Muse Monday: Keeping a Writing Journal

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Last week we talked about keeping a writer’s notebook to house all your wonderful ideas. But have you considered keeping a writing journal? This is different from a writer’s notebook. It doesn’t house ideas, but instead a writing journal is a place to log your progress and help keep you focused–a diary of your writing habits, thoughts, feelings, and even meditations or mantras.

As some of you prepare to leap into NaNoWriMo next week, you may be feeling uneasy, unprepared, and ready to give up before you ever start. You may look at your daily goal (1,666 words if you plan to write every day), wondering how you’ll even meet it. You may also feel that adding a writing journal ON TOP of all of this will make it even more impossible to meet your daily goal.

Don’t get all worked up just yet. I’m not asking you to spill your blood, sweat, and tears here. I’m just suggesting you use a writing journal (or even a section in your writer’s notebook or on your blog) to note your moods, give yourself pep talks, or blow off some steam. 

You can use it to:

• Set goals
• Celebrate accomplishments
• Write about your feelings

Make it a word, a sentence, or answer a question:

• How did it go today?
• Did you meet your goals or set any new ones?
• Kill anyone off in you WIP?

Don’t over-complicate it. It’s merely a way to track your writing accomplishments.  And for those participating in NaNoWriMo, you can look back and remember what it was like to write a 50,000 word novel in a month. And if you feel like participating in NaNoWriMo again, you can analyze this data to determine how to iron out your process.

Or…

You can hand it down to you children, so they can witness you coming apart at the seams .

Happy Muse Monday!

Related posts:

1. Six for Sunday: Six-word writing prompt #3
2. Muse Monday: Getting ready for NaNoWriMo
3. Muse Monday: The writer’s notebook