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You'll likely go back and re-read some of your old journal entries in the future, and having the date and location will help you understand them. Put the month, day, and year at the top corner of the page. Then, write your location under it. For instance, "March 10, 2020, Sitting in a coffee house." You don't need to use an opening for your journal entries. However, you might find that it helps you get into the flow of writing. If you use an opening, write it in the left top corner on the first line of your entry. You might write, "Dear Journal." You've probably gotten into the habit of avoiding the pronoun "I" in your writing because it's frowned upon in academic writing. However, you can do anything you want in your journal, and your entries are about you. Use "I" to talk about yourself in your journal. For example, you'd write something like, "I finally tried that new coffee shop today." When you're journaling, jot down your thoughts as they come to you. Don't worry about making sense, using proper sentences, or making errors. Focus on what you need to say and avoid re-reading what you've already written. Keep writing until you feel like you've reached the ending. For instance, don't pause and read over what you've already written. It doesn't matter if you've made mistakes or gotten lost in what you were trying to say. Your journal entry doesn't need to make sense to anyone but you. Journaling is a great opportunity to express your creativity. Experiment with your journal entries to try out different ways of expressing yourself. Here are some ideas for how to get creative: Write a poem. Draw pictures to go along with your writing. List your thoughts instead of writing them out. Turn a memory into a story. Write down song lyrics that are meaningful right now. Paste in mementos from your day, like a movie ticket, a bus ticket, a flyer, or receipt. You don't need to worry about making grammar or punctuation errors in your journal. In fact, it's okay if you want to ignore punctuation altogether! Similarly, don't stop to check your spelling. Allow yourself to freewrite without worrying about writing rules. For instance, you might decide to write stream of consciousness. This means writing all of your thoughts as they come to you without worrying if they're complete sentences are not. Sensory details evoke your 5 senses of sight, sound, scent, touch, and taste. Including these details makes your entries more interesting and helps you remember the event more clearly. Look for opportunities to include these details when you're describing events or memories from your life. As an example, let's say you went to the beach. You might include details like, "The breeze felt cool when it struck my face," "I tasted salt on my tongue," "I could smell the seaweed that had washed onto the shore," "A grey mist hovered over the ocean, but I could still see a boat in the distance," and "The lapping waves lulled me into an afternoon nap." It's okay to set a goal for how long you want your journal entries to be. However, give yourself permission to write as much or as little as possible. A few sentences every day is better than a full page every once in a while. Write down what comes to you, but allow yourself to stop when you feel like the entry is over. For instance, you might have some days where you just jot down a quick list. On other days, you might write several pages. Let yourself be flexible.
Write the date and location at the top of your page. Begin with an opening like "Dear Diary" or "Dear Self" if you like. Use the first-person pronoun "I" throughout your journal. Write freely without self-editing your journal entries. Get creative with your formatting if you like. Ignore grammar or spelling rules when journaling. Incorporate interesting sensory details to make your entries more vivid. Don't worry about the length of your journal entries.