My Journal

We started this semester in the Human Condition and Literature course writing in our journals. It was a similar process to the one we did last semester, but this time it was different. I felt that it was different in a whole different way.

This time, we had to decorate the cover of our journals with what human condition meant to us. We had to write our entries and then make a reflection about those thoughts. We had to write four times a week, following six rules for writing created by the author Natalie Goldberg.

When I was writing on my journal last semester, I had a little trouble following the rules like “Don’t worry about spelling/punctuation/grammar” because I would go back or I would scratch off the word I messed up. I also wouldn’t “Go for the jugular”, which is when you write about something that’s hard, but I did write about what happened daily and if there was something that made me angry or uncomfortable. When writing, I would write about anything: I would write about how my day was going or what was I thought would happen later that day, yet, some of my entries had themes like love, loneliness, and my relationship with my boyfriend. I was dedicated to my writing: writing anywhere I could, not caring about the time.

Writing this semester started really smooth because I wrote the first day without thinking and my hand was practically moving on its own. All my journal entries were from my daily experiences but there was only one that was free themed. I, however, found it a bit hard to keep track of the entries (even though I reached the goal of 36 entries) since I felt like I was being forced but then I felt a release because I let out everything (or almost everything) I felt. I learned that, when I spend some time with my boyfriend before class, our interactions influence my writing by making me relaxed, dreamy, or sharp depending on how we acted.

I liked writing in the journal because it helped me grow as a writer and because I learned to get more organized in order to write. It even made me get a notebook to write ideas and short stories. When I compare the way I wrote last semester and now, I say that I’m writing freely now, I’m not caring about making mistakes, and my ideas are coming easier. I also like the way my emotions spill to the paper and how, at the end, everything feels much better and gives me hope into solving any problems.

*Natalie Goldberg Page- this is the homepage of the author Natalie Goldberg, creator of the six rules for writing.