On Keeping a Writing Journal By Lis Angus

I’ve kept a writing journal for about six years, as a companion to my fiction efforts. I don’t use it for passages of creative writing or deep reflections; rather it’s a practical tool, a useful adjunct to my actual writing.

 

Though I normally write on my computer, I write my journal by hand in a lined, spiral-bound notebook. When I fill one notebook, I start another. And though I never planned to make any of my entries public, I’m offering some glimpses here in case others find this approach helpful.

 

My journal started as a kind of scratch pad, a place for me to work through ideas. As time went on it has branched into other functions, varying with the stage of my writing.

 

At its most basic, the journal ensures a kind of accountability. When I sit down at my computer, I open my notebook on the desk beside me, write the date and circle it.  Then I keep track of what I accomplish in the day and, maybe, set out my next tasks. That way I know I’m making progress.

 

 

It’s also a workbook.  I play around with scene ideas, or write down ideas and questions that occurr to me. I make a lot of lists, too. For example, words that I frequently over-use and want to avoid, or words that are spelled differently in the US and Canada. Or I try to work through structural issues or linkages between the POV characters.

 

And it’s a repository for doubts. I’m certainly not the only writer who frequently thinks “I’ll never get this done” or “this is terrible: who’d want to read this?” Imposter syndrome affects even the best of writers. While writing Grapes of Wrath, John Steinbeck kept  a journal which was published after his death under the title Working Days. It included entries like “I am so lazy and the thing ahead is so very difficult,” and “I’m not a writer. I’ve been fooling myself and other people.” https://www.amazon.com/Working-Days-Journals-Grapes-Wrath/dp/0140144579

 

If a writer of Steinbeck’s ability had self-doubts, why should the rest of us be exempt? When those moods strike me, I find it therapeutic to dump it in my journal. Then I can usually move on.

 

 

I also keep track of Milestones and events along the way: beta reads, completion of drafts, edits, results of queries. Also writing classes and conferences I’ve attended, contests I’ve entered, workshops I’ve led.  And of course I highlight successes when they happen.

 

I started a fresh notebook each time I began a new draft, and now that I’m working on a second novel, I keep its notebooks separate as well. At last count, I am into my eighth notebook: six of them were filled during the four years I spent writing my debut novel, Not Your Child, and I have two more by my side as I work on the new one.

 

Keeping a journal keeps me going on a day-to-day basis, for all the reasons outlined above. But looking back through them is also instructive. There are lots of things I had forgotten about, and it’s interesting to see how long each draft took me, what I was struggling with at the time, what feedback I got from beta readers and editors, and so on.

 

My journaling approach may not suit everyone, but it definitely works for me.

 

Lis Angus is a Canadian suspense writer; her debut novel, Not Your Child, was published by Wild Rose Press in April 2022. Early in her career, Lis worked with children and families in crisis; later she worked as a policy advisor, business writer and editor while raising two daughters.  She now lives south of Ottawa with her husband.

 

Website: https://lisangus.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lisangusauthor/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/home

 

Purchase link: https://books2read.com/notyourchild