charles keatts writing and art

I have been writing almost every day for about 35 years, for the first several years in a daily journal, when I was a teenager, and then as I started writing poetry and novels and memoir I still kept up the daily journal writing and notebook writing. Inspired by Ira Progoff but not following his system exactly, my journal writing carried me through some very difficult times, like severe depession, but also helped me enhance my life in lots of ways, to thrive and expand my writing, work, personal stuff, and creativity. Here are a few tips and techniques to get started:

 

• use a really nice notebook 

• write some in it every day, a few words, or one word.

• write at least one word, phrase, or sentence every day, even just the word "no", or "not today".

• don't force yourself to write a lot, but try to write more sometimes, a few extra words or sentences

• write a lot if you feel like it

• write about how you feel, or what you did that day

• write about your dreams and goals

• use a really cheap notebook and a nice pen, or a cheap pen, or whatever you have

• use an app like Evernote

• don't share your journal with other people, keep it private

• read the Intensive journal process by Ira Progoff, but don't try too hard to follow it

• avoid the Morning Pages approach if it seems like too much, or try it

• keep things simple and easy. make lists. or write paragraphs. draw. on lined or unlined paper. write as much or as little as you want

 

I don't know how long it takes to create a habit, good or bad, 28 days, hours, months...but I do think that having a daily writing habit is something that can be achieved this way, by writing as little as a word or a few words a day, and staying with it, so that when things get tough or you have great ideas, or both, your daily habit will just be there to carry you through. I'd be happy to work with you on a journal approach as a Life Coach and expand on your journal efforts with other coaching techniques and tools.