Beth

How long have you been keeping a journal?

I have been keeping a journal on a full time basis for the past 17 years. One of the first journals that I had was a Judy Bloom diary that I got from a book order in the fourth grade. I would tell all sorts of crazy lies in that journal like that I was kissed at school and whatnot. I learned from that journal that it is hard to tell lies to yourself and now I am completely honest in all of my journals since it is easier to be honest to a book than to even yourself sometimes.

How did you get started?

I got my first diary when I was in the second grade. The only reason I even had a journal was because my sister had one with a shiny lock on it and I was jealous so I went out and got one for myself too. I was always the quiet one in the family and writing was the way to get things out for me. Back then I didn't realize what good therapy it really was but thought that I finally had someone to talk to who would listen without bias.

Do you prefer the term diary or journal or something else? Why?

I prefer the term journal just because it seems more mature and intellectual than the term diary.

How often do you write/draw?

I try to write everyday. It's the way I unwind from a long day at work or how I rev myself up for the day.

What does your journal mean to you?

To me journal means a true, quiet, friend who will never judge me. It's my free therapist, my outlet to releasing my true spirit, my creative outlet.

Do you envision a future audience for your writing/art?

I hope that after I die my family will read my journals to find out more of who I am. And maybe they will be so impressed they will have them published like other dead writers - it doesn't hurt to dream.

What inspires you to create?

My life inspires me to create. It's not that I've got this totally inspirational life or anything, but I have learned to pay attention to small detail and appreciate the little things in life. My journal is my photo album. I don't take pictures but I do want to remember my life and I do this with words.

What is your favorite pen to write with?

My favorite pen is a black fountain pen that my father gave to me a number of years back. Recently I felt that I needed a new pen, maybe one that was fancier to the eye. I looked in a number of stores for just the right pen when one of the sales people made the comment that pens are such personal things. She was so right and I decided that I really didn't need a new pen, but maybe my pen just needed a new look. I always used to use plain black bottled ink. I gave my favorite pen, and my journal, a face-lift by buying bottles of colored ink rather than my old plain black ink.

Has anyone ever read your journal without your permission? What if anything did you do to change your approach to journaling?

My mother and husband have both read my journal with out my permission. This really hurt me since I felt I was safe hiding all of my true feelings and dreams in my journals. I stopped journaling for a while because I was hurt and didn't know how to keep a journal when I was living so close to someone else. I now journal without worrying about people reading what I write. I write the truth and have no secrets so I have nothing to worry about.

How many different types of journals do you keep?

I keep three different types of journals. I have one book set aside for my everyday journaling, which I use the most, my book that is filled with my "creative writing" and I have a butterfly notebook that is filled with letters to my daughter which I started on her first birthday. This is the one journal that I plan to share before my death. I will present it to her on her 18th birthday or maybe at the birth of her first child.

How often do you write? Under what conditions?

I usually write everyday. It is how I unwind from my day. I can write in any conditions-with the TV on, with the phone ringing off the hook, or in the quiet of my bedroom. I have trained myself to be versatile.

What are your favorite creative tools or products? How do you use them?

One night while surfing the web, I found a great idea that help beat writers block or gives you something new to write about that maybe you don't normally write about. I took a number of different writing prompts, wrote them on small slips of paper and stuffed them into a pretty jar. I now have a journaling jar that I have hundreds of ideas to choose from.

What is your favorite creativity book?

When I get in a slump I pull out A Writer's Book of Days. It has writing prompts for every day of the year along with great writing tips and techniques. I also enjoy reading other authors diaries such as Anais Nin and Sylvia Plath. The Assassin's Cloak is a good book to check out. It's full of excerpts from famous diarists from past and present.

Do you ever share your journals with others?

I have tried sharing parts and pieces of my journal with my husband thinking he would understand me better as a person. He didn't get it so I stopped.

What advice would you give others who are just starting to keep a journal?

Keep writing. Keep writing. Keep writing. Over time writing and journal keeping will become part of you that you don't want to live with out.