Dear Readers:

In 2007, journaling sounded like it had the potential to become another tedious, monotonous, boring activity. Like scrubbing toilets. My days had a rhythm and routine that kept the accomplishments coming, but why would I want to record them and who on earth would ever want read about them? Guess I suffered from “B. A.” aka “bad attitude” when I started attending class. It was taught by a marvelous woman, Sue Meyn, who told us we all had “power and magic” within us. Sounded promising. I waited for further inspiration. I had read The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron, who encouraged daily “free writing” – what she calls “morning pages.” She recommends the method as an antidote to the dreaded writer’s block. This journaling thing seemed much the same. Class proved to be an eye-opener. Starting with Sue’s creation, Journal Cards, we ventured into exploring our childhood memories, happy and other-wise, quotes and quips from our children and grandchildren, spiritual longings and spontaneous prayers, memories from our parents. The list seemed endless. I am happy to say that daily writing that is uninhibited by rules of grammar, syntax, formal organization is a liberating experience – what Gail Godwin calls her “thinking out grounds.” And reviewing my musings a year or more later amazes me. Time seems to fly but also stand still. And I think my thoughts and ideas generate events and more vivid characters that come to life on my pages. I came away convinced this would help my writing immeasurably. The plot thickens.