Creating Your Journal

A journal isn’t expensive, but it will be a priceless asset to your writing career. Be careful and thorough in forming this lifeline. You’ll need the following materials:

 

o A 1-inch loose-leaf binder

o Clear tape

o Plastic page protectors

o A few sheets of blank paper for every section

o Dividers

**I make dividers using colorful card stock. Use a sheet of loose-leaf paper as a guide for the width and height of the divider. Trim along one side and form a tab for the title. After trimming, stick a long strip of clear tape down the opposite side and punch holes through the tape. This will keep the page from pulling out.

**Your binder will get lots of use, so all pages should be taped or placed in page protectors.

Sections of Your Journal

1) Description

2) Leads

3) Endings

4) Transitions

5) Emotion/Suspense

6) Characterization

7) Lingo

Names

9) Omission

10) Genre

11) Similes/Metaphors

12) Plot

13) Humor

14) Rhythm

15) Insight

16) Any Other Section You May Need

Preserve your flashes of genius and sudden inspiration under their appropriate sections. As with all journals, this is a living work that changes as you mature in your writing craft. Once you create one, you’ll wonder how you ever got along without it.