Journaling can be a very useful tool for professional poets and storytellers. Here are some reasons to consider keeping a journal:

1) It keeps you sane

Psychologists recommend journaling to their patients, because journals are private they can be used as your own personal therapy session. Instead of keeping everything bottled up you can write your frustrations and get them out on paper and this reduces your chances of depression, appearing crazy by blowing up in public for no apparent reason and getting sick from all the toxic energy that bad emotions produced.

2) It helps you de-clutter

Writing journal entries refocuses you. If you tend to have a million and one things going on in your head all at once and you have no clue what you write about, journaling is an easy way to get to the heart of the matter in a quick and easy manner by eliminating all trivial ideas.

3) It gives you clarity by acting as your mirror

Journaling is a great way to have your thoughts reflected back at you. Most of the time we are not even aware of what we are thinking until someone tells us or shows us. Writing your thoughts down is a great way to see all the lies you’re telling yourself and the truths you so readily believe from others. It is a good way to reveal limiting beliefs and recurring behavioral patterns.

4) It can help you keep track of your dreams

People have been trying to read dreams since forever. Dreams can be great material for professional poets and storytellers because of the imagery. We have always heard it said that dreams are symbolic and that our dreams carry messages. If you are the type of person who remembers dreams in the morning, dream journals are a great way to keep track of dreams and analyze them. I find it particularly helpful to look through these journal entries a week later and see the trends and similarities.

5) It makes you a better writer

Practice makes perfect and as one of the best poetry writing tips, keeping a journal is a great way to practice writing. Personally, I think faster than I can write but keeping a journal has trained my mind to follow through on a thought and finish analyzing it before jumping to the next thought.

6) It jogs your imagination and/or memory

Keeping a journal can help exercise memory recall if you are writing about past events.   Scrapbook journaling can be a great way to let your mind wander without any restrictions which jogs the imagination.

7) It is a great way to recall little things and count your blessings

Most of us  have a tendency to remember the big things and all that is going wrong. That is natural because these are the things we want to correct and get done. Keeping a journal is a great way to recall minor lessons and little things that made you smile during the day but that you promptly forgot. Counting your blessings can evoke gratitude, which can be life changing.

It gets you in touch with yourself

Because there is no reason to screen your thoughts or stop yourself from saying what you really think deep down, journaling can be a powerful introspective tool that can give you the opportunity to understand yourself and your actions. Most of the time people will not let themselves think a particular way or feel a particular emotion because they have been taught that it is wrong, but to rid yourself of a particular emotion you first have to acknowledge it and journaling can be a great way to do this.

9) It is great way to hear your inner voice

Most of us are often online, watching television or just plain busy; we very rarely get time to sit down in silence and just think or listen for the advice or answers that are within us. Writing freely for a few minutes can reveal those answers and that innate intuition.

10) It is a great memoir for your children or you may also become famous so you can sell it for loads of money!

Even if you never become famous, a journal is a beautiful and personal way to share your story with your children and grandchildren. They will definitely cherish your past experiences and insights long after you are gone.

Keeping a journal is easy; you can use pen and paper, a blog, Microsoft word etc. There are some pretty interesting websites that can help you start journals, some of which I have added onto the resources folder on the Speak 2B Free blog. Also, I encourage you to comment below with your own thoughts about keeping a journal.

Follow these links for more writing tips & information on the benefits and how-to of keeping a journal:

Keeping a Writer’s Journal: 21 Ideas to Keep You Writing <http://www.writing-world.com/creative/journal.shtml>

Virginia Woolf on Keeping a Journal <http://grammar.about.com/od/writersonwriting/a/Woolfjournal.htm>

Putting Ideas Down on Paper – Why Every Writer Should Keep a Journal <http://writingfiction.suite101.com/article.cfm/putting-ideas-down-on-paper>