A DEFINITION OF JOURNAL WRITING
What is a journal? The word journal comes from the French word jour and from
the Latin word diurnalis meaning daily. Thus, a journal is some form of notebook in
which daily writing (or at least regular writing) is recorded. Journals help people clarify
their thoughts. Jotting down feelings, responses, and insights into daily events gives
writers an opportunity to discover what they think and how they feel about different
topics. If you keep a journal during this course, you never will have to worry about
finding a topic for your writing assignments. You will have a collection of ideas stored in
your journal.
Journal writing is informal, casual writing. By writing about different topics, you
not only improve your writing skills, but also you have an opportunity to explore your
thoughts without being chastised for grammar, usage, or other errors. Journals are idea
books; they are places where writers are free to “think” in writing.
If you have never kept a journal, you may never have experienced the freedom of
writing for no immediate purpose other than to explore a thought. So that you will
understand the informal nature of journal writing, try the following practice exercise. If
you have to ramble aimlessly before finding a main idea, do not worry; you are allowed
to ramble for awhile. When you do discover your topic, however, try to stay with it.
Keeping with your topic will help you learn how to explore it in detail. This skill can be
transferred to more formal theme writing assignments later.