Journal Writing
Think of your journal as a way to practice personal essay writing. I may ask you to use your journal to describe a particular event or impression or sensory experience. Or I may ask you to use your journal to describe people, do character studies, keep lists. You might record interesting first lines, opinions about readings done for school or outside of school, or you might describe the quality of the light. Perhaps you'll use the journal to do freewrites on prompts posted online or in our reader. Regardless, the journal is for you; it's a private space to explore and record personal reactions, feelings, and ideas. I won't be reading your journal closely--just making sure you're following the assignments. Other students will not have access to it. In other words, the journal is primarily meant for you.
Think of your journal as a way to practice personal essay writing. I may ask you to use your journal to describe a particular event or impression or sensory experience. Or I may ask you to use your journal to describe people, do character studies, keep lists. You might record interesting first lines, opinions about readings done for school or outside of school, or you might describe the quality of the light. Perhaps you'll use the journal to do freewrites on prompts posted online or in our reader. Regardless, the journal is for you; it's a private space to explore and record personal reactions, feelings, and ideas. I won't be reading your journal closely--just making sure you're following the assignments. Other students will not have access to it. In other words, the journal is primarily meant for you.
Some technical points:
1. You can do an online journal or a paper journal; feel free to explore different mediums--your writing will change as a result.
2. Also feel free to experiment with different types of pen, ink, fonts, presentation, etc.
3. You can also try experimenting with different voices and audiences for your journal--it's a great space in which to explore and take risks!