Customer Reviews

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

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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.

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.

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.

I love to write, but I always get into a rut with my journaling and stop. Many Faces got me into other kinds of journal writing that I would never have thought to try. It's made it more enjoyable, and my writing is getting better too! I still look back to the book for ideas and inspirations. I'd recommend it to anyone who's interested in journaling!

This book was ok but it was really not what I was looking for. I was looking for a more practical step by step guide which I found in another book.

This is a great guide to journaling for someone who is just starting out, or someone who may have been journaling for a long time but would like to add dimension to their journals. It gives lots of tips and techniques that help to add depth and variety to journals. It even includes a section on poetry. There are lots of exercises that can be used as idea starters. For an individual who wants to expand their journaling life, or begin to journal, this is a great guide. It could be used in a group setting as a guide as well. It is a book that I will read and re-read, and will use over a long period as a guide.

Provided several ideas for journaling. Got me doing types of writing I wouldn't normally, flexing my creative muscles.