Fantastic post and share! I’m excited to get this book now. I’ve been a lover of all things paper and pens for my entire 65 years. I journal in multiple notebooks at a time. I record tidbits from my day and ponder life’s challenges and rewards. I carry my journal from room to room. I like to capture quotes and be inspired by books or other readings. I am loving your space here. Thank you.
I see so much of myself in this note! Carrying journals from room to room?! I'm currently sitting on my couch and the table behind me has two journals and my copy of THE BOOK OF ALCHEMY. I collect quotes, too. I love hearing from you! Putting your name in the hat for the book. Thanks Kimberly! 🫶🏽
As always, your writing arrows right to the heart of things. I felt I was there with you as you wrote about attending the Alchemy tour, which I would have loved to have done. I look forward to each of your entries here, and read them with pleasure. This one was so full of love and joy. A wonderful reminder, not just to journal, but to reread our journals to see our other selves. Once again, thank you!
Shannon, your words positively electrified me. Thank you so much! I often wonder if anyone will read what I write. What's far better than people reading my work is knowing that they appreciate it. I'm so grateful, your words will keep me going! 🫶🏽
Love this, Kolina! How wonderful that you got to see them and came away inspired and refreshed. My daily journaling is more like morning pages but during the pandemic shutdown I found my way to Suleika’s Isolation Journals. Journaling became not only a way of going inside, but also connecting to others. The prompts were rich, provocative, clever, fun to explore.
I love that you did her prompts during lockdown! I'm sure it was so cathartic to be journaling with a little direction then.
What I like about this book is that I'm doing one per day, so I don't get overwhelmed by all the options. I just open the book, read the next essay and prompt, and get writing. I'm only on day five, but I haven't done five consistent days of journaling for years.
Hmmmm. I used up my best stories in my notes comment. My favorite practice as a writer was when I was teaching a high school creative writing class. I wrote along with my students every day. Somehow I didn’t think of it as “writing.” Every once in a while I open one of those notebooks and it’s magic. Little moments preserved in amber.
Another beautiful story! How amazing that you did that. I imagine some of the best writing comes that way, with no pressure, with writing that doesn't even feel like "writing."
Isn't that amber line so beautiful? I can't get enough of it!
I want to use journaling to habit-track, i.e. stop watching so much tv, stop looking at Zillow. Then I’ll reflect on how I feel when following those habits.
Wonderful story about their tour. Sorry to hear about the cancer return though. We loved their Netflix movie. I journaled regularly when I first got sober 33 years ago. The process helped me with the many hours of therapy and the many more hours of AA meetings I went to. After many happy years of building a new life after a horrible divorce I have started again. This is due to an impending move of houses, a change I’m equality sad and happy about.
So with all that, I’m reading a Thomas Pynchon novel, Inherent Vice. Crazily entertaining. Cheers to y’all.
First of all, congratulations on 33 years of sobriety! That's the most incredible accomplishment and I don't know you but I am proud of you! My husband is nearing four years. I know how big this is and I am amazed by your dedication! I can imagine how helpful journaling was during that time, and again in this new life you're navigating. I hope the journal helps you work through the complexities you're living.
I haven't read Inherent Vice but I want to! Thanks for sharing all of this, Lee.
That sounds like an incredible experience, watching those two interact that way!
I have a double journaling practice. I do morning pages a la Julia Cameron most days. And I also keep a Lynda Barry style, one-page, 7-minute, daily diary, like she writes about in Syllabus. The first helps me figure things out and trust my intuition; the second helps me pay attention and remember.
I set up the Syllabus style diary in the morning and try to add to it over the day. I usually complete it in the evening, or the next morning if I didn’t get to it. I really wish I’d known about this format as a young mom—it would have been something doable. And Syllabus is amazing! Get your hands on that one!
I do have to admit that I do something different in the square where she suggests drawing something. It seems blasphemous to skip the drawing because that’s her thing, but it works for me!
Thank your for sharing about your experience, it sounds so lovely! I'm with you Jon and Suleika are my Jay-Z and Beyonce. I started journaling for the first time during the pandemic, to document the time and in hopes of helping my mental health. The practiced faded but I returned about a year ago when I did The Artist's Way. A year later, it's a treasured ritual, journaling while I drink coffee, sometimes is more of a recap, other times it's working through creative ideas. I'm looking forward to Suleika's book to deepen my practice.
I just finished The Patron Saints of Liars by Ann Patchett and underlined this: "There were so many things I needed to know, hot to fix a car, how to lie. My mother taught me how to put on eyeliner without smudging it, but life was going to take more than that."
Jon and Suleika would be so much more welcoming I feel like. And I truly just appreciate them more. I love that they are your Jay-Z and Beyonce too!
You've kept up your morning pages for a year?! That is so impressive! Do you do artist dates as well?
I think Suleika's book will definitely deepen your practice. It'll get you thinking of new ways to express yourself; ways you'd never even thought of.
That line is so beautiful and I absolutely would have underlined it myself. I read that book awhile back and don't remember the line, but it makes me watn to revisit it. Thank you for sharing!
This is so cool - I love the "capturing moments in amber" line. I used to journal about daily goings-on and my feeeelings but now my journals are more for notes/ideas and big picture thoughts. I'll never stop carrying a notebook!
I love that line so much too! What a beautiful way to speak of the journal. Do you have a specific notebook you love? Do you carry it in your purse? That's an amazing lifelong practice!
I love this! My daily writing practice has ebbed & flowed (honestly depending on the day/week/month/year haha) but this April was the first time I was able to complete the 30 poems in 30 days challenge, something I’ve attempted to start so many times. Maybe this year was the year I needed it?
ME TOO! It's up and down, up and down, all the time. Today was day six for me waking up and journaling first thing, and it was great.
Okay, 30 poems in 30 days -- BRAVA! That is absolutely incredible. Good for you. I can't imagine that was easy. How did you feel afterwards? Have you written any since?
Thank you 🙈 And no, I haven’t 😅 But that was just the luck of my calendar and how I had a chaotic weekend immediately following the end of April haha. Trying to restart today!
I don’t currently have a journaling practice, but I have always wanted to start one. I find I sometimes get lost on how it “should” look and forget that it can simply be a way to record thoughts/feelings/memories from my day. I wish I had started one when I became a mother, there are so many moments I wish I had written down. I have photos that capture lots of memories and special moments, but words can be so powerful!
It's not too late to start! One prompt I read the other day in this book was called 10 images. You write down 10 images you can think of from the last 24 hours. Many of my images were of my children, random little things they did or said or the way they looked. It might be a good place for you to start, just doing a list of 10 images! Either from the past 24 hours or any 10. I know what you mean about getting caught up in how it should look. That's why I think the list is a good place to start!
I aspire to be a daily, or even regular, journal-er, but I cannot seem to integrate it into my life anymore. I regularly journaled bits and pieces of every day from high school through college but once I started law school (nearly 20 years ago!) the wheels came off and my writing became irregular, then nonexistent. I picked it back up during COVID and was a daily journaler again to process my feelings and fears, but once life got busy again I set it down and have not journaled in probably a couple of years, unfortunately. Whether I win the giveaway or not, it seems like having this book in hand would help me get started again!
Hi Kat! Your story speaks to me a lot. I journaled consistently when I was younger (those journals are SOMETHING to look at!) then slowed down, then stopped. Sometimes it would be years before I picked up the journal, and I'd add maybe an entry or two, or maybe be consistent for a bit, then, as you said, the wheels came off again. I, too, picked it back up during COVID! And during other big times, like having children. Other than that, I haven't felt compelled to make it a regular practice again until I got this book.
I hope the book encourages you to get back to a practice you love! Thanks for sharing!
Wow this is such an incredible post! Thank you so much for sharing your experience with us! I’m actually on day 4 of starting the Artist’s Way! I’ve woken up at 6am 4 days in a row now, whew! I think beginning something is always hard because you don’t have any momentum yet. It’s hard getting up but the level of euphoria I feel after actually completing my three morning pages has been so incredible.
Whenever someone mentions Morning Pages, I so fondly remember the time I did them. It was when I was pregnant with my first child! And I took it very seriously, doing the artist dates and everything. Good for you for getting up to journal, that takes incredible dedication 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼
You perfectly described the experience of being with these two remarkable creative people. For me, it was San Francisco ten days ago and I have been reading and writing/doodling since. Today I’m bringing the book to my journal group session for us to discuss.
It's amazing how a place can inspire such creativity! Funny you should say that, actually. This morning's prompt from The Book of Alchemy was about travel. I was to write about a place that makes me lose myself and all concept of time. For me it's Italy! So I journaled about it.
You have a journal group?? That sounds amazing! I love that you're bringing the book!
I'm journaling in the morning, first thing before anything else tho some days I need to get out early so I will grab my journal later in the day. My sister-in-law was here visiting for 3 months and we inspired each other to get back to this practice. Sometimes it's long passages, other times lists, other times sketches. I like a prompt sometimes as then I'm inspired to write outside my usual self. Sometimes Charlotte (SIL) will send me a line from a poem that inspired her writing and tho I don't always use that I am then reading with fresh eyes to see what inspires me.
What luck to have someone like Charlotte in your life, and for Charlotte to have you! You have an incredible practice going on. I love the devotion to the journal, grabbing it later in the day if you don't get to it in the morning. This kind of dedication will certainly serve you.
Fantastic post and share! I’m excited to get this book now. I’ve been a lover of all things paper and pens for my entire 65 years. I journal in multiple notebooks at a time. I record tidbits from my day and ponder life’s challenges and rewards. I carry my journal from room to room. I like to capture quotes and be inspired by books or other readings. I am loving your space here. Thank you.
I see so much of myself in this note! Carrying journals from room to room?! I'm currently sitting on my couch and the table behind me has two journals and my copy of THE BOOK OF ALCHEMY. I collect quotes, too. I love hearing from you! Putting your name in the hat for the book. Thanks Kimberly! 🫶🏽
As always, your writing arrows right to the heart of things. I felt I was there with you as you wrote about attending the Alchemy tour, which I would have loved to have done. I look forward to each of your entries here, and read them with pleasure. This one was so full of love and joy. A wonderful reminder, not just to journal, but to reread our journals to see our other selves. Once again, thank you!
I had the same reaction. I can close my eyes and picture the many moments Kolina described.
Aww, that means THE most to me. Thank you 🫶🏽🫶🏽
Shannon, your words positively electrified me. Thank you so much! I often wonder if anyone will read what I write. What's far better than people reading my work is knowing that they appreciate it. I'm so grateful, your words will keep me going! 🫶🏽
Love this: "What Jay-Z and Beyoncé are to so many, Jon and Suleika are to me." Same for me. I loved her first memoir.
Between Two Kingdoms is SO good!
Love this, Kolina! How wonderful that you got to see them and came away inspired and refreshed. My daily journaling is more like morning pages but during the pandemic shutdown I found my way to Suleika’s Isolation Journals. Journaling became not only a way of going inside, but also connecting to others. The prompts were rich, provocative, clever, fun to explore.
I love that you did her prompts during lockdown! I'm sure it was so cathartic to be journaling with a little direction then.
What I like about this book is that I'm doing one per day, so I don't get overwhelmed by all the options. I just open the book, read the next essay and prompt, and get writing. I'm only on day five, but I haven't done five consistent days of journaling for years.
Thanks for sharing your practice! 🫶🏽
Hmmmm. I used up my best stories in my notes comment. My favorite practice as a writer was when I was teaching a high school creative writing class. I wrote along with my students every day. Somehow I didn’t think of it as “writing.” Every once in a while I open one of those notebooks and it’s magic. Little moments preserved in amber.
Another beautiful story! How amazing that you did that. I imagine some of the best writing comes that way, with no pressure, with writing that doesn't even feel like "writing."
Isn't that amber line so beautiful? I can't get enough of it!
I want to use journaling to habit-track, i.e. stop watching so much tv, stop looking at Zillow. Then I’ll reflect on how I feel when following those habits.
YES! I have tracked my habits daily for 5.5 years. I’m a little bit obsessed and highly encourage you to try it out!
I’m inspired!
I’m so happy!
Wonderful story about their tour. Sorry to hear about the cancer return though. We loved their Netflix movie. I journaled regularly when I first got sober 33 years ago. The process helped me with the many hours of therapy and the many more hours of AA meetings I went to. After many happy years of building a new life after a horrible divorce I have started again. This is due to an impending move of houses, a change I’m equality sad and happy about.
So with all that, I’m reading a Thomas Pynchon novel, Inherent Vice. Crazily entertaining. Cheers to y’all.
First of all, congratulations on 33 years of sobriety! That's the most incredible accomplishment and I don't know you but I am proud of you! My husband is nearing four years. I know how big this is and I am amazed by your dedication! I can imagine how helpful journaling was during that time, and again in this new life you're navigating. I hope the journal helps you work through the complexities you're living.
I haven't read Inherent Vice but I want to! Thanks for sharing all of this, Lee.
Best wishes to your husband on his recovery road. It’s one day at a time, they say, and it adds up to a better life. Cheers.
Thank you so much. Cheers to you as well!
That sounds like an incredible experience, watching those two interact that way!
I have a double journaling practice. I do morning pages a la Julia Cameron most days. And I also keep a Lynda Barry style, one-page, 7-minute, daily diary, like she writes about in Syllabus. The first helps me figure things out and trust my intuition; the second helps me pay attention and remember.
WOW! That is so impressive! Do you do them back-to-back? I wasn't familiar with Syllabus but I just looked it up. How fun! I'm intrigued!
I set up the Syllabus style diary in the morning and try to add to it over the day. I usually complete it in the evening, or the next morning if I didn’t get to it. I really wish I’d known about this format as a young mom—it would have been something doable. And Syllabus is amazing! Get your hands on that one!
UPDATE: Just ordered Syllabus from Bookshop.org. I can't wait!
I love it! I'm going to get my hands on a copy of it ASAP. Thank you!
Hooray! It’s going to blow your mind. Lynda Barry is magic 💫
I do have to admit that I do something different in the square where she suggests drawing something. It seems blasphemous to skip the drawing because that’s her thing, but it works for me!
Thank your for sharing about your experience, it sounds so lovely! I'm with you Jon and Suleika are my Jay-Z and Beyonce. I started journaling for the first time during the pandemic, to document the time and in hopes of helping my mental health. The practiced faded but I returned about a year ago when I did The Artist's Way. A year later, it's a treasured ritual, journaling while I drink coffee, sometimes is more of a recap, other times it's working through creative ideas. I'm looking forward to Suleika's book to deepen my practice.
I just finished The Patron Saints of Liars by Ann Patchett and underlined this: "There were so many things I needed to know, hot to fix a car, how to lie. My mother taught me how to put on eyeliner without smudging it, but life was going to take more than that."
Jon and Suleika would be so much more welcoming I feel like. And I truly just appreciate them more. I love that they are your Jay-Z and Beyonce too!
You've kept up your morning pages for a year?! That is so impressive! Do you do artist dates as well?
I think Suleika's book will definitely deepen your practice. It'll get you thinking of new ways to express yourself; ways you'd never even thought of.
That line is so beautiful and I absolutely would have underlined it myself. I read that book awhile back and don't remember the line, but it makes me watn to revisit it. Thank you for sharing!
I haven't done weekly artist dates, but try to remind myself to say yes when the opportunities come - I'm taking a writing workshop tomorrow!
Amazing! How did it go?!
It was great! All around character voice, it was helpful to see where I'm doing it well and my own writing and some opportunities to refine in spots.
This is so cool - I love the "capturing moments in amber" line. I used to journal about daily goings-on and my feeeelings but now my journals are more for notes/ideas and big picture thoughts. I'll never stop carrying a notebook!
I love that line so much too! What a beautiful way to speak of the journal. Do you have a specific notebook you love? Do you carry it in your purse? That's an amazing lifelong practice!
No special notebook. I like something lightweight and small enough to throw in a bag!
I love this! My daily writing practice has ebbed & flowed (honestly depending on the day/week/month/year haha) but this April was the first time I was able to complete the 30 poems in 30 days challenge, something I’ve attempted to start so many times. Maybe this year was the year I needed it?
ME TOO! It's up and down, up and down, all the time. Today was day six for me waking up and journaling first thing, and it was great.
Okay, 30 poems in 30 days -- BRAVA! That is absolutely incredible. Good for you. I can't imagine that was easy. How did you feel afterwards? Have you written any since?
Thank you 🙈 And no, I haven’t 😅 But that was just the luck of my calendar and how I had a chaotic weekend immediately following the end of April haha. Trying to restart today!
Either way, that's an amazing accomplishment!
I don’t currently have a journaling practice, but I have always wanted to start one. I find I sometimes get lost on how it “should” look and forget that it can simply be a way to record thoughts/feelings/memories from my day. I wish I had started one when I became a mother, there are so many moments I wish I had written down. I have photos that capture lots of memories and special moments, but words can be so powerful!
It's not too late to start! One prompt I read the other day in this book was called 10 images. You write down 10 images you can think of from the last 24 hours. Many of my images were of my children, random little things they did or said or the way they looked. It might be a good place for you to start, just doing a list of 10 images! Either from the past 24 hours or any 10. I know what you mean about getting caught up in how it should look. That's why I think the list is a good place to start!
I aspire to be a daily, or even regular, journal-er, but I cannot seem to integrate it into my life anymore. I regularly journaled bits and pieces of every day from high school through college but once I started law school (nearly 20 years ago!) the wheels came off and my writing became irregular, then nonexistent. I picked it back up during COVID and was a daily journaler again to process my feelings and fears, but once life got busy again I set it down and have not journaled in probably a couple of years, unfortunately. Whether I win the giveaway or not, it seems like having this book in hand would help me get started again!
Hi Kat! Your story speaks to me a lot. I journaled consistently when I was younger (those journals are SOMETHING to look at!) then slowed down, then stopped. Sometimes it would be years before I picked up the journal, and I'd add maybe an entry or two, or maybe be consistent for a bit, then, as you said, the wheels came off again. I, too, picked it back up during COVID! And during other big times, like having children. Other than that, I haven't felt compelled to make it a regular practice again until I got this book.
I hope the book encourages you to get back to a practice you love! Thanks for sharing!
Wow this is such an incredible post! Thank you so much for sharing your experience with us! I’m actually on day 4 of starting the Artist’s Way! I’ve woken up at 6am 4 days in a row now, whew! I think beginning something is always hard because you don’t have any momentum yet. It’s hard getting up but the level of euphoria I feel after actually completing my three morning pages has been so incredible.
Whenever someone mentions Morning Pages, I so fondly remember the time I did them. It was when I was pregnant with my first child! And I took it very seriously, doing the artist dates and everything. Good for you for getting up to journal, that takes incredible dedication 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼
You perfectly described the experience of being with these two remarkable creative people. For me, it was San Francisco ten days ago and I have been reading and writing/doodling since. Today I’m bringing the book to my journal group session for us to discuss.
It's amazing how a place can inspire such creativity! Funny you should say that, actually. This morning's prompt from The Book of Alchemy was about travel. I was to write about a place that makes me lose myself and all concept of time. For me it's Italy! So I journaled about it.
You have a journal group?? That sounds amazing! I love that you're bringing the book!
I'm journaling in the morning, first thing before anything else tho some days I need to get out early so I will grab my journal later in the day. My sister-in-law was here visiting for 3 months and we inspired each other to get back to this practice. Sometimes it's long passages, other times lists, other times sketches. I like a prompt sometimes as then I'm inspired to write outside my usual self. Sometimes Charlotte (SIL) will send me a line from a poem that inspired her writing and tho I don't always use that I am then reading with fresh eyes to see what inspires me.
What luck to have someone like Charlotte in your life, and for Charlotte to have you! You have an incredible practice going on. I love the devotion to the journal, grabbing it later in the day if you don't get to it in the morning. This kind of dedication will certainly serve you.
Thank you for sharing this!