Note to Self: Samara O'Shea on journaling the journey

Midweek movie moment: here's a fun trailer for Samara O'Shea's Note to Self: On Keeping a Journal and Other Dangerous Pursuits, freshly out from Harper Collins earlier this summer.



O'Shea on the journaling process:
Often times when I tell people about [Note to Self]—they say, “I tried to keep a journal once and it didn’t really work.” I tired several times, too, before it worked. The way I made it work was I stopped getting mad at myself if I didn’t write everyday, and I stopped expecting myself to write down the exact details of the day. Basically, I broke the journal-writing rules, and, as a result, I was able to keep a journal. Many journals. Now, sometimes six months will go by and I don’t write at all, while other times I write everyday. Some days I write an epic poem, and other days I only write two sentences. I am the policy maker for my journal, and the policy is, “Write what feels right.” Keep this in mind if you’d consider trying a journal again. It’s worth it! We need to check in with ourselves and seeing our thoughts come alive on paper is a meaningful and profound way to do it.

Check the girl out.

Comments