Expanding My Stories through Journaling

On and off I’ve done journaling for my mental health. It was recommended by a therapist years ago, I have found it really helpful, especially when I’m dealing with a big decision or a difficult situation.

Something about the action of physically writing my thoughts on real paper allows me to think more clearly (at least for me, it has to be real pen and paper for it to work, I don’t know why but I’m sure there’s a psychological reason). I find writing down my concerns, my questions, or my fears forces my brain to think different than just ruminating or even talking a decision through does. Something about sitting alone with a journal and my thoughts, no one else’s judgements or concerns to consider, allows my mind a freedom and exploration I can’t find another way.

Even though I’ve found journaling therapeutic and helpful for making decisions over the years, I never considered applying the same process to my writing. The idea just never crossed my mind. Not until I was watching a YouTube video by Sarra Canon where she mentioned she used journaling for her plotting process.

At first I was a little confused how journaling could help my writing. Sure, I could sit down and write about my story, and the magic of the pen and paper was bound to do something, but what exactly was I going to write about in this journal. How would it be different than just sitting down at my desk and putting my fingers on the keyboard. 

But when I got stuck on my current story, I was a little desperate to find a solution.

Just like almost every story I’ve started for the last several years, I began writing this new story propelled by the excitement of a great idea, until I hit an impenetrable brick wall at about twenty thousand words.

As a writer my process is a little different than most. I’ve heard it described as inspiration writer, or stitching writer. I don’t write starting at the beginning and work my way to the end. I write whatever scene I am currently excited about. That could be the first, last, or any in between. I start with what I know, no matter where it falls in the story, and let the characters take me from there. Usually while I’m writing what I already know, the next part of the story will just unfold for me. The characters will show me more of who they are. And the next steps in the journey become clear.

But lately that hasn’t been happening. Instead, once I get to the end of what I can see of the story, all that’s beyond it is murky darkness. So out of desperation to get some clarity on my next steps with this story, I decided to give journaling a try.

I sat down with my pen and paper and wrote down all the questions I had about my current work in process. I listed all the holes that I needed filled in, and hoped that by writing them down, my mind might see these road blocks a different way. That it might find a solution I hadn’t considered yet.

Amazingly it worked. When I wrote down the concerns I had, the problems I’d found, the inconsistencies I needed to fix, ideas started to come to me. Solutions I had never considered before but that added fantastic complexity to my plot, twists that deepened my character’s goals and motivations. Giving me another way to access my story and to explore this new world I was so enamored with.

Unfortunately, these new discoveries have led to a lot of rewriting. But it’s more than worth it for the new twists and turns the story has taken. And the character depth I’m adding. For the first time in years, I have written more than 50,000 words on my latest work in process, the furthest I’ve been able to write on one story in more than two years. And there’s a lot of territory to still explore in this world.

After giving journaling on my writing a try, I’m a convert. I will definitely be doing it again. I’ve even designated a new journal just for tinkering with ideas, to find new twists and turns to add even more excitement to my story, and delve deeper into my characters. If you’re struggling with your writing, or looking for a way to delve deeper into your characters and your plot, consider pulling out a journal and writing down your concerns and questions, and seeing where your mind travels. Who knows what you might discover in the pages of your journal? It just might be the addition you’ve always been looking for.