This is a compilation of thoughts after attending Journaling 101, which was a Comic Fiesta Stage Event held over at Discord on 17 September, 2021. Guest speakers were the infamous punster Maxsterism and ever-kind Szetoo of Stickerrific.
The talk covered a range of topics, from how they got started journaling to building habits, the kinds of journaling they do and even how to best store your journals, especially in a humid and tropical climate like Malaysia.
Getting started with journaling
Journaling is a form of memory-keeping and self-documentation. Many who attended the talk said they journaled as a form of expression and emotional release.
Shiron, one of the mods for the talk, even recounted that she had trouble sleeping one night, tossing and turning for more than 3 hours. Frustrated, she sat down to write down her thoughts and emotions, then went back to bed and fell asleep in no time flat.
And this was re-emphasised over and over again throughout the talk – you don’t need anything really special to start journaling. All you need is pen and paper, or if you prefer, a digital app in which you can write your thoughts. Pretty stickers, washi tape, and even fountain pens (yes I am calling myself out here) are all, strictly optional. The key thing is to just get started.
Sometimes it’s hard to get started at all
Szetoo pointed out that for some people, they find themselves unable to write, and I agree with her. I’ve known of some people for whom the thought of writing for themselves, can be actually paralysing.
It’s not to say that they are illiterate, or that they don’t know how to string two words together, but more of the thought of expressing their thoughts and feelings into words, particularly written words, terrifies or freezes them. Tangentially, this reminds me of a story from a fellow Nanowrimo-er who was a teacher.
He gave his students a theme with a free topic. A majority of his students froze. They repeated the words “free topic?” as though they had never been given the choice to express themselves, which considering the state of Malaysian education today, is something I can believe happen.
It also highlighted how “safe” things had become, because the thought of taking risks and failing can send a lot of us fleeing from terror. Journaling is risky for the writer, because it means often unconsciously being emotionally vulnerable with ourselves. Allowing ourselves to name, express and understand the emotions that are assaulting us, and making us reexamine our own behaviours in retrospect.
Practising self-compassion and kindness goes a long way towards helping cultivate a journaling habit as something you want to do, and helping you find comfort and solace in it instead of being fearful and freezing.
Common issues to getting started
“What should I write about?” “This isn’t interesting at all!” “Nothing’s happened to me, I have nothing to write about” are all common things people say when the topic of journaling comes up. There’s answers to all these of course, but at the end of the day, if you’re not ready to begin journaling, none of this will convince you.
What should I write about and This isn’t interesting at all! are really more about asking what do you think is worth writing about?
The short answer is that really, anything you want. The long answer is also, really, anything that you want to. What do you want to remember about the day you’re in, say three years from now? Two months from now? Next week? If you really can’t think of anything, just write a single word or even two, like “Today sucked” and you can leave it and go on your merry way.
Though I do recommend writing why it sucked just so you can get it out of your system. And if you had a very good day and wanted to just write “Today was good,” that’s perfectly fine too. The important thing is to just write it.
I really like Szetoo’s answer to the question of Nothing’s happening, I have nothing to write about. Journaling is the end result, not the process. If you don’t go out and do something, or even observe something, then there isn’t really much to write about, is it? Yes, I know this directly contradicts the earlier advice of “even two words will do” but think about it.
Simply by writing those two words, when you look at the date, you’ll know that the day sucked, and perhaps even remember why it sucked. If nothing happens a few days in a row, then the question becomes more of “are you observing what is happening around you?”
The thing about being humans and especially being a human living in a capitalist society like ours right now is that our hours can feel very structured and caught in a repeating loop. Yet those hours are not completely the same from day to day. Every day is different, if for nothing else because nothing ever quite happens the same day.
Though yes if you’re an incarcerated person that’s another conversation altogether.
Journaling supplies
Again, this can be as simple as starting off with whatever ballpoint pen/pencil you have and notebook. The key thing is to get started.
Once you have started though, and want to make a commitment towards journaling as a record, it’s time to consider supplies. And here’s something that needs to be shouted from the rooftops and apartment balconies, YOU. DO. NOT. NEED. TO. SPEND. A. FORTUNE. OR. EVEN. OFTEN. Yes I am calling myself out here.
The only things, again, that you need to consider are perhaps investing in a good pen that will not tire your hands out and acid-free paper that can withstand the test of time.
This can mean investing in a good set of gel pens with a nice soft grip (or firm one, if you prefer) that allow you to write for hours on end without getting tired. Or a cheap fountain pen with its default ink if you get hand cramps from writing with a ballpoint. If your finances allow, look into getting archival ink/quality materials, but note, you will be paying a price for its longevity.
For paper, wherever possible, look for acid free paper. This is simply because acid-free paper can last much longer – it will not turn yellow and break down over a long period of time. What kind of paper you choose after that will be completely up to you.
Different brand-name papers have different qualities, so if you have the time and brainpower, I recommend heading to a specialty stationery shop (when they are open for customers) to check them out.
My personal favourite shop is of course, Stickerrific but there are other shops throughout Malaysia, such as Tabiyo in Negeri Sembilan, Writer, Salt x Paper in Sabah, and Cziplee in Johor (main branch is in KL).
Another thing to note is that Malaysia has a traditionally hot and humid environment. The latter especially is a known threat to books and other paper products, as storing your books in a humid environment, even if you think is dry, can lead to mold growing on your books and warping. Thankfully the solution is pretty simple.
Simply keep your journals in a dry and cool place away from sunlight. Checking on them now and again will also give you the excuse you need to reread previous entries and who knows, maybe even rediscover a gem or two.
Everything else from the washi stickers you see, the stamps (omg these are one of the biggest temptations for me even if I don’t use them as much as I should) and even filing systems are all optional when it comes to journaling. But that does bring me to a new topic…
What about those pretty layouts?
So, generally when talking about journals these days, particularly on social media, people often conflate it with bullet journalling, or bujo for short. Bujo is basically a productivity system that combines planning and journaling, and includes space for daily/weekly/monthly reflection. The system is incredibly flexible and open to adaptation and modification, as well as self-expression.
A lot of people use bujo as a way to organise their tasks while expressing themselves creatively. This is the reason why you see a lot of really pretty layouts which are both functional and pleasing to the eye. You’ll notice a lot of them are centered around a specific function, such as weekly trackers, monthly layouts, task management, etc.
That’s the first and I dare say, probably most common layout.
The second layout, which is the one I usually default to, is perhaps closer to scrapbooking and designing. These are usually pages where you can “design” a page by using stickers, washi tape, stamps and more before writing down your thoughts. Sometimes there’s no writing involved beyond simple dates and notes to explain the ephemera.
Both of these can take quite a bit of time to complete. For many, including me, doing it this style can be very relaxing in addition to encouraging creative freedom and expression. It also helps a lot in overcoming perfection tendencies, because once that sticker’s or ink’s down (not washi, but stickers) it’s usually not coming off, so you have to learn to live and embrace the imperfection.
However, if you’re uncertain, and you don’t know/want to do either of these methods, that’s both perfectly fine and valid. Remember, all you really need to do is just sit down and write. Or draw out your thoughts. Or type, if that’s what you prefer.
Journaling prompts
I can’t remember where I got these prompts but I remember they were meant to help me process the end of the day. Perhaps they can be of use to you too. And no, you don’t have to do all of them. Just pick the ones you find useful or speak to you.
- What decision did you make today?
- What thoughts did you obsess over throughout the day?
- What worries monopolised your thoughts?
- What idea challenged you?
- What question do you need answered?
- What did you reminisce about?
- What angered you today?
So, what will you journal today?