The Uses of Journaling

      When an athlete goes for a length of time without exercise and practice, his overall performance falls a certain amount. Muscles grow weak, determination wanes, and the skills sharpened over years of experience begin to lose their edge. No matter how hard he tries, if he doesn't spend time to coax these strengths and skills back to their former height, the level he performs at will be much lower than before.
      Writing is no different. A writer must stay disciplined, making sure to write daily and maintain focus. When it comes to practices that keep a writer on the top of his or her game, a journal is one of the best tools that writer can have.
      I myself have found journaling to be the only way to keep myself sharp. Everyone is different, but if you are like me, you need your writing journal to keep you motivated and well practiced.
      Keeping a journal does two things, mainly. The first of these is it gives you a reason to write daily, which helps you exercise your skills and continually improve. Even if you aren't working on a project at a certain time, you can still pull out your journal and give yourself a writing prompt to work on.
      The second thing a journal does is it relieves the stresses of everyday life. My life has been plagued with pain for a few years, and my journal has allowed me to lock my pain within its pages. There lies some of the rawest, most true writing I have ever done. My mind is clear, because I am able to write about my pain objectively, rather than live in it.
      A journal is a useful tool, and one that is very easy to use. It doesn't require eloquent writing, nor does it require truth, even. All it needs is words. By keeping a journal, a writer can exercise his or her skills without needing a purpose to do so. The writer's mind is brought into focus, page by page, until the stresses of each day retreat into each word. To each and every writer out there like myself: use this tool. You will be better because of it.

~Denton