The Many Faces of Journaling : Topics & Techniques for Personal Journal Writing [Paperback]

Linda C. Senn (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1, 2001

The author shares her own true passion for journaling, providing not only advice but excerpts from her own journals.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"...bounty of journaling gems mined by a wise and warm author who shares her technique and hands you the tools..."- -- Eldonna Edwards Bouton, author "Journaling from the Heart!"

From the Publisher

As the cornerstone of our New Journaling Bookshelf, "The Many Faces of Journaling" explores such a wide variety of topics and methods, there's literally several "somethings for everyone." The bountiful examples range from poignant to whimsical to startling to insightful. By the time you finsih reading this book, you'll be itching to grab a pen and paper and start writing our your views of your life and the world iin general!

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 176 pages
• Publisher: Pen Central Press (April 1, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0966567277
• ISBN-13: 978-0966567274
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,976,261 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

When writer Linda Senn finally moved out of her unhealthy 26-year marriage, she was shocked at her utter lack of knowledge about the whole divorce process. "It's a vicious cycle: emotional stress dulled my brain and made me feel stupid. But I really was clueless about the legal processes, which only seemed to prove I was now too stupid to learn!"

Once it was all complete, she vowed that nobody else should feel as confused and vulnerable as she had, so within a year she set about interviewing attorneys and writing "Your Pocket Divorce Guide." Gender neutral and based on honesty and fairness, the book is now highly recommended by attorneys, divorce mediators and therapists. Thank you notes for the book come from both men and women all around the country.

With that and the release of her "Basic Divorce Workbook" and co-authored "Divorce Recovery Journal," Linda began giving workshops and providing individual coaching to help people through the pain and stress of starting over single.

To that, she has recently added small divorce support group work and offers divorce coaching sessions by phone. (For information see www.Balanced-Life-Coaching.com)

From there she expanded on her love of personal journaling and wrote "The Many Faces of Journaling: topics & techniques for personal journal writing" and "And Now We Dance: journaling for the woman within."

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

45 of 49 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Joy of Journaling, May 1, 2001

By 

F. Hamilton "[e-mail]" (St. Louis, MO United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Many Faces of Journaling : Topics & Techniques for Personal Journal Writing (Paperback)

In THE MANY FACES OF JOURNALING: TOPICS & TECHNIQUES FOR PERSONAL JOURNAL WRITING, author Linda C. Senn shares one of her lifelong passions. That this is a true passion of hers becomes immediately apparent as you read both her ideas about journaling and excerpts from her own journals.

Senn identifies two major advantages of journal writing: enhancing the present by making us more attuned to the world around us and preserving our observations both for ourselves and for future generations.

After providing a historical perspective on journal writing, Senn describes ten distinct kinds of journaling: Some focus on introspection; some inspire our creativity; some encourage observation of nature; some invite our unique perspective on historical events; some lead to rich resources for family genealogists; and some simply remind us of the joy and humor around us.

Best of all, perhaps, Senn relieves decades of guilt for those of us who have felt that we "should" be keeping journals: ". . . that which is viewed as a burden seldom becomes a joy. Write what you want, when you want to. Approach journaling with love and humor, and leave the guilt-trips and 'shoulds' behind."

Senn makes a compelling case for journaling. She clearly presents its benefits, and while she says there is no wrong way to journal, her many suggestions virtually guarantee success. The journal entries themselves -- her own and those of others -- comprise the most powerful testimony. They are the tangible evidence that will endure for generations. Those who keep journals will have this treasure; those who don't keep them will lack it.

In addition to being a helpful guide for any individual who wants to journal, THE MANY FACES OF JOURNALING: TOPICS & TECHNIQUES FOR PERSONAL JOURNAL WRITING would be appropriate for high school, college, or adult journaling classes.

21 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars OK as far at it goes, February 7, 2004

By 

J. Elliott (Slough, Berkshire United Kingdom) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Many Faces of Journaling : Topics & Techniques for Personal Journal Writing (Paperback)

If you seriously want help in developing creative journal writing, don't buy this book. If you are just thinking about starting journalling, and want some enthusiasm and guidelines, give it a try.
I have read many journalling books (The New Diary - excellent;Keeping a Journal you Love - brilliant)but Ms Senn's book was a disappointment. It is sometimes quite fascile and patronising. For example, here are two snippets from her section on keeping a gardening journal:
"If you keep a chart of your vegetable garden each season, you won't replant the same crop in the same place each year."
"Keep a chart of the bulbs and tubers and the dates on which you divide them...It's easy to lose track when life gets busy!"
This is probably very good advice, but surely more appropriate for a gardening book?
The journal entries of her own that she shares with us are sugar coated and slightly embaressing - I found the references to "my darling Caitlin" (her grand daughter) really too much.
Having said all this, Ms Senn is really enthusiastic about the benefits and satisfaction of journal writing and for this she must be praised. It just wasn't to my taste.

11 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great book for creative writing classes, May 30, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: The Many Faces of Journaling : Topics & Techniques for Personal Journal Writing (Paperback)

Ms. Senn has written a book that can be used effectively in creative writing classes.
As a community college English instructor, I'm using
The Many Faces of Journaling with my students. Some of the male students complain at first
because they think this is a "girl's book." After a week, they start
saying they enjoy the writing exercises. I'm glad I found this book one
day while browsing the Web at amazon.com.