How Using a Journal Can Help a Student Improve

Keeping a Writer's Notebook Assists Both Academic & Creative Writers

Nov 7, 2009 Cynthia Jones-Shoeman

Writer's block? Trouble narrowing down a topic? Feeling blue? Journaling can help students break through negativity to explore ideas and new topics.

A lot of times, people think a journal is only for "serious" writers. But a journal can be used by anyone who writes. Students who feel like they need some help with their writing will find that journals can be used in a variety of ways. Journaling can help students who feel like they're experiencing writer's block or who want to work on essay topics. It's also a natural for creative writing students.

How Journal Writing Helps With Writer's Block

A lot of times, "writer's block" occurs because a student either questions his writing abilities or he feels like he can't think of anything to say. The best way to break through this state of mind is to force oneself to write. By having a specific place to write (one's journal), a student can "condition" his mind to write. He can either do it by freewriting or by setting specific goals (for example, setting aside ten minutes a day to draft a paragraph for a paper due at the end of the semester).

Writer's block usually doesn't happen if a student knows what he wants to write about. Sometimes someone feels stuck at first, but it's just a matter of getting started. If a journal is used for freewriting, writer's block will often become a thing of the past. A student can also record dozens of questions to respond to that will help him explore ideas.

How Journal Writing Helps Students Explore Essay/Topic Ideas

One way a student can use a journal is to explore essay and topic ideas in depth. He can simply freewrite about a topic in his journal, but he can also keep a list of questions geared to helping him explore an essay topic anytime. For example, if a student knows she will be writing an essay for a composition class or a term paper for another class, she can begin with these basic questions:

• What are my assumptions about this topic? Do I know anything about this topic already?
• What research will I need to conduct about this topic?
• Is there anything about this topic I'm eager to learn?
• What is a possible thesis? Can I think of several? Which one seems best?

If a student thinks of other questions that help her begin thinking about writing an essay in general, she should write them down and use them over and over. Other kinds of papers require specific questions (for example, with an argumentative essay, a student will want to ask herself what counter arguments the opposition may pose).

How Journaling Helps Writers Explore Creative Writing Ideas

Just like a student can use a journal to explore essay topics, a creative writer can use a journal to use her imagination. Students can use it as a place to record interesting images, bits of dialogue, or practice exercises found in creative writing books. A creative writer can also use a journal as a place to come up with a backstory for a character. Sometimes by knowing that no one else will ever see it, a creative writer has the freedom to not worry if what that she writes isn't perfect.

How Journal Writing Helps a Student Let Go

Sometimes it's hard to write if one is dwelling on something negative. If a student is worrying about something or thinking about the hard week he's had, he might find it hard to concentrate on the task at hand. It can actually be productive for one to set aside some time and use this space to let it all go. And once it's on the page, it's less harmful.

Other Ways a Journal Can Help

Journals are also perfect for doing exercises found in textbooks that aren't necessarily homework but that a student finds productive. Many textbooks have exercises that instructors don't assign but that a student will realize can help her become a better writer.

Journals are also ideal for recording ideas that can be used later. Creative writers will sometimes carry a notebook around to record observations or bits of conversation. Academic writers can do the same thing; if an idea comes to a writer, he can write it down and use it later. Even if one never uses all the ideas in his notebook, just the habit of writing things down can feel liberating to a writer.

Journals are More Than Just Personal

While many writers also use journals to record their personal thoughts and feelings, there are many reasons and ways to use a journal, and each one of them will help a writer get better and hone her skills.

The copyright of the article How Using a Journal Can Help a Student Improve in Academic Writing is owned by Cynthia Jones-Shoeman. Permission to republish How Using a Journal Can Help a Student Improve in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

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