In January I began a new journal using an inexpensive, spiral-bound notebook. It is a place to write without public eyes. I need that. The pages have been slow filling, yet when I do write there, I find a place to express something private. I am glad to be back in that habit.

I am most interested in how my brain works when composing in different media. I think more about what I will write on a piece of paper than on a screen. Partly, this is because of reduced editing capabilities on paper — so I consider the words before writing them down. On a screen, I can dash off any old sentences and then easily edit before finalizing. On a screen, I can start a sentence without knowing how it will end until I write it. The screen is very forgiving.

A difference between a journal and a blog is the journal is not intended for readers. The expressive instance is the entirety of it. Whether the journal survives or not is less important than using handwriting as a way to work through complicated ideas or sequences in a narrative. If I write for this blog, I spend more time editing to make sure what I wrote makes sense and that I’ve done the best possible job to efficiently present the narrative. I review each blog post at least a half dozen times before publishing. With a journal, once I make a period at the end of a sentence, that is it. Also, periods are optional.

A journal is a way to react when I get a bee in my bonnet. Every idea is not worthy of inclusion in a blog post or other outlet. By writing through the idea, I can often determine whether it is something for a broader audience. This is a better way to do it than starting a draft blog post every time I am channeling the gods.

I began journaling in 1974 and those early journals were helpful in writing my autobiography. They provide a more detailed view of daily life that is meaningful 50 years later. When I review the Social Security Administration Life Expectancy table I can expect about 12 more years. I’m not writing a journal today in order to feed another autobiography. I do it to live in the moment it provides.