The only right way is what’s right for you. How I’m finally building a journaling habit in my own way.

Photo by Prophsee Journals on Unsplash

I love to write. As evidenced by my somewhat sporadic but always desirous publishing cycle I also like to share some of my thoughts with other people. I have a deep craving to be inspired to write fiction but I only want to write good fiction and — what the heck does that even mean?

But, today, I want to focus in on what it means to keep a journal — and it doesn’t mean the same thing to everyone.

For many years, I thought the only purpose of journaling was to recall what I had done — a memory keeping journal. I also had this notion that to having a journaling practice meant to sit down in a comfy chair with a cup of tea or coffee and write in a fancy journal with a beautiful pen. While it is nice on the rare occasion that I get to actually do this type of journaling, I realized that holding out for the days when I could actually do this idealized version of journaling was holding me back from actually developing a useful and productive journaling practice. And, I also realized that journaling was about so much more than simply memory keeping.

As I begin this look at different journaling methods and tools, I want to give a huge note of thanks to my friend and journaling guru Tracy Winchell. I would not be where I am in my…