& special giveaway contest!
Journaling, like any writing adventure or exercise program, tends to be cyclical—there are the times when you can’t wait to get-to-it and times when you can’t get started. Mari has the fix! It is her new workbook,
Start Journaling and Change Your Life in 7 Days.
In this workbook, Mari addresses the most common roadblocks we come against in our journaling practice, from writer’s block and lack of time to finding motivation and silencing our inner critic. Whether you are new to journaling or need to climb out of a slump, these seven days of writing prompts will get you moving in the right direction.
While looking through this book, my first important realization was that I relate journaling to assigned writing—it’s a chore. Mari opens the book with a collage project! Perfect for drawing out my inner child and re-associating journaling time with play time. Sue Bradford Edwards tells us more about
Start Journaling and Change Your Life in 7 Days, and shows us her collage, in her
book review.
I haven’t worked through this book yet because I’m waiting to work through it with you! Join me for Mari’s upcoming
Start Journaling and Change Your Life in 7 Days Challenge June 4-10 and we will re-discover journaling together! Signing up for the challenge is free. See what fellow WOW
! team member, Anne Greenawalt, had to say about the challenge in the video below!
Start Journaling and Change Your Life in 7 Days is available from Create Write Now as an
eWorkbook,
spiral bound print copy, or
Kindle e-book.
Special Giveaway Contest!Give your journaling a true jumpstart with Mari’s
Journaling Jumpstarter Kit and an ecopy (.pdf) of
Start Journaling and Change Your Life in 7 Days! The Journaling Jumpstarter Kit includes Create Write Now's Signature Journal (spiral bound), 85 of
Mari's Most Musefull Journaling Tips (spiral bound) and luscious lavender scented pen. Simply leave a comment at the end of this post to be entered in the random drawing. The giveaway
contest closes this Thursday, May 3 at 11:59 PM PST. For an extra entry, link to this post on Twitter with the hashtag
#7DaysStart
I’ve been in a writing slump. I’m meeting my deadlines, but only with numerous rewrites. I’m also having trouble connecting with what I write.
I realized why when I lost an assignment. I was mildly bothered by not getting to write for the audience, history hungry teens, but what really upset me was losing the income. Reality: I write for a living, but when that’s all it is, it’s a slog.
To reverse that, I needed to rediscover why I started writing. Right after I realized this, Mari McCarthy’s e-book Start
Journaling and Change Your Life in 7 Days arrived. Mari asks readers to consider their motivation for keeping a journal. “Do you want to become a better writer and think keeping a journal will be good practice? Are you looking for a way to learn more about yourself, your past experiences and your current motivations? Do you hope to get yourself out of a rut and find your path or passion in life?”
Find your reason to journal and then move on to the chapters. Each begins with thoughts about that day’s topic followed by a series of exercises. For the first chapter, you make a collage. Before selecting the images, you contemplate why you want to journal.
I knew I wanted to reconnect with my reasons for writing, but, perfectionist that I am, I balked. What if I picked this image instead of that one? Would it be good enough?
Then it hit me—when I second guess my every decision, I tense up. Ever tried to write flowing prose with your shoulders at your ears? Note to self: Focus on the joy of writing. Focus on inspiring your reader. Doing that will make your editor happy.
With this in mind, I noodled over what inspired me and found images of things I love, including authors and books that inspire me. I liked the collage so much, it is now on my desk.
This was my breakthrough chapter. Yours might be one of the other chapters: journaling for 20 minutes a day; rebutting your inner critic; writer’s block; dealing with too many ideas; finding time to write; and what to do when boredom strikes.
With McCarthy’s encouragement, at the beginning of each work day, I get out my journal. I write about that day’s project, focusing on what about this subject will make a young reader or fellow writer say, “Wow.” With this focus, I’m getting into my writing assignments that much faster. With the confidence this gives me, my voice is stronger than ever.
What obstacles stand in the way of your writing? Whether it’s a writing problem or something else that is sapping your energy, spend some time looking deeper with McCarthy’s
Start Journaling and Change Your Life in 7 Days. You may find the answers you need even if they aren’t the answers you expected.
–SueBE
Author Sue Bradford Edwards blogs at One Writer's Journey.
Sounds like exactly what i need to kick start my journaling that has been abandoned for almost twenty years (and then it was only when i was obsessive about a boy!) so need to branch out and begin anew!
I have always wanted to journal, but have never gotten around to it. I would love to read Mari's suggestions on how to get started!
Thank you Robyn for the great interview! See you in class in June! Hi to all my sister journalers! Please let me know how I can help you with starting and/or sticking to your Journaling Practice. WriteON!
Do you consider your MS part of your "author platform?"
[email protected]
Thanks for the interview and giveaway :)
tamarsweeps at gmail-dot.com
Hi Charlene,
I'm not familiar with the term "author platform". Please help me out there. Thanks.
I've been journaling for years, but lately I haven't been very consistent. This workbook would be a great help.
Hi Mari,
Looking forward to "class" in June and beginning a new relationship with my journal!
In regards to "author platform"--that is generally a term used by publicists/publishers to indicate a target market, how a book is marketed, or an author's audience.
This book sounds like it would be right up my alley. If I don't win, I will buy it.
Journaling is a major factor in my happiness!
Thanks Robyn, see you in June! And to Bonnie, ditto and WriteON! Lady.
What a neat kit! I've been journaling off and on for almost 30 years. It's so fun to look back to my journals from elementary school!
Jenndiggy at gmail dot com
This sounds like a good starting point for me. I've dreamed of writing for years. This year I've finally decided to make it a reality. I read a tip the other day to start by journaling if you're really not sure what to write. So that's where I'm beginning.
What a great way to start journaling! I love the idea.
jboyanto at swbell dot net
I have gone through periods of journaling and would like to start again. This would be helpful.
gabe411 at hotmail dot com