A place to discuss anything related to keeping a journal, a diary, a planner, a bullet journal, art/junk journal. Productivity, self-help, mindfulness, memory-keeping, creativity, project management or any other purpose.
Paper and digital alike.
RULES
ELSEWHERE
If you want to share a link to our community that will work anywhere on Lemmy, use this link:
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Welcome to all our new members—hi!
You're beginner, or you're simply considering if you should start keeping a journal? Ask all your questions here. You're more experienced? Feel free to share pictures of your journal, tips & tricks, anecdotes.
This week theme: Do you like your journal pages to look perfect?
Anything related to keeping a journal is welcome in this weekly thread.
A warm welcome to our new members. There is not a lot of activity going on on the surface but our numbers are steadily growing (351 this very morning!), which is neat!
This the second issue of our Weekly Thread, where anyone is welcome to post pictures, questions, anecdotes, suggestions, tips and tricks, your latest great find, absolutely anything related to journaling (at least remotely)
Did you treat yourself with some fancy or not so fancy office supply? Or maybe you're testing out a new journaling app or workflow? Did the dog ate your brand new journal or chew on your new Montblanc fountain pen? Anything else, more or less serious?
Are you a beginner or you're not sure if should start keeping a journal? It's a good place to ask any question ;)
I see quite a few new members have joined our small community in the last few weeks which is great! (Edit 16th Dec: we passed the 300 members!)
A warm welcome to every single one of you!
I was wondering if you would be interested in post where everyone would be able to present themselves in a few words if they wanted to, maybe share a little info about themselves and their journaling habits or why they're considering journaling?
No obligation, obviously, and nothing too personal should probably be shared but here it is.
If the discussion gains enough traction I may pin it as a permanent welcome post and an invitation to new members to introduce themselves. If it doesn't, well so be it.
I will introduce myself in the comments, read you there ;)
It's the first time I'm so proud of what I did !
A fountain pen, plus a notebook, plus some ink can make for a very much appreciated gift.
The issue is that it can cost a fortune—what about a 465$ notebook and this estimated 1 million dollars diamond incrusted fountain pen?
The good news is that it doesn’t have to cost a fortune to get a great starter (and more) journaling kit.
The following prices are indicative and based on the prices in my region (Paris, France) and on the prices of the EU online shops I generally use. No idea how much those cost in your region of the world but, in any case, don’t be afraid to compare from one shop to the next, as prices can vary widely.
If the gift is for a child, cartridges are the best choice since they’re much simpler and quicker to use, and because it’s way too easy to accidentally spill your brand new (aka full) bottle of ink on your dining table and watch it drip on your carpet—don’t ask me ;)
Any downside to this combo? Two minor ones, both related to the fountain pen itself:
If that bothers you, check the next bundle which includes the same sketchbook and the same bottle of blue ink, plus:
The Lamy Safari is now considered a classic but it is still unique, with its simple blocky design and its bright colors. What’s great with that fountain pen is that it was designed for kids. Why does it matter?
First, the pen is sturdy (ABS plastic is solid) and, like most beginner fountain pens, its nib is steel which makes it… reliable and able to endure even the clumsier hands. That said, like all nibs, they don’t like at all being dropped on a hard surface.
Then , it’s not just fancy design. It was developed to help kids learn proper fountain pen handling. Hence the triangular-ish shape of its grip which makes sure one can only grip it right and put the nib at the correct angle to the paper. For beginners, it's a real advantage that can remove a lot of frustration when the fountain pen is not hold correctly.
There si a lot to be said about picking a nib, from its size and its width, to the alloy it is made of, it's flexibility and smoothness, and so on. But a beginner should only worry about its width, aka the fatness of the line it will write.
It goes from Extra Fine, to fine, to Medium, to to Broad. There are others, those are the most common.
One issue is that there is no standard agreed upon. Which means a Fine from brand A may be a Medium with brand B. Funny, right? What's even funnier is that some brands will even not use a single standard for all their products.
To hep you chose, you can keep those two simple rules of thumb in mind:
If it is for a child, I would go with a Medium nib for the Preppy and the Lamy (maybe a Fine for Lamy if the child write real small). Why? A Medium nib will be the smoothest to use and probably the more able to withstand poor handling.
For an adult, I would pick depending their handwriting. In doubt, I would still go with a Medium but, really, having an idea of the handwriting can help a lot.
To give you an idea, I happily use an Extra Fine from Lamy and it's OK-ish to use their Fine (it's already a bit large for my tiny handwriting) where I can use Extra-Fine and Fine from Preppy without any issue, and I can even use their Medium when I don't have a choice.
The two fountain pens I mentioned are part of my daily drivers (and that is despite owning much, much more expensive fountain pens). And since I started using the Art Creation sketchbooks, I quit using all other notebooks... Here again, that is despite having access to much more expensive brands and even having learned, a few decades ago, how to bind my own notebooks using my paper of choice.
They are what I consider an excellent compromise between price and quality and ease of use (nothing beats binding your own notebook with the paper you love the most, you just won't be doing it as quickly (or as cheaply) as you can enter a shop, or click Buy).
There are many others to pick from.
De Atramentis Document ink, Roher & Klinger Sketch Ink, and (in black only) Platinum Carbon Black are three brands selling waterproof inks I use (mostly Platinum and DeAtramentis Document, but I have no issue with R&K either). One can also find a few from Noodler's, USA but I have not been their customer for almost 2 decades so I have no idea what's available anymore.
Do you have any favorite fountain pen or other writing device, notebook or ink you would recommend or would use as a gift? Feel free to tell us what they are, and why you like them!
Also, let me know if this the kind of content you're interested to read more often, or if you think it doesn't belong here.
edit: typos. Re-edit: added a few references I forgot to mention for alternative fountain pens.
Edit 18/12: I updated the proposition, based on u/SomeAmateur remarks.
What do you think? Feel free to comment, even if it is to point out the things you don't like, or that you don't like this proposition at all and prefer the old one. I'm no logo designer, I can promise you won't hurt my feelings ;)
Since 2025 is getting closer I thought it might be a good opportunity to change the banner and the icon.
Here is a quick mock-up to promote something a tad less... serious.
There are two versions of the banner, one with and one without our dear Lemmy. And two versions of the community icon too, one with and one without the name in their default square shape and as a circular icon too, so you can get a better idea what they would look like.
What do you think? Is there one you prefer? Do they both suck, and the banners too?
It is a recurring topic on the reddit Journaling sub, Mom accidentally read my Journal, or My cousin read my diary, and so on. Bet it a cousin, a dad, a mom (my mom read my journal when I was a kid and my life changed, not for the best), siblings, SO, colleagues,... People may rightfully feel devastated after someone read their journal without their permission.
It goes without saying that no one should read a journal without being invited to. And that there is no such thing as an 'accidental reading' of a journal.
Anyone accidentally reading more than a few words of the first page in a journal is doing it on purpose. They decided to read (a little, or a lot more of) the intimate thoughts and words of another other person because they wanted to read it.
Do you protect the privacy of your journal? And if so, how?
I used to, as a kid (after the 'mom even' I mentioned). I learned to replace names with fictitious ones, and to hide my journal in odd places. I also very quickly learned to write in English, because she could not read English and because, back in those days, there was no such thing as the Internet with instant-translation. Also, I knew very well she would never dare ask anyone to translate it for her, she was way too afraid of people reaction and judgment. She did try to coerce me into translating it, though... with little luck. Later, I learned to... destroy all my old journals, in order to preserve my privacy.
As a young adult, I kept it hidden in a box or in a drawer with a lock.
And as a less young adult, I quit hiding it. I did kept regularly destroying it, alas. A sad habit I only quit recently.
Nowadays, my journal sits on my desk (and the few remaining old ones are in plain sight on a bookshelf). My spouse could easily take it and read it the moment I turn away. But I know she would never do that, not without me telling her to read it. Like she knows I would never go through her paper without her permission. In the 25 years we’ve been together, we’ve learned to trust each other and to be OK with not sharing everything together, We both have our little if not secret at least they're private gardens. But I also realize I’m very lucky to live with someone like her.
Have you ever experimented such an intrusion in your privacy? Or would that be ok for you?
If privacy matters to you, how do you manage to protect it? Do you ask to your SO other, or kids or whomever to simply respect your privacy, do you store it in some place? Do you use a password protected digital journal? Or?
As much as I prefer a paper and pen journal, I must admit that a digital journal is probably the best option for anyone concerned with privacy.
Be it in most word processors, like LibreOffice Writer (which is free), MS Word, or even Apple Pages, it’s very easy to password protect a document so no one can open it without knowing that password. And if you’re using a dedicated journaling app (like DayOne that I have used for many, many years next to my paper journal), there is an option to password protect it. And I'm pretty sure it's the case with most if not all apps.
Feel free to share your own experience!
One of the reasons I see people advance when explaining why they gave up on regularly keeping a journal—a pen and paper journal, I mean—is that writing longhand can be exhausting.
Sadly, they’re right.
One can quickly get cramped fingers or a tired hand and wrist, which won’t do much to encourage anyone to pick up their pen and write a little more in their journal.
But what’s even sadder is that there is an easy fix: use the right pen.
OK, to be exact there are three things one should consider:
In conjunction, they can as easily drain all our energy or help preserve it tremendously. And writing is all about managing one's energy.
Imho, of those three things the simplest thing to change is the pen. To find one that will work great for you. One that you will enjoy writing with, instead of dreading it.
Take the ballpoint pen for example.
I'm willing to bet it's the most widely used writing device anywhere on the planet. From the cheap Bic crystal to the expensive Montblanc Meisterstück, even the classic Jotter from Parker, all ballpoint pens work exactly the same. They use a tiny ball to dispense an oil-based (aka thick) ink when they're pressed hard enough on the sheet of paper. They're incredibly reliable and practical. They can be used in almost any position and anywhere—even in space.
Alas, it's also the one requiring the most force to write with (even the space pen requires force, just a different one). As one does need to press them hard enough on the paper otherwise it will not leave a mark and because one needs force, one also needs to grip it tight.
A ballpoint pen is a great tool but if you have any excessive fatigue writing with one, or with any other tool for that matter, imho it’s worth trying something different.
Ballpoint pen, gel pen, rollerball, pencils, markers, fountain pen, maybe a dip pen and why not the quill, and I certainly forgot to name quite a few others.
What's you favorite? And do you have one dedicated to journaling?
My favorite depends on what I’m writing. For short notes on the go, I’m an official fan of the cheap Bic and the Uniball Eye (this one is a rollerball pen). For years, I also used one of those Bullet Space Pen (it was incredibly reliable). For anything longer than a short note? I’m a fountain pen guy.
Alas, unlike with a ballpoint pen, there are many wrong ways to use a fountain pen which can make the experience less than... effortless.
Back in my days, it was part of the lessons but since kids aren't been taught to use a fountain pen anymore there is a high risk that even the more adventurous may not fully enjoy using a fountain pen if they try one. Simply because they aren't taught how to properly use it.
In case you would like to know more about that, here is a great introductory video on the subject: How to Write with a Fountain Pen. It’s made by the Goulet Pens Company, a fountain pen seller in the USA. I’m not affiliated with them, I'm not even one of their customers. It's just an overall excellent series of advice. You may also watch their other beginner videos. And here is a written article which is excellent too, this one was made by JetPens, another US seller I’m not affiliated with: How to Write with a Fountain Pen.
Let me know if you think this kind of topic is interesting or if you think it does not belong here. Obviously, I find it interesting but I’m also experimenting stuff, trying to find ways to encourage people to post and to comment. So, any feedback will be appreciated :)
It's a question I just read on our Reddit cousin sub Journaling that’s worth sharing, imho.
The op seems to be concerned by the fear of the blank page and also seems to have a hard time expressing their emotions in written form.
Is it something that intimidates you too?
To avoid being intimidated by any new notebook, I have made it a habit to ruin its first page. Either by making some stupid drawing on it, or by staining it with ink. Like, literally staining the page.
Here is the first page of my current journal (left) and previous one (right). One is mere stains and scratchy nibs. The other is written in French and it reads 'Tuesday, 28th May 2024' (I only write the full date on the very first entry of a journal) 'To finish—therefore to start a journal' and next to this very deep thought I did a sketch of the XLR plug of my microphone that was lying on my desk.
Now, why should I care about ‘damaging’ my pretty journal? It's already a mess. And I find that incredibly liberating.
Have you ever done that? Or what else do you do to avoid the 'fear of the blank page/new notebook'? Or you simply don't care and start writing?
As for actually writing stuff in the journal, like I mentioned previously), the simplest thing I can think of is to write down the day and the date, plus some tidbits of info I value keeping. I may or may not write more below those snippets, and I may or may not do it every single day either. It doesn’t matter.
I have no set rule if I shall write in the morning to recap the previous day, or summarize the day right before I go to bed. Or write at any specific time in between.
What about you? Do you have any rules?
Lastly, what about writing down emotions? That’s very personal, obviously.
The key point to keep in mind regarding the way I journal is that I don’t care much about writing well in my journal. It’s not a novel or some paper I want anyone else to read. It's merely a collection of short and random notes about what happens around me, or in my head, I want to remember or reflect upon. So, I try to write them as they pop in my head. Well, it’s a tad more nuanced than that but it would take much longer to explain and maybe it’s worth discussing in its own thread?
What do you say?
... and how do you journal about your emotions, if at all?
