The last
week or so has me a little spooked. I’m questioning the condition of the
global, national, and my family’s economic future. Anyone else out there having
similar concerns, or is it just me?
Worrying
about family investments, I’ve awakened in the middle of the night, unable to
fall back to sleep. My choice was to lie in bed thinking about different economic
scenarios and growing more and more anxious, or to write in my LifeJournal. I
chose writing. I began by writing in free flow about what’s worrying me
until I ran out of worries to write about. Then I switched to writing
about those things that I have some control over. Within thirty to
forty-five minutes, I was feeling more comfortable about things I can’t change
and putting together a plan about what I might be able to change—and I was able
to fall asleep. If you find yourself in worry mode, give journal writing
a try and let me know if writing helps.
This
newsletter has two articles: One describes Tristine Rainer’s keynote
presentation at last June’s Journal Conference: 2008.Tristine Rainer is one of the pioneers of the
modern diary and offered some fresh perspectives on journal writing in her
speech. The second article, “How Journal Writing Helps Your Business Writing”
is written by Mary Cullen, president of Iinstructional Solutions, who tells us
how keeping a journal can improve your business writing skills.
Our first
LifeJournal for Writers Webinar in September was successful, and I’m happy to
announce that we are presenting more webinars. Please go to www.lifejournal.com/webinar_upcoming
to learn more about our webinar offerings. Hope you can attend!
Sincerely,
Ruth Folit
Chronicles Software Company
www.lifejournal.com
How to Buy LifeJournal Programs
Here are three ways you can order LifeJournal: 1. Order online. Click a link below to go to the ordering page for the different versions:
2. Order by telephone, toll free 1-877-456-8762 from 9 am to 5 pm Eastern time, Monday to Friday.
3. Order by postal mail and pay with a check or money order payable to:
Chronicles Software Company
PO Box 220
Sarasota, FL 34230
Tristine Rainer and the Journal Conference: 2008
Tristine
Rainer was a keynote speaker at the Journal Conference:2008 (produced by
Kathleen Adams from the Center for
Journal Therapy). Tristine Rainer holds a unique place in the history of
journal writing. In 1978, she wrote one
of the earliest contemporary books on journal writing, The New Diary.
One of her
good friends and mentors was Anaïs Nin, who wrote volumes and volumes of diaries. Nin's diaries have been published
and are known for their depth, intimacy, and insights into the feminine psyche.
Anaïs Nin,
in December 1976, wrote the preface to Rainer's The New Diary. I include a
portion of Non's preface here because it gives a sense of how Nin views the
diary and how Rainer has worked hard to bring the journal/diary further along
in its evolution:
Sheila Bender and Ruth Folit, creators of LifeJournal for Writers
software, will offer an online webinar for aspiring and professional
writers who want to improve their writings by keeping journals. We are
scheduling two sets of classes in October to accommodate more people:
Tuesday evenings and Wednesday daytime.
Journal Writing Helps Your Business Writing
by Mary Cullen
Our careers
are tied to our ability to harness our writing to convey business information
clearly and effectively and productively. As journal writers, you have a huge
advantage when writing for business.
Journal writing is integral to good
business writing. Surprised?
Business
writing is a genre that is often mistakenly written with verbosity and
formulaic writing. At first blush, business writing is a world away from the
authenticity of journal writing. However, journal writing positively impacts
business writing in two important ways: 1) Practice
2) Finding your own voice
“It is not what we eat but what we digest that
makes us strong; not what we gain but what we save that makes us rich; not what
we read but what we remember that makes us learned; and not what we profess but
what we practice that gives us integrity.“
-– Francis Bacon
"Ask the great athlete or the concert pianist or
the successful actor if they arrived at the place where they need no further
practice. They will tell you that the higher you climb in proficiency and
public acceptance, the greater the need for practice."
