时间:2019-01-02 作者:英语课 分类:英语语法 Grammar Girl


英语课

Today we're going to talk about keeping a journal.

If you're an aspiring 1 writer, you've probably heard that writers should keep a writing journal. The first time I kept a real writing journal was in my freshman 2 English class in college, so since it's the beginning of the school year and some of you may be keeping a journal for the first time, it also seemed like a good time to cover the topic.

What Is a Writing Journal?


Keeping a journal is a very personal thing, so I'm going to give you guidelines and advice based on my experiences, but know that whatever works for you, is the right thing for you to do.


The idea of keeping a journal is that writers need to write, and you don't always have assignments or projects underway, or you have ideas that aren't fully 3 formed and need to be worked out. Your journal is where you work out those ideas or write when you don't have anything formal to write about.


An Ideas Journal


You may keep a journal on hand to write down those flash ideas that come to you out of nowhere: a great topic for a blog post, a great title for a short story, or the perfect background detail for your main character. That's the kind of journal I keep these days.


A Daily Journal


Or you may set aside 15 minutes every day to write in your journal as a way to stay disciplined or get in the writing spirit before you start working on you “real” projects.


A Freewriting Journal


I know one author who loves to freewrite a bit before he starts working on his novel. Freewriting is when you sit down and force yourself to write whatever comes to mind without stopping for a set period of time. It often helps people brainstorm 4 or overcome writer's block.


A Dream Journal

Some people have frequent dreams and keep a notepad by their bed to write down notes as soon as they wake up. Other people like to write before they go to bed every night to get things out on paper and clear their mind, whereas other people find that writing before going to bed can get them to start thinking about things and then make it hard to sleep.


A Diary or a Journal?


I'm not a big fan of keeping a journal about your daily life, your feelings, and your deepest darkest secrets. My mom told me to never put anything in writing that I didn't want others to read, and I ignored her advice and learned that lesson the hard way.


With that said, some people find this to be the most inspirational type of journaling, that the easiest thing to write about is their personal life, or it's a helpful way to work through feelings. A personal journal can also be the most rewarding type of writing to go back and reread 20 years later in that boy-was-I-a-goofball kind of way.


If you're going to keep a personal journal, and you want to really explore your feelings, take care to keep it secure. An anonymous 5 blog on a site like Blogger or Wordpress can be a safer way to keep this kind of journal as long as you don't use identifying information because it isn't something that someone can find in your room or physically 7 take from you. You'll never accidentally leave it on the bus.


I met one writer who keeps this kind of very personal journal, but keeps them in a locked cabinet and has specified 8 in her will that they be destroyed without being read upon her death, and has designated a person to do it who has promised to carry out her wishes.


What Format 6 Will Work for You?


So, let's say you've decided 9 to keep a journal. Are you the kind of person who will be inspired by a fancy, leather-bound journal or intimidated 10 by it? Make sure you pick something that will work for you. Don't make it feel too special. You can even do it on the computer, Doogie Howser style. Maybe the best thing for you is something small that you can carry around with you so you always have it handy when you have an idea.


I like to date my journal entries, but I can't think of a particularly good reason why you should unless you expect to defend the invention date in court.


Also, don't go back and edit your entries. This isn't about getting perfect writing. It's about practicing writing and exploring your ideas. It should be something that won't be judged, graded, or really read by others. It's most effective if it's a safe place.


Your journal is primarily for writing, but there's no rule that says you couldn't also paste in pictures or draw photos. I've pasted things into my journal that I wrote on other pieces of paper when I didn't have my journal handy.


Can You Spend too Much Time Journaling?


Here's one question I've pondered: Can you spend too much time journaling? I've met people who say they spend at least an hour a day writing in a journal. For most writers I know, at least those who have families and jobs, one of the biggest challenges they face is finding time to write, to work on their book, or short stories, or blog. So when I hear of people spending so much time journaling, I wonder if it has become a procrastination 11 tool.


If you're spending an hour every day on your journal, ask yourself why you aren't working an hour every day on a writing project that will get in front of readers. There may be times early in a project when you need to spend a lot of time fleshing out ideas, but just because you don't have an assignment doesn't mean you can't be working on writing that could become a project or could be read by real live people.


No Pressure


Finally, don't feel like you're a failure as a writer if you don't keep a journal. I've actually met people who feel guilty that they don't keep a journal. It's a great tool for some people, but if it doesn't work for you, don't worry about it. Maybe try it again in a year or two, but don't think you're somehow obligated to keep a journal just because you're a writer.


Dealista


And, Quick and Dirty Tips has another new podcast that I think you'll enjoy. It's called The Dealista's Quick and Dirty Tips for Getting More for Less Money. That sounds good, right? Everyone likes deals. She'll tell you how to take advantage of price matching, double coupons 12, and the discounting schedule at Target, among other things. Check her out at quickanddirtytips.com and subscribe 13 at iTunes.


That's all. I'm Mignon Fogarty, author of the New York Times bestseller Grammar Girl's Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing, and I have new book coming out October 13 called The Grammar Devotional. Thanks for listening.



adj.有志气的;有抱负的;高耸的v.渴望;追求
  • Aspiring musicians need hours of practice every day. 想当音乐家就要每天练许多小时。
  • He came from an aspiring working-class background. 他出身于有抱负的工人阶级家庭。 来自辞典例句
n.大学一年级学生(可兼指男女)
  • Jack decided to live in during his freshman year at college.杰克决定大一时住校。
  • He is a freshman in the show business.他在演艺界是一名新手。
adv.完全地,全部地,彻底地;充分地
  • The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气,然后全部呼出。
  • They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。
vi.动脑筋,出主意,想办法,献计,献策
  • The women meet twice a month to brainstorm and set business goals for each other.她们每个月聚会两次,在一起出谋献策,为各自制定生意目标。
  • We can brainstorm a list of the most influential individuals in the company.我们可以集体讨论,列出该公司中最有影响的人员的名单。
adj.无名的;匿名的;无特色的
  • Sending anonymous letters is a cowardly act.寄匿名信是懦夫的行为。
  • The author wishes to remain anonymous.作者希望姓名不公开。
n.设计,版式;[计算机]格式,DOS命令:格式化(磁盘),用于空盘或使用过的磁盘建立新空盘来存储数据;v.使格式化,设计,安排
  • Please format this floppy disc.请将这张软盘格式化。
  • The format of the figure is very tasteful.该图表的格式很雅致。
adj.物质上,体格上,身体上,按自然规律
  • He was out of sorts physically,as well as disordered mentally.他浑身不舒服,心绪也很乱。
  • Every time I think about it I feel physically sick.一想起那件事我就感到极恶心。
adj.特定的
  • The architect specified oak for the wood trim. 那位建筑师指定用橡木做木饰条。
  • It is generated by some specified means. 这是由某些未加说明的方法产生的。
adj.决定了的,坚决的;明显的,明确的
  • This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
  • There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。
v.恐吓;威胁adj.害怕的;受到威胁的
  • We try to make sure children don't feel intimidated on their first day at school. 我们努力确保孩子们在上学的第一天不胆怯。
  • The thief intimidated the boy into not telling the police. 这个贼恫吓那男孩使他不敢向警察报告。 来自《简明英汉词典》
n.拖延,耽搁
  • Procrastination is the father of failure. 因循是失败的根源。
  • Procrastination is the thief of time. 拖延就是浪费时间。
n.礼券( coupon的名词复数 );优惠券;订货单;参赛表
  • The company gives away free coupons for drinks or other items. 公司为饮料或其它项目发放免费赠券。 来自辞典例句
  • Do you have any coupons? 你们有优惠卡吗? 来自英汉 - 翻译样例 - 口语
vi.(to)订阅,订购;同意;vt.捐助,赞助
  • I heartily subscribe to that sentiment.我十分赞同那个观点。
  • The magazine is trying to get more readers to subscribe.该杂志正大力发展新订户。
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