Customer Reviews

The Way In: Journal Writing for Self-Discovery

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"The urge to write can come from anywhere-the desire to have a serious conversation with yourself, the need to sort out what seems like an overwhelming number of tasks, the urge to capture the past or pin down a current insight, the impulse to record an event or perceptions of an event, or simply the desire to create a record of life's journey." ~Rita D. Jacobs

There are two books in one beautiful keepsake box. The color of the box is reminiscent of burgundy leather and there are beautiful gold, pink, yellow and blue flowers on the top, sides and around the title on the front. These are high-quality books with beautiful long-lasting bindings, wonderful smooth warm covers and crisp pages. The type of books you dream about. The journal also has a gold thread bookmark to add a touch of elegance.

You will receive:

1. A Journal - a beautiful hardcover book with lined pages. Each page has a scroll design at the top. This book is for people with very small handwriting.

2. "The Way In: Journal Writing for Self-Discovery" by Rita D. Jacobs

This is a high-quality journal set. When I first found this item, I thought it was just two blank journal books. What a wonderful surprise to find there was an actual book by Rita D. Jacobs.

"The Way In" is divided into three sections:

PART ONE: The Journal-writing Tradition

If you love reading journals, there are a few treats in this book. You can ready an entry from Ralph Waldo Emerson's journal dated April 12-15, 1836. There are lists of prolific diarists like Anais Nin. Rita also shows how F. Scott Fitzgerald collected random observations in a series of notebooks and these were organized alphabetically. So, she explains how your diary/journal can be as unique as you want it to be.

I loved the ideas of creating journals for fictional characters: "as a way of letting the reader understand more fully the motivations and internal landscapes of the characters." There is also the famous quote from Gwendolyn in The Importance of Being Earnest, where she talks about her diary being a sensational read.

PART TWO: Keeping Your Own Journal

This section is especially for your own writing experience. I was especially interested in the difference between a journal and a memoir. The author shows how you have to create a "creature of remarkable depth" to capture an audiences attention. She also explains how writing on a computer is another option, but I think it is sometimes more fun to write in a real book. If you do have a lot to say, the computer might be a better option. I can say, I've never written a poem on a computer, so I have to agree with the author when she says that we can reach our uncensored depths by using free-flowing journal writing. Writing on real paper can also be rather therapeutic. You might want to keep a dream journal or a scrapbook journal. I like the idea of a scrapbook journal because often people say things to you that you want to remember and you can make up a journal of "others" thoughts.

PART THREE: Writing to Find the Way In

Freewriting is rather fun and the author shows how this is the most effective way to get in touch with your deepest self. This type of writing can suddenly appear and you have to scramble for a piece of paper. The author gives suggestions about how you can make this type of writing more of a focus.

The section on making lists for accomplishing tasks was all too familiar.

There is a section on page 106 which struck me as rather profound. It is a list of 52 topics on which you can reflect. Imagine writing about "the people you miss and why," "things I'll never do again" or "dreams that I have." There is also a list of memories. Imagine creating an entire book filled with your childhood memories or memories of love or memories of scents and cooking.

Rita Jacobs covers a variety of topics including: Journals as Fiction, the Journal in times of Crisis, Journal or Diary, The Difference between a Journal and a Memoir, Beginning the Process, Kinds of Journals, Freewriting, Waking Dreams, Gossiping with Your Journal, Making Lists, Encounters With the Self, Elaborating Memories, Changing Your Point of View, Using Drawings in Journals, Encounters with the Creative Imagination and Mining Your Journals for Memoir Material.

This book will interest anyone who has ever wanted to start a journal or anyone who wants to add an added dose of creativity to their writing. If you love collecting quotes, there are quite a few collectables!

Rita D. Jacobs, Ph.D., is a college professor and journalist. She conducts workshops and classes on journal writing and has a beautiful writing style. She has written an essential book for anyone interested in starting a journal. There is also a handy index so you can find specific topics. This is especially helpful after you start writing your journal.

"The Way In" is a set of books that jumps off the shelf and wants to go home with you. Rita Jacobs' book is a wonderful cozy read.

~The Rebecca Review

William Shakespeare wrote in Hamlet, "To Thine Own Self Be True." But how does one remain true to Shakespeare's maxim within our modern times when the self seems as difficult to reach as the life forms at the bottom of the ocean. Thankfully, Rita D. Jacobs' delightful, concise book, The Way In, provides the necessary oxygen for our deep journey to the bottomless pit of our self.

Part three, the essence of the book, enables the reader to plunge the self through journal writing. Jacob gives simple yet effective advice, such as writing about one's self in the third person. Part one consists of journal excerpts and their different purposes. Anne Frank, hiding from the Nazis, uses the journal as a confidante. Part two represents the myriad of journals one can keep: travel, transition, crisis, love and the increasingly popular divorce chronicle.

The author's spirited writing will spark the journal writer within to seek the buried, dusty treaures lurking in the vast unmined soul. Jacob concludes, "There is an unending self within you to be fathomed, explored and revisited time and again in your journal." The Way In offers helpful common sense tidbits for your journal, whether it be confessional, travel or self-exploratory; I imagine good ol' Bill kept some kind of journal, and hey, look how well it worked out for him.

Bohdan Kot

An unusual book design: this comes in a slipcover with an identical blank book (that I discarded because of its aggressive "lines" to control where one wrote).

This book introduces a wide, shallow array of topics relating to journals. The most fun passages deal with all the different potential purposes of journals: record of daily events, repository of creative ideas, sketchbook, travel journal, crisis journal, gratitude journal, journal specific to your hobby, et cetera.

Also good are several of the suggested exercises: list-making, writing unsent letters, writing dialogs with between you and your body or you and someone in your life, writing about yourself in third-person, filling in sensory details of memories, attempting poetry, et cetera.

The author provides some excerpts from famous journals but keeps it short and interesting. This book isn't as deep or as personal as Leaving A Trace by Alexandra Johnson, but it's way better than Sheila Bender's Keeping A Journal You Love. If I could only keep one book on journaling, it would be Leaving A Trace, but the Jacobs is a decent companion to it.

I've kept a journal on and off since I was a kid. This book has inspired me to keep writing and not make journaling a "chore" but something to look forward to and get excited about! If you are thinking of starting a journal or you've kept one but neglected it, read this book. It will inspire you to keep writing and you'll find many great exercises to get you thinking and start you writing and keep you writing. This will be a book I will refer to over and over again throughout my life.

The paper is glossy and thick. The chestnut cover and solid binding make this book feel like it has substance. And the packaging does. This book would make a lovely part of a gift basket. However, it lacks the basic usefulness of THE NEW DIARY, by Tristine Rainer, or the richness and interesting format of LIFE'S COMPANION: JOURNAL WRITING AS A SPIRITUAL QUEST, by Christina Baldwin. It's one of the prettiest books on this subject, but for a book that took less than an hour to read, it didn't inspire me to spend the rest of the morning writing. Instead, it offered some general suggestions in a "wouldn't it be nice to write" kind of way. This book won't spend it's life sitting on my bookshelf--I'll be passing it on, in a gift basket.

What a maginificant weaving of the authors life experience,brilliantly chosen passages from other writers, masterfully blended with the wisdom and skill she has accumulated over decades of writing and teaching. An inspiring book I recommend to all my students.A perfect gift or a book to keep on your bedside. Don't be fooled by its size,I have read it over many times and each time I find something new to inspire and motivate me.

The quintessential "bible" for anyone who keeps a journal or is remotely thinking about keeping one. Ms. Jacobs style, clarity, and wit make learning the "way in" a sheer joy. If you've ever thought about writing or keeping a journal, this is THE book for you. A wonderful gift for people of all ages, it the perfect present that will keep on reminding them of your thoughfulness.

And so to write

I generally find a blank page intimidating. So when a close friend gave me Jacobs' exquisitely packaged text and journal, I was certain I'd never actually put pen to such beautiful paper. Happily, I was wrong. Jacobs calmed my writing fears and inspired me to 'just do it'! What a freeing experience.

This book inspired me to start a journal. It is extremely interesting and thought provoking. I highly recommend this book to anyone searching for self-discovery and self-expression.

I've been a journal writer for almost thirty years, and Rita Jacobs' THE WAY IN is the perfect book to give someone who has always wanted to start a journal. It is full of personal examples that both inform and inspire, and it serves as the perfect primer to get the creative juices flowing. I've already given ten copies away to my would-be journal-writing friends.