One of the common statements I have heard is "I want to journal but I don't know how." For someone who has been journaling a long time or even all their lives this may seem like a silly statement and the likely response may be "You just pick up a pen and start writing." If you have not had an affinity for journaling it really is not that easy.

If you want to journal the first thing you need to ask is "Why?" Do you want to journal to clear your head and work through your problems or do you want to journal to capture the history of your life? Perhaps you just want a daily recollection of your activities.

The next question you need to ask yourself is what kind of journaling you want to do. Do you want to use the traditional book and pen or a computer? There are benefits and disadvantages to both.

The Book and Pen

Using a book and pen gives you a different tactile experience than a computer. Your hand has to move across the page. We have been writing since we were small children. It is automatic and doe not involve as much thought as typing on a keyboard. A particular uniqueness to using a book and pen is your handwriting. It is unique to you and no one anywhere will write the way you write. The downside, over time, is they take up lots of space.

The Computer

The computer allows for different avenues of journaling. You can use your word processor like Microsoft Word or Corel Wordperfect. You can store endless entries in numerous files all in one place. A computer also allows you to journal online in blogs or on a personal website. The downside comes when viruses, power outages or thefts occur. And to continue a rhythm you need to know how to type or at least know where the letters are.

Personally, I like to use a mixture of both. What you need to decide is what is going to work best for you. If you spend all day on the computer, writing in a book may be a nice escape. Try both to figure out what you like. In the beginning, go with the book and pen. Get a small book so you can work through it quicker and feel a sense of accomplishment in filling it.

The Rules

There are no rules! You can write whatever you want whenever you want. It is your journal. The biggest hurdle you will need to get over is the value of your writing. Many give up journaling because they think what they are writing has no value. If it did not you would not have started in the first place. When you get these feelings write through them. What is important is to get started and keep going. The more you do it the more ideas you have and the more your direction will become apparent.

Prompts

Sometimes it is hard to know where to start. Prompts are words or phrases you can use to get the mental juices flowing. Here are a few prompts for beginning writers (they all do not need to be used at once). Pick one for your first entry or spend the week working on them.

* Why do you want to keep a journal?

* Have you ever tried to keep a journal before? What did you like about it? What didn't you like about it?

* How important is your privacy?

* List ten of your favorite possessions and why they are your favourite?

* How do you feel right now?

Now you are journaling!