Blogging opened a new world of journaling for me. Not only did it provide a creative outlet, but holy moly I could share my ideas with others and allow them to react! Wow!
In addition to blogging, though, I've managed to (somewhat) keep a traditional journal for myself. For one thing, despite my navel-gazing on this and my other blog, there are things I'd rather not share with the whole world(wide web). A traditional journal allows me to record those thoughts, ideas, and fears without inviting comments.
Also, I think there's something romantic about writing in a journal. My current journal is a beautiful leather-bound one I got from my sister, and I love curling up in bed with my journal and favorite black ink roller ball pen to reflect on the day (or week) and how I feel about whatever's important in my life at the time.
I know some people keep journals in order to record their own history for the people who may be interested in it: children, grandchildren, scholars....
I've considered the fact that, someday, someone may come across Grandma NP's journal and wonder what she thought about when she first got married or started her family or moved to Ireland (ha!). I love history, so I'd love to be able to read an ancestor's journals, to see what they found significant, as well as mundane.
However, when I'm journaling and I think about future generations reading what I write, I get a little self-conscious. I mean, some of my journal entries are pretty...boring. Even I only scan them if I decide to reread my journal. What would my great-great-granddaughter think of me if she read my endless lists and weird ramblings? Will I be labeled vapid or flakey or obsessive-compulsive? It's in those moments I find myself thinking about editing what I'm writing to make it more "future-worthy." Usually I catch myself and go back to writing the way I want, but the thought of what people might say about me based on what I leave behind between the leather covers of my journals.
What would you want said about you if someone picked up your journal and thumbed through it? Would you consider burning your journals to prevent people from getting them?
I feel so sorry for the poor buggers who will be forced to try to sort through my journals if I ever become famous enough to warrant such a thing. "I hate work blah blah blah. I'm tired blah blah blah. Family bugs me blah blah blah. Oh, look, more plans that fell through blah blah blah. Rebuilding my entire world again blah blah blah." Not to mention, I keep several going at once, because they're where I blabber about the current projects. Right now, I've been skipping between the Precursor Stories Chronicle, the Cosmological Chronicle, and the Exodus Chronicle.
ReplyDeleteIf I were a merciful being, I'd delete them just after hearing I was on the bestseller list. But then I figure, this mess could keep a lit grad student busy for ages, so why deny them the material they need for their thesis? LOL.
As for what they think of me, I actually have decided I don't care. If they're bored, they can skip. If they think I'm OCD, they're absolutely right. If they think I'm a disorganized freak, they're right about that too. At least I can give my descendents some comfort knowing that, compared to me, they're practically normal. ;-P
Sorry. Rambling. Need to go to bed...
I like your idea that it'll keep grad students busy....!
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