Thursday, April 11, 2013

J is for Journal



Jen
A journal is something I’m sure most writers know about. For those of us who are not writers a journal can also be a great asset. While the word journal has a few different definitions my favorite is:
“c: a record of experiences, ideas, or reflections kept regularly for private use” Merriam Webster
 
With the technology we have today keeping a journal is easier than ever. No longer is a journal a marble black and white composition book or a diary with a key. Your cell phone for instance can be a great journal. Most cell phones allow you to take a picture, save a note and record a voice message. Advanced ones will allow you to save the gps coordinates.
 
So why would we need a journal you ask. Let’s say we’re a photographer out for the day armed with only our cell phone, iPod or laptop. We come across a great old building or window display and wish we could take a picture. Cell phone to the rescue! Snap a quick picture, jot down a note on your phone with the address so we can come back at a later date and then set a reminder to check your note and picture later.
 
This same photographer comes upon a gallery or meets someone of interest on a bus and again pulls out the trusty cell phone and creates a note, sets a reminder and also puts the info in his phone as a new contact. At the next bus stop is a great photo supply store, a quick search on the web reveals the store has a website. Viola website saved for future use.
 
Oh and of course we can still jot down ideas that may pop into our mind.
 
As you can see there are countless reasons why a journal is of value and with new technology easier than ever to incorporate into our daily routine. I get scattered from time to time so I have a reminder set for 8:30 pm every day to check what notes or ideas I may have forgotten about but saved to my phone.
 
Rule #9 start keeping a journal whether it’s the old copy book version or new technology.

3 comments:

Inger said...

All this new technology makes my head spin. I started to transcribe my journals that I kept from 1883 forward. I think I'm at 1999 now, but got tired of it. I stopped keeping a journal when I started blogging. But, you are right, it is a wonderful tool and so much fun to look back in after many years.

Nel said...

Good advice. I still keep a journal, actually several. I have one by my bed, a small notebook in my purse, and now my tablet. Good post!
Visiting from A to Z
until next time...nel

liz young said...

I wish I had kept one because my memory is appalling. Thanks for following my blog on A-Z. I like the black and white drawing.