Virginia Woolf, an entire life in a notebook

From english.elpais.com

The writer’s monumental diaries have been published in five volumes. In them, she outlines her novels and essays, mixes genres and records her moods… including suicidal thoughts

The modern self and its restlessness can find fertile ground in diaries. It’s hard to imagine that one can fully understand the complex personality of 19th and 20th century artists without them… especially since they used the medium to give birth to their creations. Between fiction and manifesto, a diary isn’t merely a vehicle for introspection and emotional release. For artists, it’s a way of looking at themselves in the mirror.

One particularly impressive corpus – more than 3,000 pages long – is André Gide’s diary.

The French writer – who won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1947 – was greatly admired by Virginia Woolf. In her own personal papers, the British writer wrote, in November of 1939, “how does one compete with Gide’s concentration & lucidity while writing your [own] diary?”

Other famous diaries have been penned by figures such as the Portuguese poet Fernando Pessoa, whose writings show his alienation from the world; Franz Kafka, whose disappointing intimate experiences are intertwined with his literary defeats; the shocking and delicious 1927 Diary, by Katherine Mansfield, which her husband edited to share with the world. Or the unpublished novel and musings that Irène Némirovski kept in her bag, next to an orange, before perishing in the Holocaust.

From Mansfield’s short stories and diary, Woolf – who wrote iconic novels such as To the Lighthouse and extended essays including A Room of One’s Own – learned to include everyday life in her writing and to link what one observes with what one feels. In A Writer’s Diary – published in 1953, 12 years after her death – one can attest to how she balances the weakness of the spirit with its vitality. Just as she looked at the precipice of the modern world (and at her own existence), Anaïs Nin – a French-born American diarist – noted that the diary “is my hashish and my opium pipe… it drives me to write almost at the same time as I live.”

To this incomplete list would be added The Business of Living, by the Italian writer Cesare Pavese. His diary – born in October of 1935 – ended just a few days before the author’s suicide, in 1950. Similar circumstances occur with Virginia Woolf’s diary, which she completed on March 24, 1941, just four days before she filled her pockets with stones and took her own life, throwing herself in the River Ouse, in East Sussex.

Other dramatic diaries include War: A Memoir (1945), by the French novelist Marguerite Duras, or the solemn Diary, by Witold Gombrowicz, who wrote – between utopia and disenchantment – to save himself, “for fear of degradation and total collapse between the waves of trivial life.” He also admitted to have written “with reluctance,” because “insincere sincerity” tired him. The Polish absurdist often asked the eternal question: Who am I writing for?

Later would come the stark Patricia Highsmith: Her Diaries and Notebooks (1941-1995), published posthumously. She died the same year that her personal writings stopped – they were full of personal demons and powerful opinions. Similarly turbulent works were

Alejandra Pizarnik’s Diary: The Temptation of Failure; Julio Ramón Ribeyro’s Personal Diary; Fickle Dietary, by Enrique Vila-Matas, or The Diaries of Emilio Renzi, by Ricardo Piglia, in which the Argentine author chronicles his shadow self.

Added to this collection of publicly-available diaries are the texts written over the course of 26 years by Virginia Woolf. Crammed into 30 notebooks that are preserved in the Berg Collection of the New York Public Library, they were released in five volumes, in a commendable effort by Anne Olivier Bell, the legendary British art scholar. Across the five edited diaries – released between 1979 and 1985 – the reader can glimpse common themes, as well as the hint of complicity in the intertextual crossroads. Bell – in addition to making the original English editions accessible – also enriched them with an encyclopaedic critical apparatus for literary scholars.

Through these pages, the feminist who fought for women’s rights feels free… albeit not fully emancipated. The reader meets the author and her sister, Vanessa, both members of the Bloomsbury Group – a collective of British writers, philosophers and artists who pushed for modern attitudes in the first-half of the 20th century. Other characters are John Maynard Keynes, Lytton Strachey and E. M. Forster.

In her diaries, the London urbanite attempts to come to terms with the existence of the natural landscape, which, through her novels, she depicts in post-impressionist ways, with a marked propensity for colour. At times, the loyal wife foresees her end… while also noting that her husband, Leonard – who helped publish Virginia’s novels – is working in the garden, pruning flowers.

Apart from the familial and social network – which makes up a large part of the Diaries – Woolf also uses the pages to analyse her moods and the evolution of her personality. “It amuses me to discover how a person develops,” she wrote, in December of 1919. The divine banality of daily life is also dissected in her notebooks, while there’s also correspondence that preceded the drafting of Modern Fiction – a famous essay by Woolf that acted as a guide for writers of modern fiction, encouraging them to write what they feel and observe: “The mind receives endless impressions… trivial, fantastic, evanescent…”

In all five editions, the reader will be able to notice that Woolf doesn’t discriminate between genres when it comes to writing. In this way, her diaries and letters maintain a healthy dialogue surrounding the conception and writing of her great novels and famous essays. She treated these projects as defences against the ravages of life.

At one point, in September of 1922, she unequivocally dismisses James Joyce, writing: “I have finished Ulysses & I think it’s a failed work. I think he doesn’t lack talent… [but the book] is nauseating, pretentious. It’s vulgar.” She’s convinced that “a first-class writer respects writing too much to resort to cheating, provocation or tricks.” She inevitably distanced herself from the Irish writer. In her diaries, she also quoted T.S. Eliot, who supposedly told her that, after writing Ulysses, Joyce had “destroyed the whole of the 19th-century novel. It left [him] with nothing to write another book on.”

A few months before this – before the publication of Jacob’s Room (1922), her third novel – she noted: “I think that, at the age of 40, I’ve discovered how to say something with my own voice.” When looking at the genesis of Mrs. Dalloway (1924), she scribbled about her intention to turn it into “a study on madness and suicide” – concepts that would form part of her stormy intimacy. “What do I feel about my writing?” she wrote in June of 1923. “Dostoevesky said that you have to write from the depths of feeling. Should I do that? Or should I write stories with words, loving them as I so love them?”

When referring to one work she published, she scolds herself, saying that “there’s an excess of ideas.” She is also quite self-aware: “I live totally within my imagination, I depend on those flashes of thought that assail me as I walk… things that go around in my head, as in a perpetual festive parade.” There are worries about critics – who may reproach her – as well as moments of elation: “Now I can write, write and write, the great feeling of happiness in the world.” And, of course, there’s the recognition of language’s fallibility: “All these words cannot express what I want to say,” she lamented, in April of 1935.

In September 1926, Woolf records a moment of depression. It’s not the first, nor the last. In October 1934, she would write: “I’m low in morale. It’s the end of the book. I’ve searched in [past diaries] and I have found the same sadness after [writing] The Waves. After finishing To the Lighthouse, I remember contemplating suicide.” This is the same woman who, in April of 1927, wrote happily under the Sicillian sun: “I would like to travel all my life, wandering among the ruins and watching the schooners arrive. I would prefer to write, but perhaps it’s better to imagine books.” In December of 1929, while looking through the antique shops in Rome, she confesses that “the variations of each phrase and the unsuccessful attempts” in the creative process of The Waves have turned her notebook “into a lunatic’s dream.”

On May 2, 1932, she records that “a lobster has landed in the olive tree.” And, on May 18, she’s “sitting by an open window in the bay where Shelley (the poet) drowned.” She adores Greece and says she wants to buy a big Spanish mule, yet her fondness for London underlies every comment en route.

The diaries contain all sorts of images, from a lighthouse seen through foggy glass, to dragonflies floating in the air. There’s the anguish of glimpsing dementia, the joy of drinking coffee on a balcony above lemon trees and anxiety about paying the rent in Tavistock Square. Frustration about trying to combat social injustice with a text, happiness about strong book sales and doubt about whether a character should have been written differently. There’s the sighting of a German bomber, or the assumption that, following the publication of A Room of One’s Own, the critics will hint that she’s a lesbian. “A mind… [is] life itself in its passing,” she notes, in May of 1929. Her diary is the feverish exercise of translating the stream of consciousness onto a page.

“Writing must be a daily pleasure,” she reminds herself, in December of 1940, near the end of her life. By this point, she’s in the cold winter (of both the seasons and her time on Earth). The diary provides her with a continuous exercise in writing, one that goes beyond the steady composition of her novels. A space opens up that allows writing and intimacy to go hand-in-hand.

Woolf dedicated herself to keeping her diary until end of her days, driven by a need to record her entire life in 30 notebooks “not so much to tell the truth as to justify her state of mind,” as she wrote in the collection Memoirs of a Novelist, referring to Frances Ann Willatt – the fictional writer that Woolf invented to explore the nature of the biography. One of her biographers – Lyndall Gordon – points out that the character is clearly based on Woolf herself.

https://english.elpais.com/culture/2023-07-12/virginia-woolf-an-entire-life-in-a-notebook.html

Why Writers Write

From canadianinquirer.net

By Matte Laurel-Zalko

How society thinks or perceives is based largely on what journalists, columnists, writers, authors, speech-writers and bloggers write. It’s often been said that “history is written by victors” and that according to American novelist and essayist, William H. Gass, “The true alchemists do not change lead into gold; they change the world into words.”  Writing is such a powerful tool used in our everyday lives — it is an essential communication skill utilised to make a permanent record, to store and share information, to convey, and yes, to influence and change the world (for the better hopefully). Writing is believed to be the most high-powered weapon to help shape the world we live in.

The main reason why we write is that it helps us communicate effectively with others. It really is a no-brainer that if one can’t write, one simply can’t communicate with others. When we write to others, it is because we want to stimulate a reaction, an interest, a response, and a conversation from others. When we write for ourselves, we use writing as a tool to help us learn, think, and understand. Writing for ourselves helps us express our feelings, thoughts, and opinions. There are five purposes writers use to write: to persuade their readers, to express their opinions and feelings, to inform their readers, to create a literary work, and lastly, writing activities yield a great number of emotional, physiological, and intellectual benefits to individuals. 

Based on my own experience, there are so many benefits one can gain from writing: it can be therapeutic and can be a form of cathartic stress relief; it gives you an avenue where you can vent and express your feelings, opinions, and frustrations; it allows you to reflect and clarify your thoughts; it keeps your mind refreshed and challenged therefore it’s good for your brain; it turns you into a better reader and a more effective communicator; it’s a great creativity jumpstart; and enables you to be a more passionate version of yourself. 

LEARNING HOW TO WRITE

(Photo of the book, Anne Frank, The Diary of a Young Girl, photo courtesy of Indigo bookstore)

While living and studying in London, England, I discovered my passion for writing at the age of 14 — by keeping a secret diary. I was actually inspired by Anne Frank after reading “The Diary of a Young Girl.” I wrote diligently in my diary every day about what happened at my school, Marymount International School; I wrote about what I ate; what made me sad and angry; what made me happy; what I was thankful for; I wrote about my secret crushes; I wrote about my family, and about my hopes and dreams. 

Mainly, I wrote about my innermost secrets in my life — experiences that I can’t share with anyone, not even to those who are closest to me. My diaries became my sanctuaries and safe havens. I had different types of diaries: I had diaries that had locks, I had colourful and scented notebooks that I used to buy from WHSmith at Oxford Street or from the stalls of the famous Portobello Road in Notting Hill Market. Fast forward to this day, I still keep a diary albeit a digital one! My secret diaries are the doors to my soul, my heart, and my mind. 

LEARNING FROM LITERARY GIANTS 

There are so many writers that one admires and learns from. Through the years, I found myself totally immersed in Dostoevsky’s works — I particularly loved “Crime and Punishment” — I’ve read this masterpiece a hundred times, literally (pardon the pun) and I still read it when I’m in the mood for soul searching. I love George Orwell’s “1984” and “Animal Farm.”  I still swoon over Jane Austen’s “Pride and Prejudice”! If I want a bit of a fright, I’d always turn to Edgar Allan Poe’s classics. I’ve always been a voracious reader ever since I learned to read! Through these literary giants, I learned to avoid using the word “very” as it’s apparently a weak word that diminishes your writing!

(Photo of the book cover, Point of Order by Joe Guevara, photo courtesy of Carousell)

When I was a child, my late maternal grandfather would bribe me with Serg’s chocolates and either Chiz Curls or Chippy snacks if I read him the Manila Bulletin from front to back, even the obituary section on a daily basis! I still remember my grandfather’s preferred column, “Point of View,” by columnist Jose “Joe” Guevara. My grandfather loved reading his articles because they were both Batangueños. Also, my grandfather favoured Joe Guevara’s “bullet points” writing style and tradition over other Manila Bulletin columnists. As per my 8-year-old self, I could barely understand what Joe Guevara wrote about back then! Nevertheless, it was a great introduction to reading well-written articles and I only have my grandfather to thank for!

These days, I have my own favourite modern-day columnists from the Philippines. I may be based now in Vancouver, but thank heavens for modern technology, I’m able to read their articles back home through online. When I read the articles of these much-admired Filipino columnists, I always feel as though I’m transported back to the Philippines sipping my beloved cafe mocha at The Curator while I read their articles! I’m fortunate to be connected with two of these highly esteemed Filipino columnists through Facebook and they’ve been so generous and kind to share with us why they write and how they started as writers. 

MONIQUE TODA: LIFESTYLE COLUMNIST FOR THE PHILIPPINE STAR

(Ms. Monique Toda, photo courtesy of Monique Toda’s Facebook profile.)

Monique Toda is the total package. She’s beauty and brains and a K-Drama connoisseur. In her past life, she headed the public relations and communications department of two of Manila’s top luxury hotels, New World and Raffles Fairmont Hotel. She’s now focusing on her lovable dogs and has a lifestyle column, “All in My Head,” where she writes passionately about anything from post-pandemic anxiety, K-dramas, celebrities, health and wellness, food and beverage and the modern Filipina in the evolution of Maria Clara. She also writes restaurant reviews for The Tatler Dining Guide. 

I’m drawn to Monique not just as a lifestyle writer, but as a woman who is a dog-lover and a woman who has a strong bond with her close female friends — they call themselves Seoul Sisters. Apparently, they meet regularly discussing their passion for anything Korean: K-dramas, celebrities and food — which is something I totally associate with because here in Vancouver, I belong to a group called Sisterhood Tribe and just like Monique’s Seoul Sisters, we also bond over life’s many pleasures and sorrows. I gravitate towards Monique’s articles because I share her love for food, travel, and dramedies. Suffice to say, I find her totally relatable!  I also find it a bonus to know that she’s such a kind person and so willing and generous to share her experiences as a writer. Plus, she shares the same name as my youngest sister! 

My two favourite articles that Monique wrote would have to be “The Reality and Fantasy of Ageing Gracefully” which is about the struggles of ageing gracefully! My other much-loved article of hers is “A Moveable Feast with Peninsulares” — an article about the delectable dishes one could indulge in at the legendary hotel, The Peninsula Manila, which incidentally happens to be my second home because I had my first job there as a young waitress at the Spices restaurant in the early 90’s.

When asked how she started writing for the Philippine Star in 2019, Monique shares, “I was asked to write for the Philippine Star by editor Millet Mananquil. We both had this love for K-Dramas, and she wanted me to share what I knew since I’ve been into it for a few years already. Aside from anything Hallyu, I write about different topics, which is why my column is called All in My Head. I literally write what I am thinking about at the moment.”

Another thing I found relatable to Monique was how she learned to write. Monique says, “I have always been writing, even since I was very young. I would write in journals or diaries constantly. Then I got into PR and Marketing as a career, which involves a lot of writing.”

What made you want to become a journalist? Monique replies, “I never sought out to be a journalist. It just happened. In my opinion, it’s very exciting.”

(Ms. Monique Toda, photo courtesy of Monique Toda’s Facebook profile.)

I just had to ask her about her favourite story to write and why. Monique responds, “Oh, there are too many favourite stories to mention. What really gives me satisfaction from writing is learning new things and meeting new people. My world is so much bigger, and I worked in a hotel. Yet, writing is more expansive in terms of knowledge and scope.” Aha. Another commonality we share: we’re both past hoteliers and we also have common friends in the hospitality industry! 

Lastly, when it comes to interviewing famous personalities, who’s on your bucket list and why? Monique replies, “I want to interview many people. In Korean entertainment, it’s actor Lee Min Ho and King of Kpop G-Dragon. But my ultimate bucket list interview is Elon Musk.” Knowing Monique and her indomitable nature, it’s just a matter of time when we can all read her interview with Elon Musk! 

BOO CHANCO: BUSINESS COLUMNIST FOR THE PHILIPPINE STAR

(Mr. Boo Chanco, photo courtesy of Boo Chanco’s Facebook profile.)

Pedro Chanco III, or famously known as Boo Chanco is an old school journalist with interests in economics and politics. He is a distinguished alumnus of The University of the Philippines College of Mass Communications. At only 19 years old, Boo Chanco was a cub reporter for ABS-CBN and was one of the two reporters who covered Ninoy Aquino’s Opposition Party’s Miting de Avance, which would be known in history as the 1971 Plaza Miranda Bombing. 

Later on, he became the Editor for the now defunct Manila Chronicle and in 2010, he retired as the Senior Vice President for the Lopez Group of Companies’ Corporate Communications. Mr. Chanco is also a multi-awarded journalist having been recently recognized as Newspaper Business Opinion Writer of the Year by the Rotary Club of Manila.  Prior to that, he also received the Glory Awards during the UPCMC annual homecoming in 2018.

If you want to read about the current political or economic pulse of the Philippines, you must read Mr. Chanco’s articles at the Philippine Star, where he is currently its business columnist. My two most favoured articles of Mr. Chanco would have to be: Left Behind, a compelling story about the poor health of most Filipinos, and the other article is Tourism Promotion, an article that is so timely due to the new tourism slogan “Love Philippines” controversy. 

His most recent article, Mass Housing,  about the housing problem in the Philippines is also quite an eye opener and he opines that the only way it can be solved is “if the very profitable private property developers work with the government towards a sustainable solution.” I’m a huge fan of Mr. Boo Chanco, unabashedly.

With regard to how he started writing for Philippine Star, Mr. Chanco says, “I started writing for the Philippine Star in the early 90s on the invitation of Max Soliven, its publisher. I was then writing for the Manila Chronicle in addition to my work as VP News and Public Affairs of ABS-CBN. I had been writing columns for various publications since the 80s. I wrote a Corporate Communications column for Business Day; then I wrote on the op/ed page for the Inquirer after EDSA, moved to Malaya, then was editor of the Manila Chronicle and wrote an op/ed column there too in addition to the day’s editorial. Max was a good friend and he convinced me to move to the Star, writing opinion for its Business section.”

When asked why he writes, Mr. Chanco responds, “Essentially, I write as a means to gather my thoughts in an organised manner so as to make heads and tails of the events of the times. It is like writing a diary except it is very public and involves public issues and personalities. These days, I write to keep my brain working and fight off the onset of Alzheimer. I believe that unless we use our brain, we lose it. And it is a means to again, figure out what is going on in the world around us.”

(Mr. Boo Chanco, photo courtesy of Boo Chanco’s Facebook profile.)

Please share what made you want to become a journalist, Mr. Chanco shares,  “I thought I wanted to be an economist even if being a journalist was something I also wanted to do even back in high school. I was in college during the turbulent 70s with student activism at its height. I figured being in journalism will enable me to get into the middle of it all and also advance the causes which were important to us at that time. Then I took a summer job as a cub reporter at ABS-CBN in the summer before my senior year. I enjoyed it so much I almost didn’t complete my college degree until martial law closed down the network. I enjoyed covering big events, hosting TV news specials and even annotating political rallies like the one in Plaza Miranda that ended in a carnage. I was the youngest among the reporters on coverage and that gave me a sense of doing something important at an early age.”

I wanted to find out what was his favourite story to write and why? He answers, “I really don’t have favourite stories. Stories are stories and it all depends on what seems to be most important to people at that time. I took up graduate units in economics and I like trying to explain economic developments in language that common readers can understand. Economics is important and it is unfortunate that it is not well explained on the whole. The quality of our lives depends on economic decisions being made. Unfortunately, populist politics always end up trying to repeal the economic law of supply and demand, so to speak. So, I find a need to try to make ordinary readers understand what we are getting into.”

When it comes to interviewing famous personalities, who’s on your bucket list and why? Mr. Chanco replies, “I have no favourite personalities. But business entrepreneurs who have made a fortune starting from scratch always fascinate me. It is nice to write their stories because someone out there may get inspired enough to try to replicate the success and that’s good for our country’s economy. But always be careful not to write puff pieces that serve no purpose but to bloat a personality’s ego. Always be ready to ask the tough and often embarrassing questions.”

Ms. Monique Toda and Mr. Boo Chanco are truly inspirational writers. They make me believe in the power of my own thoughts and words as a columnist. In March 2020, I was given a wonderful opportunity to write what’s on one’s mind via “Maria in Vancouver,” a column where I can freely share my musings, opinions, and life experiences publicly. I find it such incredible luck to have one of my dreams turn into a reality: from writing diaries to writing a column for Canada’s largest Filipino-Canadian news website and newspaper. 

As a new columnist, I make it a point to keep learning about writing techniques on a daily basis. I read my favourite columnists’ works and through their writings, I gained a lot of invaluable tips. Recently, I learned from Ms. Monique Toda and Mr. Boo Chanco the importance of expressing one’s viewpoints and beliefs with utmost authenticity — which is really the key secret to writing effectively. You just have to be honest and true to your words and you’ll find that your writing will flow easily!

https://canadianinquirer.net/2023/07/08/why-writers-write/

Queen Elizabeth’s Private Letters & Diaries Could Be Released to the Public — What They May Contain

From sheknows.com

Let’s hope Queen Elizabeth II wasn’t keeping any deep, dark secrets in her personal diaries and letters because they could be released to the public. Across her 70-year reign, the monarch kept a handwritten diary containing reflections on both her personal life and her role. These admissions could be released for publication in the coming years.

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Queen Elizabeth IIStuart C. Wilson/Getty Images.

According to The Daily Express, the monstrous task of combing through the Queen’s writings has been assigned to Paul Whybrew, a former footman who must decide which of the documents could be eligible for national historical archives, which are public.

Whybrew, who stands at 6 feet, 4 inches tall, is affectionately known as “Tall Paul” in royal teams and worked for the Queen for 44 years. Whybrew, who is now the keeper of the Queen’s secrets was one of few people with the longest reigning monarch in her final days at Balmoral. 

However, it will ultimately be at King Charles's discretion to determine which of the letters and diary entries are too personal to be released to the public. The practice of publishing former monarch’s letters is not uncommon. Many of Queen Victoria’s personal diary entries are available online.

One entry on her 18th birthday reads: “Today is my eighteenth birthday! How old! and yet how far am I from being what I should be. I shall from this day take the firm resolution to study with renewed assiduity, to keep my attention always well fixed on whatever I am about, and to strive to become every day less trifling and more fit for what, if Heaven wills it, I’m someday to be.”

Queen Elizabeth II was known to have a penchant for writing handwritten letters and one such letter has already been stored away in a vault for another six decades. The late Queen sent a letter to Sydney’s Lord Mayor with these instructions on the envelope: “On a suitable day to be selected by you in the year 2085 AD, would you please open this envelope and convey to the citizens of Sydney my message to them. Elizabeth R.”

September 8, 2023 will mark a year since the Queen died at the age of 96 in her Balmoral residence in Scotland. It is unclear how long it may take to unveil any of her diaries and letter, if any are to be published at all, but it could certainly provide a fascinating insight into the life of the ultra-private Queen.

https://www.sheknows.com/entertainment/articles/2797262/queen-elizabeth-private-diaries-letters-public/ 

Does Journalling Actually Improve Mental Health?

From thewalrus.ca 

BY ANNE THÉRIAULT

Writing down your thoughts can be helpful. But getting the perfect notebook isn’t a substitute for professional care

IN THE FALL of 1962, Sylvia Plath wrote to her mother, “I am a genius of a writer, I have it in me. I am up at 5 writing the best poems of my life. They will make my name.” Before then, she’d struggled to find her voice, writing verse that was stiff and sometimes derivative, but in the months after her separation from husband Ted Hughes, she was able to let go and charge headlong in a new direction. These poems, which would be published posthumously under the title Ariel, were vivid, furious, and personal—like formal versions of some of the most memorable passages from the journals she’d kept for more than half her life.

Plath began keeping a diary when she was eleven years old and continued to do so right up until her death in 1963 at the age of thirty. She wrote about everything: sex, school, her challenging relationship with her mother. A frequent topic was the tension between her drive to have a career and her desire to be an ideal wife and homemaker—passages about her publishing successes are written with just as much relish as those about the elaborate meals she cooked for her husband.

Plath used her journals to exult when things were going well, to scold herself when they weren’t, to push herself always to do more, and more, and more. She could be critical, and even cruel, toward herself. One passage from 1953 begins with the words, “Letter to an Over-grown, Over-protected, Scared, Spoiled, Baby.” But when I discovered her journals, the entries that I found most interesting were the ones in which she analysed (obsessively, often unsparingly) her own feelings. I remember reading her diaries with a shock of recognition. I saw in them the same quality I saw in my own journals: the need to write through any and every experience to unravel its exact meaning.

I didn’t start keeping a journal as a conscious way of coping with stress, but it didn’t take long for me to figure out that, if I was in a bad mental state, writing everything out provided some relief. I now realize that that sense of unravelling, of pulling apart my feelings, is a form of therapeutic journalling. And while people have been chronicling their lives for thousands of years, journalling as a wellness practice has experienced a recent boom. As countries started locking down at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, many people turned to journalling as a sort of therapy—a space to vent and lament over the challenges of living through unprecedented times. A representative of the California-based lifestyle brand ban.do told a reporter they saw a 37.5 percent increase in journal sales from the previous year in the first four months of the pandemic alone—a figure similar to those of other brands across the country, according to Vox.

Journalling can be a valuable tool, and it’s quickly become a very popular one. But if so many of us are working out our feelings in notebooks, shouldn’t we all be feeling a whole lot better?

DIARIES, OR JOURNALS, as we understand them today—that is, regularly kept records of someone’s life, thoughts, and feelings—first started in Japan in the tenth or eleventh century. In the West, they didn’t appear until the early modern period. Samuel Pepys, one of the best known early diarists, is probably most famous for his accounts of the Great Plague of London and the Great Fire (he even wrote about burying cheese and wine in his garden to save them from the flames), but he also included very personal passages, like descriptions of fights he had with his wife and details about his frequent infidelities. The latter type of entry was often recorded in French and/or Spanish; an example from 1666 reads, “And thence to the Abbey, and so to Mrs. Martin and there did what je voudrais avec her, both devante and backward, which is also muy bon plazer.”

Journalling continued to gain traction during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, but it wasn’t until the early nineteenth century, when several diaries—including Pepys’s—were published, that the practice really exploded. But while people have long used journalling as a processing tool, its formal use as a widespread therapeutic practice didn’t begin until 1966, when American psychotherapist Ira Progoff developed a program he called the Intensive Journal Method. Progoff had realized early on that journalling can have tangible benefits for mental health by reducing symptoms of anxiety and depression and boosting emotional regulation. Evidence also suggests that having a regular journalling practice can improve memory function.

Since Progoff’s time, many different systems of therapeutic journalling have been created. One of the best known is that of Kathleen Adams, author of the 1990 bestseller Journal to the Self.

Adams received her first diary (which she describes as “the kind with a lock you could pick with a bobby pin”) for Christmas when she was ten years old, marking the beginning of a lifelong practice. Years later, when she entered a master’s program in psychology and counselling at the Boulder Graduate School in Colorado, her use of her writing as a processing tool became so well known among her friends that they began asking her to teach them how to journal in the same way. She went through her old notebooks to see if she could pick out a few helpful writing techniques, turning her methodology into a twelve-hour workshop. The response was overwhelmingly positive. Adams had found her calling.

Not long after, Adams began working at a psychiatric hospital, running an in-patient journalling program for women with post-traumatic stress disorder, most of whom had experienced severe trauma beginning in childhood. Many of the women had tried journalling before but had struggled with feelings of re-traumatization when doing so.

“The number one thing that they told me was that, often when they were trying to write about their trauma and understand it, they described this process of falling off a cliff or going to a deep and dark place that they can’t get out of,” said Adams. “Many of them were doing stream-of-consciousness writing, but I realized that, in trauma work, what these women really needed was structure, pacing, and containment. At least to begin with.”

When Adams left hospital work and moved into private practice, she discovered that her journalling program wasn’t just helpful for people diagnosed with PTSD but was also an effective clinical model for all kinds of mental health issues. In fact, there are only a handful of people for whom Adams wouldn’t recommend journalling: people who are experiencing disordered thinking (that is, thoughts that aren’t rational to other people), since writing in that state can take them deeper into those thoughts; people with highly manipulative tendencies, as they’re no more likely to be honest in their journals than they are in real life; and, finally, people who are struggling with impulse control in a specific area (for example, trying not to drink or have a cigarette), since writing about what they’re craving can sometimes turn into rationalizing why they should give into it. Otherwise, she believes journalling can be a powerful tool for just about anybody.

In the years since Adams published her first book, therapeutic journalling has gained enormous popularity. You can now find resources that cater to just about any social condition. There are guided journals for soldiers, for Catholics, for students, for grieving parents, and almost any other group you can think of. The practice has been embraced by the larger wellness industry, and it’s not hard to see why: therapy is expensive, and notebooks are comparatively cheap. But, as in the case of many other things associated with the wellness movement, journalling for mental health can feel like a bit of a double-edged sword: it can be helpful, but it’s no substitute for proper care overseen by a licensed practitioner. It can also feed into the idea that if we can just buy the perfect notebook and invest in the right routine, all of our mental health problems will be solved.

I started journalling when I was eleven years old, which is also around the same time that I started to really struggle with feelings of hopelessness and unworthiness. My first diary was a bright-orange Hilroy notebook with a picture of a marten glued onto the front. I chronicled the social upheavals of my small group of friends and my own uncertainty about how to handle them. By the time I was in high school, I’d switched from lined notebooks to hardbound sketchbooks in dark colours, which seemed better suited to my adolescent scrawl. These days, I’m a sucker for Moleskine-style notebooks, though I still prefer them to be unlined.

I don’t follow any specific therapeutic formula. I just write my way through whatever stressful thing I’m experiencing until I’ve finally figured out how I really feel about it. Sometimes it turns out that I’m actually upset about something completely different than whatever set me off, and sometimes I just write in circles until I’ve exhausted myself. Either way, the act of sitting down and committing it all to paper gives me enough space from my original heightened state that I feel like I can take a breath. But that breath doesn’t last long—journalling offers me only a temporary reprieve at best. And I have to admit that after years of trying to navigate mental health care in Canada, I’m burned out on solutions that put more responsibility onto people just trying to survive.

To say that the system is broken feels glib but, for proof, look no further than the numbers. In 2019, the average national wait time between a general practitioner’s referral and an appointment with a psychiatrist was nearly eleven weeks, while the average wait time between the appointment with the psychiatrist and the beginning of treatment was nearly fourteen weeks. That means that the overall time between seeing your family doctor and beginning treatment is over six months. For some provinces, wait times are disproportionately longer—like in Nova Scotia, where it typically takes over a year to receive treatment.

For those who do manage to endure the wait time, the options are often limited when it comes to treatment. Talk therapy and/or counselling is not covered by any provincial health plans unless it’s done by a medical doctor or through a medical clinic, but such programs are few and far between. Meanwhile, the average cost of private psychotherapy runs upward of $100 per session. To state plainly, these are resources that are out of reach for many Canadians.

Beyond the issues of scarcity and cost, the system can be incredibly complex to navigate. Margaret Eaton, national CEO of the Canadian Mental Health Association, has told the CBC that it’s a “patchwork quilt” of services. If you have a primary care physician (and 6 million Canadians do not), you might start there for a referral, but that’s just the mouth of the labyrinth. Once you enter the system, you’ll likely face wait lists, assessments, tests, invasive personal questions, and piles of paperwork, all while you’re struggling with debilitating psychiatric symptoms.

So I’ll admit that I bristle a bit when discussions about mental health involve suggesting things like journalling to people who are struggling. Of course, everyone has some responsibility for their own health, and mood-boosting activities like going for walks, taking baths, or going to the gym certainly have their place in a daily routine. On the other hand, what does it say about our existing mental health support systems if so many people are left to cobble together their own solutions?

WHILE SYLVIA PLATH’S WRITING is well regarded, she’s arguably most famous for her death by suicide. So often when we talk about Plath’s death, we can make it seem fated, inevitable. But the reality is that she was not passive in her crisis. In fact, she was doing everything she could to survive it. She wrote prolifically in her last months—letters to friends and family, part of a second novel, the poems she told her mother would make her name, and a final journal, which was destroyed posthumously by her husband.

What often gets left out of that part of her story is the fact that she was fighting to get care right up until her last days. She was attending regular doctor’s appointments. She was trying new medication. She was reaching out to friends for support. She was doing everything we tell people to do when they’re struggling with their mental health.

In her last days, Plath was on a wait list to receive in-patient psychiatric treatment. When her doctor had tried to have her admitted at several hospitals, he was told that all the beds were full. In the end, her writing couldn’t save her. She needed real, substantial medical care. A person alone with their journal can only do so much.

https://thewalrus.ca/mental-health-journal/

Journaling helps to corral your thoughts and clarify your path. Here's how to get started

From bdnews24.com

Journaling helps you understand yourself and pushes you to think more clearly

By Tilottama Barua

To journal is to keep a record of your thoughts and feelings. Many of us kept a diary during our teenage years, a place to confess the difficulties we faced in a place free of fear and judgment. The act helped put our thoughts in order, externalise our inner turmoil and look at it from a distance. It clarified our thinking.

Most people tend to stop keeping a diary as they grow older. Still, journaling can be an excellent way to organise our lives. Writing down our thoughts and feelings puts them into words in a way that helps us understand ourselves. Those who have high stress, depression, or anxiety may even find a good outlet for their negative feelings through the process.

Journaling can be for everyone, no matter your perspective or beliefs. As someone who has reaped significant benefits from it, here's some advice on getting started. 

STOCKING UP

One way to journal is to get a notebook. I use whatever kind I can get my hands on, but I avoid spiral notebooks because they can fall apart too easily. But any notebook with a solid binding usually works.

In terms of writing utensils, go with a pen. Pencils can smear, and pens look nicer and cleaner. The contrast of the ink with the paper also adds a touch of neatness and organisation. Whatever kind you use, make sure it'll last you for some time and doesn't bleed through the paper.

Calligraphic touches are optional, but I recommend the Tombow fine-tip brush pen if you want a bit of artistic flair. It has this smooth, gliding design, bright colours, and the ink doesn't run or bleed much. They can be found in the stationary section of Unimart. A bit expensive, maybe, but I love writing with them.

But let's say you're not a pen-and-paper person. That's fine too. If you're more comfortable typing away on your phone, computer, or tablet - go for it. I prefer a physical journal to a digital one, so I haven't delved too deeply, but I know there are many tools and options. Feel free to check them out.   

HOW OFTEN SHOULD YOU JOURNAL?

Again, there's no right or wrong answer. Journaling is about you, so you should set your own pace.

But I recommend sitting down with your journal once in the morning and again at night. This way, you can prepare for the day and clear your mind before bed. However, this is a time commitment. If you don't think you can manage twice daily, pick whichever time works best for you. 

If you can't commit to writing daily, focus on writing when you feel the need or the urge to get things down on paper. 

SHOULD YOU LABEL YOUR JOURNAL ENTRIES?

In my journal entries, I write the day of the week, the date, the time, and the day of my menstrual cycle. Keeping track of my cycle helps because I can go back and see the consistency and changes in patterns from month to month. That might sound uninteresting, but I'm a bit of a data nerd, so this kind of stuff is very exciting for me. 

You could also draw a cute little weather tracker if you add a cloud or sun next to the day's temperature. Add things you want to discuss or things that will help you remember or add flavour to your entries.

BUT WHAT DO YOU WRITE ABOUT?

Ah, there's the rub. Now that you have your solid notebook, fancy pen, labels and cute asides, what do you actually write about?

The best advice I can give? Don't overthink it. Journaling isn't a competition. You don't have to be brilliant, incisive, or profound in every entry. It's unlikely your journal will be pored over for aeons by millions of critical readers. So write about what you did, what was on your mind, what's still lingering there, your worries, your ideas, and just about anything that pops into your head.

In her book The Artist's Way, Julia Cameron introduces a popular technique called Mourning Pages. She recommends three full pages of handwritten notes every morning when you wake up. The trick is to treat it as a stream-of-consciousness exercise. Just put down whatever comes to mind. If you start with this method, you'll quickly get a grasp of the kind of topics you gravitate to. 

HOW DO YOU KEEP AT IT?

Starting something can be easier than maintaining it. So, here are some tips to ease your way.

First, don't feel pressured to do it a certain way. As journaling is a personal journey, you should figure out the version that works for you, regardless of length, style or regularity.

But, if you need firm guidance to keep up, add journaling to your habit tracker. When you're starting out, it might be best to plug it in as part of our schedule so you don't skip it. 

Finally, make the process fun. Whatever you need – exciting pens, a pretty notebook, or stickers. Make journaling something you look forward to instead of a chore.

Journaling should be a pleasant, relaxing way to start or end your day and keep track of your many different aspects. 

This article is part of Stripe, bdnews24.com's special publication focusing on culture and society from a youth perspective.

https://bdnews24.com/stripe/mind-strings/zcvl8lvbkr