Hi, happy midweek snack break!
Since our wee chat about journaling on Sunday, I know you’re jazzed about picking up your pen and writing your big heart out. I think I spied you strolling the stationary aisles at Target searching for the perfect notebook. Your face struggled under the weight of such heavy decisions. Lined or blank? Colorful gel pens or fancy felt tip?1 Spiral bound or saddle binding?
It’s ok, whatever you decide, it will be the correct decision.
Fun fact: the sooner you start writing and filling up your first book, the sooner you get to try a new notebook out.
Even if you only have scrap paper and a shitty pen, it’s time to actually get started journaling. What are you waiting for…. The first of the month? New Moon? Full moon?
How about just start now. In the middle. Wherever you are.
Don’t bother trying to bring your journal up to date. Just wade right in.
The Greeks call it in medias res: in the middle of things. It worked for Homer in the Odyssey, Quentin Tarantino in Pulp Fiction and Steven Spielberg with Star Wars. It even worked in the song The Gambler2. It will work for you. I promise.
Also, you’re not aiming for an award-winning movie or best-selling song—although that may be a fringe benefit of chasing clarity. In journaling you’re writing for you, untangling your brain onto the pages of a notebook.
So, this is me, kicking your sweet butt, saying, really, it’s time, get started. Pull out your tools, get comfy, beverage up, set your timer and WRITE.
Here are some not-at-all-boring journal prompts for you:
What is an object that you’ve lost that you wish you still had in your possession? What does it mean to you? Where do you think it ended up?
Talk about a song on your life soundtrack? What does it mean to you? How many layers does it have? How do you feel when you hear it? [please share the song with me, I’m compiling selections into a playlist].
Talk about an uplifting experience from your life. What were the circumstances of its occurrence? Did it change you? How?
Interview yourself about one of your greatest accomplishments.
My gift to you: a cover of The Gambler by the band First Aid Kit, from their home in Stockholm in March 2020.
Happy writing, see you on Sunday.
Never underestimate the value of writing with a pen that feels like a hot knife slicing through the butter of your mental clutter. The pen tip glides so freely across the page words flow from your brain like Dr Pepper bubbling from a gas station soda fountain—effervescent and refreshing. I’m a bit of a pen snob. For writing (not drawing), I only use a fountain pen (my favorites cost about $4) or a very specific gel pen with violet ink. No. Matter. What.
Fun fact: The Gambler wasn’t written by Kenny Rogers, but a man named Don Schlitz. Schlitz was 23 when he penned the song in 1976, but it would be two years before record companies showed interest. One of the first recordings was by Johnny Cash. Later that year, Kenny Rogers released his version which won a Grammy in 1980.