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Creative Journal Writing by Stephanie Dowrick provides a great set of prompts, examples, and encouragements for anyone who has wanted to take up a diary or journal. The book is not just "Stephanie's Way" of doing things. It provides a wealth of real life examples from a wide variety of diarists, to help you find your own voice and develop your own style.

Stephanie plows into many of the myths of diaries. Are they only for angst-filled teenagers? Do adults have "far better things" to do with their times than to jot notes in a diary? Hardly! A diary is a creative tool and outlet for men and women of all ages. It is a form of artistic expression which has been proven by studies to reduce stress, enhance your ability to reach goals and to deal calmly with troubles and relatives.

Stephanie calms your concerns. Don't worry about spelling, grammar, or complete sentences. Write whatever you feel. There is no right or wrong. Draw little pictures, jot down poetry. The more you let yourself be free, the more you release your inner tensions, make connections, and stretch your mind.

I really enjoy the variety of examples Stephanie provides. We are all unique, and it makes sense that what doesn't make sense to one person could really connect with another. By having so many types of diary examples in her book Stephanie helps ensure that each reader will find something to really connect with. In the same manner, she recommends using a variety of techniques to make your journal your own. Draw with different colored inks. Use a fountain pen. Use crayons. Draw little pictures. Whatever makes sense to you, give it a try.

Stephanie doesn't expect you to do it on your own. She provides a ton of prompts - or "thought provoking blurbs" - that help get your mind started, give you something to write about when you feel stuck. What would your ideal home look like? What is a location you have always wanted to visit? With the variety of prompts she has, there is something for everyone.

I like that Stephanie constantly cautions NOT to criticize what you write. What you write is how you feel, and that is authentic. Don't judge yourself, don't worry about being "right". Just write what you feel, and keep going. Let it out. Write the facts, and write how you feel about them. Focus on what you are doing right now, what you are feeling right now. Learn to feel gratitude for what you have, forgiveness for mistakes of the past. You can make great progress and feel much more content with simple steps.

If I have any complaint with the book, it is that it says early on that "journal writing is not 'useful' any more than any other work of art is simply useful." I understand the basis of her sentiment, but I find it not to be accurate. Many studies show that journal writing IS honestly useful at even its most raw level. The studies show that maintaining a journal helps to lower blood pressure, lower weight, raise self esteem, and perform many other measurable positive health benefits. These all seem to be VERY useful to me!

Highly recommended. I strongly feel that pretty much every human would benefit from journaling, and this book does a great job of helping people down that path!


Lisa Shea, Low Carb and Video Games Editor
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Lisa,

I totally agree that "pretty much every human would benefit from journaling" because I have found when I consistently journal, especially the daily morning pages style, much of the anger, frustration, or worry I have carried over from the day before seems to disappear.

If many more people were to journal, what a much more positive atmosphere we would experience around the world. Can you imagine?

I normally am not a negative person, but for about eight years I worked in a very challenging hospital department, and now as a caregiver to an 86-year-old (stubborn) male, journaling has been a God-send. Sometimes I have to tear up what I wrote, but that's okay. Most of the time it's just a stress reliever that is safe and anonymous. No one gets their feelings hurt and I certainly feel better for allowing the pent up steam to release in a safe way.

On the other hand, I also enjoy journalling just to bring the creative side of me to the surface. I love prompts and have written many a story using them - writing prompts are like priming a pump - I'm able to draw from deep within. When a story comes forth like that, I get a real rush from having created something that obviously was within me just waiting to be discovered.

What a fantastic post. I will check out this book!

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Edie - I can't even imagine what your job would be like. That sounds like a huge amount of stress just heaping on your shoulders! Kudos to you for finding a way to thrive in that position.


Lisa Shea, Low Carb and Video Games Editor
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I just bought this book on ebay, it sounds like just what I need! xx

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Yarnplay - definitely let us know what you think! The author actively wrote me to talk with me about my review so I'm sure she'd love to hear your thoughts too!


Lisa Shea, Low Carb and Video Games Editor
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I agree that it was an excellent book - my review article is here: Creative Journal Writing.

Angela <><


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Oooh, sounds like a book I want to get my hands on. I love journal-writing books. The only kind I don't like are the kind that tell you that THIS IS THE WAY YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO DO IT. Making a person adhere to someone else's set of standards... that's the sure way to suck every last drop of pleasure and usefulness out of it! It feels to me like the authors just don't get the idea, although I am sure that their hearts are in the right place. Fortunately, I've only run across a very few of those kind of books!


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