10 years ago today, I started keeping a writer’s journal — it’s a series of notebooks I call A Forest of Thought (FT for short) and I’m on my 9th volume.
It’s where I keep random ideas, names, and dialog, as well as plotting about my various books, and musings about the writing life. There’s something magical about writing out thoughts by hand with real ink, even when typing is faster (and more searchable) these days.
The first couple of years I was very sporadic with it, but I slowly developed the habit of writing down things that came to mind, before I could forget them. (Because you know you will, even if you tell yourself you’ll remember it!)
It took three years to fill the first volume, but these days I start a new journal each January 1st.
Now, I write something in it — even if it’s just a name I don’t want to forget or a line of random dialog or a quick jot about my writing status — every week, and have kept up that streak for two or three years now; not because I feel I have to, but because it’s a habit.
So, it just goes to show, even if it takes eight or ten years, you CAN develop habits and they CAN change your life — writing-related or otherwise.
It’s been an invaluable resource and a beautiful journey so far. They’ve been with me through so much and recorded so many thoughts from the forest of my mind as I travel the road of a writer.
Happy birthday, my FT journals! We’ve come through a whole decade together, and you’ve helped my writing in ways you could never know.
Onward to new horizons! ❤
(P.S. NaNo is going well and I hope to have an update post on that soon!)
The Road of a Writer 
Wow! Deborah you are so inspirational! I need to get back to my writing journal. I started one during my first draft and I absolutely loved doing it.
Glad you are doing so well with Nano! I hope to read one of those books someday.
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Aww, thank you! I hope you can get back to it! They’re a lot of fun! 😀
Thank you! I hope so too! ❤
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AAAAHHHHH!!!! You’ve been consistently journaling for 10 whole years now??? My goodness, I didn’t know it’s been that long. Your dedication is awe-inspiring!!! And I can just imagine the amount of amazing Celti ideas that fill all nine of those journals. What a special thing to have! I just love that you do this.
Happy birthday to your journals! And here’s to many more pages filled with all sorts of epic things! 😀
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To be fair, I wrote in it like… four times the first year or so if memory serves. XD I didn’t get consistent until late in 2010 and I remember that it kind of saved my first NaNo (both with plot ideas from flipping through, and writing in it during NaNo for almost therapy. XD). And aww, I’m sure they’re not amazing ideas, mostly just random things, but thank you! ❤ (And I'm pretty sure I've only been as consistent these last few years because of OUR weekly accountability writing emails, so that's partly due to you, my dear! ;))
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This is such a good idea!
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Thanks! It’s a lot of fun! 🙂
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Thank you for sharing this. You’re right, there is something wonderful about jotting things down with a pen. Plus, you can stick in your backpack or whatever and always have it with you. If Eustace hadn’t done that, Voyage of the Dawn Treader would have been much less interesting 🙂
I keep my ideas in two Scrivener documents called “Story Ideas” and “Words” for sheer, cutthroat efficiency, but I applaud you for your more organic, old school habits!
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Thanks!
Yes, it’s very handy and I like bringing it along! What a good point about Eustace! I need to read that book again…
Ooh, what a good idea! I like your efficient ideas. 😀 Sometimes I go less old school to be efficient as well.
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That’s so amazing! I have so many journals but I’ve yet to fill them.
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Thank you! Journals are the BEST. 😀 Sometimes I don’t quiiite fill these but it’s still so much fun! And I still collect them way faster than I go through them. XD
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This is so great! I started keeping a writing journal, but this post was a reminder to keep writing things in it. It’s tragic how many wonderful ideas get lost in time when we forget to write them down – this is a great solution! And it’s so wonderful to look back at the random thoughts, too
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Oh, thank you so much! I’m glad it was a good reminder for you. That’s so awesome you keep a writing journal as well! It’s definitely super fun to look back on the random stuff, yes! 😀 Thanks for reading! ❤
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