupting me, lol...

    Huggles!!
    ~Sarah~
     
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  9. BevG

    BevG If I can't remember it, it didn't happen

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    I love to journal to tell a story, especially if there is a funny one around the photo(s). My scrapbooks have been used more than once to settle a family "argument" over when something happened or who was there or something similar. So they always have the dates and what is going on in the photos.

    We like to play mini-golf when vacationing. I always include the scores in the scrapbook and who got hole-in-ones, cause you know that is bragging rights.
     
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  10. StefanieS

    StefanieS Think it over, think it under

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    I love to journal.

    My older children don't like Mom's wordiness quite as much, so I will often post a layout with little or corrected journaling and then re-do the story details before printing. Sometimes I type faster than I think so there are typos as well.
     
  11. Lindzee

    Lindzee Aging gracefully

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    What @tkradtke said. Also a picture is worth a thousand words, they do not need mine. I generally add a caption, but I like the pictures to trigger memories in others. I don't want to shade them .
     
  12. IntenseMagic

    IntenseMagic Some grannies cuss a lot. I'm some grannies.

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    I don't mind journaling and I'm getting better at it...sometimes lol. I can journal easily on a PL page or an event page when I'm explaining what went on that day or week, but when I'm scrapping just like a selfie my daughter took, there's just not really much to say except "another Morgan selfie" lol. Those usually get just a date or a fitting word art or a quick caption.
     
  13. Karen

    Karen Wiggle it, just a little bit!

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    I definitely love to journal... i can't remember if I always did or if I've gotten better at it since I've been doing it for so long, but to me, the journaling is the most important part of my scrapbooking because I have a horrible memory and already go back and look at my scrapbook to remember details about certain trips or events.
     
  14. QuiltyMom

    QuiltyMom I'll never run out of things to do!

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    The only time I did was when I was in junior high, until I realized someone could find it and read it. Eek! That was the end of my journaling experience. I've never liked to write, so sitting down to write/type something other than the basics needed on a scrapbook page is about all I do. I'll write down family history, but that's about it.

    I see all these lovely planners that people do, and although they are quite amazing, I have no desire to do one. Getting album pages done is hard enough for me to accomplish!
     
  15. jenn mccabe

    jenn mccabe She's OUR sunshine!

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    I love to journal on my pages ... literature was a fave class in High School and writing is very soothing to me. However, I am really really all over the place with how much I actually put on my pages. Sometimes none (except maybe a date and some WA), sometimes short and sweet-just the necessities, sometimes very detailed, and every once in a great while ... the page is full on decked out in words. It all depends on the reason for the page.
     
  16. EHStudios

    EHStudios I am more clever than I think

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    My answer is more both.

    I don't like TO journal, but I love when I HAVE journaling.
    I don't like people READING my journaling, but love HEARING how it sparks a story from them.

    It's just that I find it intimidating & also think that I sound stupid or silly or inconsequential.
     
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  17. klee73010

    klee73010 I might have a thing for drummers

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    I like journaling. Mostly I just like to talk. Journaling is how I talk to people whom I am not face to face with....

    For that reason, I feel awkward if I am sitting right in front of someone who is reading my journaling... like I should be telling them, rather than them reading about it.

    Not to mention, one thing I don't like hearing is the mistakes I made, and if someone is reading it in front of you, they point it out. I am okay with the reality that the mistakes do happen, but I don't like someone to point it out while I'm standing there watching them read my journaling.
     
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  18. lizziej

    lizziej Active Member

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    I love to journal! It's the reason I started scrapbooking. If I don't journal, then, to me, it's just a decorated photo album, which I never really wanted. I used to be on this paper scrapbooking site, and it would bug me when the scrappers would describe their layout, including the reason behind the photos, and not journal about it. I kept wanting to tell them -- put it on the page so that years from now you and others will know what's going on in the photos. Many of them had really good stories to tell, too!
     
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  19. cfile

    cfile My bags are packed for Platform 9 3/4

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    I journal and it depends what it is to determine how much journaling is done. I love the book I made for our 20th anniv and that had tons of journaling and it is a good read... I have no issues with anyone reading it. I intend to do another book this year as we are celebrating 25 years ... fun memories for sure.
     
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  20. KatrinaHunt13

    KatrinaHunt13 And *POOF* it appeared!

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    I am weird! I don't like to journal on my pages, but give me my blog or a major life crisis and I can write a book. I guess maybe I journal/write better under pressure.

    I never used to journal on my pages, but then when I asked for some insight on what I could do better (I didn't make a team I tried out for and asked for feedback), the person said journaling. Which really confused me, because no one on the team journaled, so maybe it was a way that I would have made the team had I done it?! Confused the heck out of me.

    I do now try to include a little on the page about the picture and at least the date and month.
     
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