I wish I had kept the journal I had in 7th and 8th grade. I wanted an older brother so bad (I'm the oldest so that never happened) so I wrote my journal as letters to my brother that I didn't have who was away in the Army. Every page started "Dear Fred.." Anyway one day I got home from school or somewhere and my sister (4 years younger) and her friends were laughing loudly in her room.. at my journal. Turns out she shipped around for it and found it and was reading it aloud to her friends. I was SO mad and embarrassed!! I'm sure I threatened to kill her and in fear of my thoughts being found by her again. I burned that journal in our wood stove and didn't keep another for a long time. I've started keeping them again and these are more journals I don't mind sharing rather than a diary like that old one. There's a lot of doodling and scrapbooking that goes on in my journals now. Just thought I'd share.
I think I have become addicted to journaling videos ever since you posted your first one. I had always loved to write stuff down so that I could remember what was going on and look back on smaller memories that might not be vivid years down the road. I haven't done much journaling yet, but I keep 2 at once. One that I use for my novel/story ideas and characters (and also dreams) and the other for just everything else. I've really wanted to start making a journal video here and there to post on my channel, but I haven't been doing it long and I don't know if I should.
My journals are a bit of a public speaking aid for me. I'm home schooled, so due to a lack of social interaction, I'm not good at expressing my opinions. But with all this alone time to think about social and personal issues, my journals have become a place where I can write that stuff down so that, if ever moved to speak about such things, I know that all my important opinions have already been put into words and I can just loosely recite it off the top of my head without worrying :)
In my earliest journal that I have, I mention a previous journal that I had beforehand and i'm so upset that I don't remember what I did with it. :/ I PROBABLY HAD A LOT OF GOOD GOSSIP IN THAT ONE
WhittyNovels Annoying, innit? I remember a couple of things that I wrote, but that is it. I had so many pages, so many thoughts... If I could go back in time I'd take them out of my past self's hands and slap myself too. Maybe you are lucky and you'll find it one day. Let me know and share it with me =D
+giantchanyeol I've never thought of that before! i'm sure i talk about the same topics over and over but usually when I discuss something it means I want to get it off my chest, so it never FEELS repetitive :)
+giantchanyeol I do this in all of life, i started a blog, i go to write a topic and I'm like no, no one wants to hear about this or half of this blog is just repeating it's self, I think if its on your mind and you want to write about it just do it, try to kill that inner critic and just write, I'm sure when you come back and read the journal or what ever you'll realize it's probably not repeating its self as much as you think it is and as well as that, even if it is, the perspective of which you are writing, is probably never the same.
First off, I love your videos- I have for a while, pretty much since I started getting into the booktube community roughly a year ago, because you have always seemed so GENUINE, and I love it. You are the type of RU-vidr who makes me wish we were friends rather than making me wish I was doing awesome cool wild things in my life for thousands of people to see. I always enjoy seeing your take on things! Second, I really love your journaling videos!!! I've been journaling on and off since I was about 12 or 13 years old (so 10-11 years... that was a smack in the face to realize just now!) and it's something I absolutely love to do and encourage as many people as possible to do. Even though I am the definition of embarrassing and cringe-worthy in my 14-year-old-me journal, I would never get rid of it or trade it for anything!! My journals as I got older started containing more and more dark subject material as my mental health issues started to "blossom" (for lack of better phrasing), but again- I'd never get rid of them or trade them for anything, because they're mementos to me, that show me where I've been and how far I've come. Last week my dad was helping me clean and organize my room- he was mainly just giving me tips (because cleaning and organizing can really overwhelm me sometimes), but he was also in charge of arranging things that I handed him into a big tote bin so they'd fit better. He'd been advising me to get rid of anything I didn't need or want, and I'd already filled up a trash bag of stuff I felt I could do without. So I handed him my 14-year-old-me journal, and he asked what it was, and I told him it was one of my old journals. He started questioning whether I really wanted/needed to keep it and I was so shocked at the suggestion that I would ever get rid of one of my journals! I said "Why? It's one of my journals", to which he responded with something about what if one day my husband or kids were to find it and read it? But my thing is... so what if my hypothetical future family were to read my old journals? Ideally at that point I wouldn't be hiding things from them, right? So it wouldn't even matter, what they read! My point in rambling on for so long was really just to tell you that I think you and your videos are wonderful, and that I'm glad to have found some solidarity in journal-loving. I'm so sorry this turned into a huge ramble but it's 6:11am and I haven't slept yet so I'm kind of delirious :P I hope you have a great day and that I didn't weird you out a ton!
Whenever I lose the motivation to journal, I watch this video and it helps me every single time. It just reminds me that I don't need to create anything other than what I want to, so thank you for the inspiration! :)
I made many journals since childhood cause I always got excited, wrote a few entries and then lost interest. Than I would start another and the cycle repeated. I have my last journal for a year almost and I decided to not abandon this one till I finish it, even if it's in 10 years. I rarely write about my day or what I did, but I try to put somethimg in whenever I feel some very strong emotion. Since that doesn't happen much, sometimes I write once in 2 months. But I don't want to push it. The main thing is for it to not feel as some mandatory homework or sthg.
This is awesome girl! With social media it seems that writing things on paper is a lost art. I want to upload a journaling video now! AND Embrace being single! every stage of life is amazing
I sort of do journaling, but like, journaling in tweet format. I write really short entires in my Moleskine planner about my (mental) health, what I did that day, any inside jokes with friends we came up with that day, lists, thoughts, anything. I thought I didn't do journaling anymore but apparently I do. It's been a lot easier like this than writing 'dear diary' every day and having to like... put effort into it. :')
I primarily use my journal as more of a diary than anything else, and since I don't really do a lot, or go out a lot, I don't often write in it. I Actually only started it about a year and half or so ago because I was reading a book I was really into, and I was having all these feelings because of where I was and I just really had this overwhelming urge to write once I got home from my job that day. My job was a source of a ton of stress, so I mostly wrote about that often, but I also CONSTANTLY wrote about whatever book I was reading at the time. So many journal entries about Rose Hathaway from Vampire Academy. Lol. I wasn't very consistent with it, and I'm still not, but I've been trying to write in it more lately. It's just, there's so little for me to talk about because my life is super uneventful, and I don't really want to write about every little thing I do when I'm at home because it's not that interesting. However, I think just after typing this comment and watching this video, I have an idea of something I can try to be more consistent without getting bored with what I write about, so I'm actually super happy I watched this video now.
I am loving all the journal videos! I have a many decade history of journaling so it's really interesting to me to see so many people keeping journals and how you all do it. I wish, though, that I could find a wider age range of journal keepers. I'm wondering how much other people's journals have changed as they get older. If you or any of your subscribers know of journal videos from people in their 30's or older (or would be interested in a collab), please let me know!
Your video was very helpful..I use to journal in high school..and after I started working I just didn't have the time...and I've been trying to start again...but all these videos about planners and journals and drawing your life..has overwhelmed me. Your video has really made is clear to me on how to start back. Thank you.
Awesome video! Its because of your videos and journal flip throughs that I was able to realize how journaling can be a creative fun thing. I'd journaled a lot as a child, but after my mom constantly reading it behind my back and it actually getting stolen at school I stopped. So thank you so much for your awesome videos and cute personality.
This video was very helpful. I keep a ton of journals but lately I've just been keeping a writing inspirations list and this video gave me some more ideas so hopefully I can start writing more frequently!
I personally hate reading stream of consciousness writing. It (at least my own) feels awfully vapid, empty, and meaningless. I need to have some kind of direction when I write.
Iove journals! Really the best advice is everything counts. When I look back in my journals I'm just so happy to remember things I've forgotten about. Subjects I hated, how I felt in class, etc.
+B.F. Simone Exactly! I think the coolest thing is writing down tiny, tiny details that I know i'll never remember in the future. Even the smallest things like the pattern on your bedspread or which desk you sat in at school would trigger so many memories when i'm older.
+WhittyNovels it soooo does! I've even started a new book based off of some of those memories. It brought such a unique look I'd completely forgot abou
You mentioned starting a quote journal and I highly highly recommend it! I've had one going for about two years now. Basically, once I'm finished a book I take all the quotes I liked and add them in (plus a few quotes that I see from celebrities or friends or something like that) It's really cool having a whole source of all these quotes you like and I love flipping through it to see them all. It's especially a good pick me up on a bad day weirdly enough. I actually even started a quotes series on my channel where I just read quotes from books that I wrote down. Hope you make one!
I used to journal every single day since I was 8. Then I went to university and just stopped. I kind of want to start again but then I keep second guessing myself because there would be a 2 year gap in the journal and I feel like it would annoy me... Like so much has changed since then so it would be weird... Idk... maybe I'll start in the summer again.
+Jay G (TheAwkwardBookworm) That's what happened to my first journal. I would post in it maybe once a year, and that was for about 5 years until I finally started writing regularly. I think it's actually cool to write with huge gaps in between! It shows the honesty of how you lost interest for a while.
I love my journal! I've had it since March 2014 but didn't start writing in it daily till Sept 2015. it's full of pictures, quotes, lists, receipts, drawings, rants, and pressed flowers! I agreed with you this entire video. my journal always starts with one topic but usually ends with my talking/complaining about something else! I can't get into prompts but if nothing happened and I want to journal I go to pinterest and find quotes or drawings and put my spin on them! I really can't wait to see a flip through of your current journal!! xoxo 💙😊📚
As much as I want to journal, I've always had trouble finishing what I've started (in like... All parts of my life) and I have soooo many unfinished journals. I'd start out trying to journal every day and then it'd get less and less until I gave up. And then I'd restart in a new journal. Right now, I'm doing Q&A a day and it's going well so far. And I also found this "642 Things to write (about me)" (not sure that the number 642 is correct, but oh well) and it's not necessarily a typical journal but the prompts give me interesting topics to write about and encourage creativity, so I'm really liking that right now.
+Kristen BOOKS (Kristen Bright) I always did that- I would do one entry then forget/never finish. But just choose one and keep writing and keep writing, no matter how much time passes in between! Eventually it will become more regular!
You are an amazing girl. Right when I just have lost my motivation you helped me find it back again. I'm journaling too, but haven't done it in few days.... But now I have too many ideas and not enough notebooks lol. Thank you :)
Thank you, Whitney, for being my journaling inspiration. I started my first creative journal last summer because of you and your videos. I'm currently working on my 5th journal now. I really do appreciate you so much and I love you a lot. ❤
i just discovered one of your flip thru videos few days ago and thank you very much for you've inspired me a lot. I MEAN, A LOT. you're adorable as your journals, whitney! my resolution this year is to improve my writing and i believe journaling will help me work on that and it's really fun to watch your journaling videos istg!!!! i love the way you talk and the stuffs you put in your journal. you're completely right that it doesnt have to look perfect and artsy for the thought or its content matter more. keep on doing these lovely things, dear. :))))
I love you soooooooooo much. I'm pretty young... So I see you as an inspiration. As a fellow book lover, I love your book reviews, and as crafty as I am, I love your journaling videos. I just wanted to say thank you for making me happy. ♥️
One thing I write about is how awesome I think other people's journals are. I watch flip throughs on RU-vid all the time because I like to see how other people journal, as opposed to how I do it. I just recently started doing journal videos, and I might do a flip through soon, just because I love it so much to watch other peoples' journaling videos and flip throughs.
The one bit of journaling advice I always give is not to censor anything, however embarrassing it may seem at the time! I realised a few months ago that I wasn't writing about a crush I had on a friend of mine because I thought it would be too embarrassing to read back on, but now he's my boyfriend and I'm glad I have that record of when I was first falling for him :) also dream journals are fun :D
I just randomly re-watched one of your old journaling videos, which I LOVE, and thought "I wish she'd do another one of these!"... and then I saw this on my subscribers feed! YAY! You have really inspired me to journal ever since that first video!!!
Thanks so much for helping me start journaling! I hate my handwriting and I get tired of writing by hand, so I always thought I couldn't start a journal. I started in september because of your videos. I've already filled a journal and I'm on my second journal! my journals have lots of stickers and lists but i really like them. thanks for inspiring me!
I started writing journal when I was 12 and I can't even read it now .. Because back then I was In a bad situation at school when I was constantly afraid someone would read it.. My kind of journal has totally changed since then.. Also, those unreadable journals I still keep cause they helped me so much during those times.. Even when I was only writing a sentence to describe every single hour passing hahaha .. I think writing your thoughts on specific things make you more conscious and comfortable of them so that's what I write
Some very great tips, I totally follow them as well with my own journaling! I will do a blogpost on journaling as well! I'm so glad you make videos about journaling, that encouraged me so much to start!
I finally found a way to journal that works for me. Today is my fourth entry and im starting to notice how easy it´s getting to write things down (wish i know how to do this years ago), it´s getting so easy i even started crying, something that i haven´t done in a long time. Anyhow´s i was wondering, do you make this drafts before you write it down in your actual journal, bc that´s something that i find myself doing a lot. Perfectionist cons probably :P Anyways thank you so much for your video :)
+deborah nieuwpoort It definitely gets easier the more you do it! I just write stream of consciousness and let whatever I'm thinking come out without regards to editing it or making it perfect!
I have two different Journals. One, is for not every day, but at least once a week (since I do almost the same thing everyday). And then the second one, I write all my anxiety thoughts down on paper just to get all those thoughts I have outta my head. :)
+TheSimsGeeks I read once in a book where a girl had two journals: one for positive thoughts, one for negative thoughts. I think that's such a neat idea- I might try it!
I love your shirt and braid! I just started a journal because of you and this video. I just wrote my first journal entry and I feel great so thank you!
this inspired me to start journaling again! i don't know if i will, but my mom used to make me journal my day every single day when i was very young. it's fun to read it over and see how i used to think back then. i think because she made me chronicle my life, it made my writing better in some way, too.
+Raquel Villatoro I understand that feeling. I'll often get ahead of myself or my hand will start hurting or i'll get too tired to continue before I can get everything out.
Sadly I'm not journaling much this year as I did in the last 4 months of 2015. My journal is a mix of personal, art, smash book journal. Just a mash mash of everything. I used to find it hard to journal because I always wanted to keep a journal for one specific thing like art but now, Tommy current journal is everything in my life, art, doodles, sticking things in. I don't write everyday, personal entries are when something big happened or to just put my day in perspective. I don't feel obligated to write every day. Somethings I do are lists (todo lists, shopping lists, book lists etc) in between long pages of writing I do some art projects whether it's thought out or just doodles. I've started doing money joy favourites and write about new things I've discovered. As for prompts, there are groups on face books, there's Pinterest but personally, I'm not great with prompts because I end up completely forgetting things like prompt: songs that made you cry and my mind will go blank.
My journaling is more spontaneous and I like it like that. I journal when I can and there are so many ideas. I really should journal more as I've lacked motivation lately but I'll slowly get back into it.
I have a journal with rings as well and ai was wondering if they don't bother you??? when you're writing on the left side don't the rings get in the way of your right hand??
+Alyssa Sheffield If you don't enjoy writing, then don't force yourself to :) Or, you could just do short entries every day. Try making a journal where you only do one entry per day/week, and keep it as brief as possible. Just one sentence about the day.
love your video. I have journals - but they are so pretty that I don't want to ruin them with my ugly writing. So, I guess I'm just a journal collector. lol. :)
kiwi galaxy yeah - I'm just terrible with my journals once I start writing in them - because I write everything in them and my writing is awful. But collecting pretty journals should be a thing too. lol :)
Usually I rant about boys, I write about what i did during the day, i talk about my anxiety, or i do prompts. Is it okay that I do so much stuff in one book?
+Joy xoxo Absolutely! you could separate them out into other journals if you'd like, but I find I don't write as regularly if I have to put things elsewhere. The hodgepodge is definitely a good method ;)