Journaling on layouts is difficult for some scrappers. We all have our likes and dislikes, so it isn’t surprising that some people like to write and others don’t. I (Katie) am a writer. I’ve always liked writing in some way, but that doesn’t mean it is always easy. It also doesn’t mean that I’ve always been good at it, or that I don’t struggle with it. I do! Every time I start a new blog post or a scrapbook page I have to overcome my own feelings of inadequacy and just get down to the business of putting my thoughts into words.
I’ve been thinking lately about how journaling is a lot like exercising. It is NOT easy. It takes commitment and discipline. It is hard to get started, but if you overcome that initial urge to skip the whole thing, you feel so much better! Just like muscles, your writing skills need to be flexed and conditioned to work properly. If you don’t keep in shape, you will get flabby. (I speak from experience here 
)
So are you “out of shape” when it comes to journaling? Have you been snacking on twinkies (using no or little journaling), instead of hitting the gym? Do you need a personal trainer to help you get your writing skills toned up? I’m here to help! We at The Daily Digi believe that you are a writer and we love to encourage you to discover your own personal voice and style for telling your stories.
.
If you haven’t exercised in awhile, you need to ease into a workout routine. If you are just out of practice when it comes to journaling, try a few starters to help you get in shape.
- Date your layouts. This is the first step in journaling. By including the point in time on your layout, you will give it a place in your history timeline. Read about “10 Ideas for Dating Your Layouts” from Log Your Memory.
Layout by Katie. Template from Funky Playground blog train, Gina Cabrera’s Snow Day Kit for The Digi Files 11, Font is Susie’s Hand.
- Write the answers to the classic writing questions of “Who” – “What” – “When” – “Where” – and “Why”. You will be surprised at how much information can be answered using those prompts.
Layout by Katie. Template by Debbie Hodge. Papers by Jen Wilson & Katie the Scrapbook Lady,
- Use bullet journaling for a quick and easy way to add journaling to any page.
Layout by Crop-a-holic from our Flickr group
.
Once you find a journaling technique that works for you, keep practicing. The only way to get strong is to continually work those muscles!
Layout by Katie. Template by Kitty Designs. Papers by Cinnamon Designs, Background Paper and seashell by Jofia Devoe. Font is Franklin Gothic Book
Layout by Katie. Kitty Designs Templates version 7, Cinnamon Designs Cardstock, Myriad Pro font
.
Take a look back through the pages you have written on and read through the experiences you recorded. Here are some of my favorite journaled layouts. The most motivating thing about any exercise program is seeing the results!
Layout by Katie. Rhonna Farrer Organic Papers, Ck Printer font
.
When it comes to journaling, take a cue from Nike and JUST DO IT!
Share This Using…
i like to add journaling to document the details of my page too, but it seems there is not enough space on a page to do all that narration (especially when a lot of photos are involved too.) i suppose il have to be more discriminating with my photos then! and really take time to tell more of the story instead. maybe thet’s also the reason i decided to start blogging too. the stories that dont make it to the scrapbook page always do on the blog,lol! thanks for your post!
Thanks so much for sharing my dating post and for providing all of these great tips… with an emphasis on capturing everyday, real life, journaling is near & dear to my heart. Personally, 95% of my pages just aren’t telling the complete story without the words to back up the images, yet journaling is such a challenge sometimes… I think we all need all the pointers we can get!
Yep, I love journalling too, and these are all great tips. The scrapbook page become so much more meaningful if it’s accompanied by journalling.
I also love to write – these are fantastic tips! Practicing daily…
Great article and great analogy! I fear journaling like the big, black spider crawling on my wall. I know I should put more effort into journaling more…even if it’s just a small paragraph. But like you said, practice makes perfect, basically.
I’m a big journal-er on my scrapbook pages. I scrap because I want my descendants to know THE WHOLE story. That means words have to go with my pictures.
Great tips. Like Michelle, I’ve been more committed to blogging since listening to that episode of The Digi Show. I have a friend who digiscraps (the one who got me into it, really!) and much of her journaling comes straight from her blog — and consequently it ROCKS! So often when I scrap the journaling is almost an afterthought and I am not in the mood to do it (even though I consider myself a writer). In some cases I’ve already blogged about it, though, and I can bring in a great story to accompany the pictures. Sometimes it’s a story I’d forgotten about by the time I get around to scrapping it — and I’m so glad I had the details recorded so I could bring them into the page!
Katie, there is so much truth to this! I love the comparison to exercising. I listened to the digi show with Janet Phillips and you and decided to start blogging more often because blog post text makes great journaling to cut and paste into layouts. It is like I decided to get into running with a marathon. AND that is so like me to do something like that. Thanks for all the “ease into it” tips. I would rather have a page of journaling and a box of pictures than a page of pictures and no journaling-most of the time. Great post!