The Art & Science of Journal Writing

During the last 15 years, my husband and I have taken a handful of bicycle trips overseas.  We’ve planned our routes, carried our clothes in panniers affixed to the rear of the bike, and for some trips have even brought our own bikes with us.  It’s a lot of work but carries with it its own rewards: traveling at human-scale pace and distances; incorporating the traveling itself as a large part of the adventure; feeling virtuous and victorious that we used our own leg-power to transport ourselves over hundreds of miles of foreign territory.

I have found that bicycle-traveling requires lots of focus, and more than that I’ve noticed that it’s not just focus that’s required but a constant questioning and decision-making about what to focus on. Sometimes I have to focus on immediate road hazards–bumps in the road, nearby cars; other times I have to concentrate on directions and navigation; and other times I can focus on the new landscapes and vistas I’m traveling through.  These are very conscious decisions which make or break a trip: not being watchful for road hazards may flip me over the handlebars; soaking in a spectacular scene may flip me out with wonder and awe!

When writing in my journal or diary,  I also make decisions on what to focus when recounting the day. Do I generally write about what is going smoothly?  Or what’s the looming life challenge?  Or about my disappointments or about my victories?  Or do I take the balanced view–more like bike riding–where I have to shift focus constantly to try to capture it all.

I’m certainly not advocating that one approach is better than another. I think it would be interesting to go back and re-read your journal entries and learn what you most often focus on when writing in your journal or diary. Let me know what you find!