Task 2b- Journal Writing Experience

My Journal. What to write and how to write it. Well I can find plenty to write about; I can talk for England. But how to write it? That is the question. So I decided to explore all the suggested writing styles.

I do love lists! I have lists for everything. In fact I have even been known to make lists of my lists!! So I have found the best thing for me is to write a list of events throughout the day. This helps me to remember what I did as I have realised my memory is not very good! After this I inserted a spider diagram, which helped me to elaborate on my feelings and emotions. I particularly like this idea as it allows me to write key thoughts down and it develops into a larger diagram. I am a very visual and kinesthetic learner (and always loved art!)

I initially started my journal by describing what I had done throughout the day. This was fine apart from the fact that I couldn’t really add my thoughts and emotions as I went through. It also wasn’t ideal for me as I had to wait until the end of the day to do this, and with my memory I occasionally missed things out.

So the next day I tried the ‘Initial Reflection’ method and the following day by doing the ‘Evaluation’ technique. Both of these approaches were great.

My ‘Initial Reaction’ journal explored what I did as well as my thoughts and different moods. My ‘Evaluation’ journal allowed me to expand on my daily events and evaluate what went well and what went wrong. The thing that I didn’t like about this is the fact that late at night I had to start writing and reflecting. I work much better in the morning and like to relax at night. This is why lists and diagrams throughout the day are best for me.

The question “What if?” was a very interesting method. It sent my imagination wild! I do feel I could incorporate this into my lists and diagrams and therefore this is a way I can delve deeper into my emotions.

I really didn’t like writing my journal in ‘Another view’ style. I found it strange and awkward writing about my day through another person’s eyes. This definitely is not the way for me to write my journal. I didn’t enjoy it, found it hard work and therefore it didn’t flow naturally. I gained nothing from it.

A few people have blogged about writing a poem. My attempt at this was hilarious. I definitely know poetry isn’t my forte! My poem ended up not making sense and certainly didn’t reflect my day; as I was more worried about it rhyming than being meaningful. I read it out to my boyfriend and my mum and they simply laughed. Although it was amusing writing it, I did not get anything out of it at all.

To conclude, this whole journal experience has really opened my mind and has introduced me to different writing styles. It has really made me appreciate how many emotions I go through on a daily basis. By writing a list throughout the day and intensifying it by drawing a spider diagram at night, it allows me to remember everything I did and go through my feelings, thoughts, emotions and possibilities. This is definitely the best format for me. If I ever have extra time at night I will develop this by doing either a brief essay in the ‘Initial reflection’ style or ‘Evaluation’ approach. But my life is generally very busy and as a result of this, lists and diagrams suit me best.