men who write in or keep journals

[hatguy1]

A journalist friend of mine gave me that same advice re blogging even when I wasn't sure what to blog about.

 

[Historyteach24]

I have also found that having a nice, permanent journal has helped. I used to lose the paper I wrote on but I went and bought a nice bound leather journal that helps keep everything together.

 

[Atticus Finch]

AF you are as good as the humor writers in many outdoor mags I read. JMHO LOL

Thank you. Ed Zern was always one of my heroes. Bless his heart, I still miss him.

AF

 

[Big Man]

I've kept a journal for a number of years. I suppose I got the idea from my Grandfather's journal he kept when he sailed from New York to the Philippines during the Philippine Insurrection in 1899. As a young boy it was fascinating reading (and still is).

My Dad was the Principal of Oak Hill School (K-12) from 1949 to 1979. He kept a journal of sorts during most of that time. Not only did he record things pertinent to school, but things about our family. I have spent many hours reading and remembering the things he recorded. His journals have really served as a connection to the past, and a reminder of just how wonderful a life we had growing up.

My Mother also kept a journal from the time she was diagnosed with cancer until just a few days before her death. It is hard to read them, even after so many years have passed, but I have found great insight into life and am amazed at just how strong my Mother was when facing the end of her life. Most of her comments were about our family and how she wanted us to be strong. Never once in all her writings did she ever complain about her situation.

I hope one day someone will find as much enjoyment, insight, and inspiration from my humble writings as I have found from those of my Grandfather, Dad, and Mother. Who knows ...

 

[hatguy1]

I have also found that having a nice, permanent journal has helped. I used to lose the paper I wrote on but I went and bought a nice bound leather journal that helps keep everything together.

That would make sense. Ive seen those sold in office supply stores, bookstores and the like. Don't seem very expensive for the apparent quality.

 

[Historyteach24]

Mine was ten bucks and had 200 or so pages. Very nice quality. I will post a pic soon

 

[Hatter4]

I have kept a record of what I do each day from 1997. I used a pocket planner. Its my appointment book and journal all in one.

 

[Historyteach24]

Bonded leather journal using my Lamy Safari Fountain pen

 

[hatguy1]

Tonight will conclude my first week of journaling. Not many rants, just more idle thoughts or "what I did today" kind of stuff. Not very exciting for future generations to read, I'm afraid. However, will keep at it and see what memorable or otherwise prose may spring forth.

 

[Historyteach24]

Not everyday has to be exciting. The last few nights I have just commented on my feelings about the Christmas season and such

 

[hatguy1]

Not everyday has to be exciting. The last few nights I have just commented on my feelings about the Christmas season and such

I know. I was more cracking wise than being serious. Besides, if I write with an eye towards what's memorable, etc that would skew my journal.

What I have noticed about writing something long-hand vs typing on the computer, is there's thoughts racing through my head I'd like to include, but somehow forget to before I've closed out my journal for the day. Sure, I could go back and add to the next day's, but would be easier and clearer if could just go back and add to a digitized document so was all contained (original and additions) in same writing.

 

[hatguy1]

Well, tonight's entry will make one solid month of journaling every day. Can't say that most days it's been little more than a daily log of what I did where and involving whom. (Doubt historians will find much value in it.) But a few philosophical entries also entered in. For now, I'm going to continue the practice for awhile to see where it goes....

Just came across this article - another great one from the Art of Manliness and another on journaling - that will help broaden my horizons for journaling in the new year.

http://www.artofmanliness.com/2014/01/01/jumpstart-your-journaling-a-31-day-challenge/

 

[Historyteach24]

I have found that most of my posts are about what I am teaching at the time and how my students respond

 

[lframe]

I'm an intermittent journaler and have been since I was 7 or 8. It keeps me same. I've not journaled recently as my father-in-law passed and I'm not quite sure I want the family drama haunting me. I also blog (professionally), but even that's moved from personal.

Somewhere in the depths of my closet is one of my journals from about age 13... Circa '85. I was pretty meticulous about recording my weight (Bridget Jones, eat your heart out) and why I wanted to marry John Taylor from Duran Duran.

 

[hatguy1]

My entries have covered a spectrum, as well. I'm finding a couple of things here in this first month; 1) I have more thoughts and details about thoughts than I put onto paper. (Unlike a computer, a physical, handwritten journal doesn't allow to go back in and insert them for further explanation/comprehension of a future reader, etc.) and 2), that as I continue journaling, more and more thoughts/topics to journal about come to mind. (Wish I could say the same for my blogging. But some thoughts are more private and I don't want to make as public as my blog.)

 

[hatguy1]

So...recently I was googling journal topics for inspirations to write about in my journal (kind of got tired of the "dear diary" type of entries about what my day was like) and came across one that seemed kind of fun. It asked about 100 Things I Love or another spin "100 of my favorite things" and broke down the 100 over foods, drinks, desserts, activities, movies/movie quotes and blahblahblah. The challenge was not just to make a list but to - the article said - to expound on the "why" the favorite(s) going into hows and how ya feels and so on.

I thought, that shouldn't be too hard. Wow! Didn't know what I was getting myself into. I've been at this - off and on - for almost 5 days now and I've used up probably 6 cartridges of ink for my fountain pen and probably more than 20 pages of my small (over pocket sized) journal and I'm still finishing out the 100 things in the categories. Whew!

 

[hatguy1]

I've been at this - off and on - for almost 5 days now and I've used up probably 6 cartridges of ink for my fountain pen and probably more than 20 pages of my small (over pocket sized) journal and I'm still finishing out the 100 things in the categories. Whew!

Wow! I just looked back tonight...I started this journal entry (re 100 things) on St Patrick's Day and I have filled 68 pages (again, small journal). Only 10 more things to expound on and this one is finito!

 

[Trisha]

I have kept a paper journal, off and on, for quite some time now. This latest "on" spans...oh, probably 5 or 6 years. It's not that I have an interesting life to write about; it's more just day to day stuff that I want to remember. I'm hoping my grand-daughter will someday want to read my journals to find out what her Nana was like.

 

[JFriday]

I have been a journal writer or possibly more of a chronicle writer on and off most of my life. While certainly not blessed in my skill with numbers, words came naturally, and when combined with a love of things past and a sense that no one was writing down the present I starrted off with enthusiam. That was battered around somewhat by instructors attempting to force us to "journal" for our own good (they somehow could not comprehend that for all the writing I did, having to waste time responding to their must fill in a response questions, were wasting time I would rather be doing my own writing or even more often reading something of interest or importance), but all in alll I have kept it up more than I have missed. Just recovering from one of those missed periods and this post was a good reinforcement of why I am back at it.

Looking back I am satisfied that my efforts are of value to me, as while memories still are clear, I know many who have lost those key events, and I hope that someday this and specific accounts and assignments from school, and notes of other training and teaching I have done may give someone a look at the world as I knew it.

As a historian I would like to encourage all of us to journal, and I must encourage those who do to keep classic written documents as the survivability currently is more permanent, despite advances in electronic document storage. We all live unique lives, and the best way for the future to know how we lived is for us to keep accounts. We are all history in the making.

 

[nick123]

I have been a journal writer or possibly more of a chronicle writer on and off most of my life. While certainly not blessed in my skill with numbers, words came naturally, and when combined with a love of things past and a sense that no one was writing down the present I starrted off with enthusiam. That was battered around somewhat by instructors attempting to force us to "journal" for our own good (they somehow could not comprehend that for all the writing I did, having to waste time responding to their must fill in a response questions, were wasting time I would rather be doing my own writing or even more often reading something of interest or importance), but all in alll I have kept it up more than I have missed. Just recovering from one of those missed periods and this post was a good reinforcement of why I am back at it.

Looking back I am satisfied that my efforts are of value to me, as while memories still are clear, I know many who have lost those key events, and I hope that someday this and specific accounts and assignments from school, and notes of other training and teaching I have done may give someone a look at the world as I knew it.

As a historian I would like to encourage all of us to journal, and I must encourage those who do to keep classic written documents as the survivability currently is more permanent, despite advances in electronic document storage. We all live unique lives, and the best way for the future to know how we lived is for us to keep accounts. We are all history in the making.

I'm increasingly fearful the information on the internet can all be lost. To be safe, having a hard copy of whatever you feel worthy of preservation is a really wise idea.