So, you have starting keeping a journal or have kept journal and diary entries for several years. Now what to do next? Hide them in a box, store them under the bed or maybe read what's inside.
Reading the contents of one's journal is exciting and sad. Since, I have been a journal keeper for more than ten years and have tons – stored in baskets, in shoe boxes, on shelves, and in cabinets – I have found treasures in those journals when I sit down to read them. Usually, what turns up are long awaited prayers for me or a friend that have been answered, or an idea for a project that was successful or never made it past the journaled page.
What saddens me are pages and pages of anger, rage and doubt that seem to go on and on. When faced with digesting those words, I don't want to write anymore. However, I know on those pages in my private space I was able to release my inner emotions, and then return to see if I have moved on, matured, let go of the anger.
During the process of harvesting journals, these supplies are necessary: a highlighter, blank journal, post-it tags and a red or green pen (a color that is different from the ink on the page).
First, name the blank journal, i.e. "HARVESTING Sept.-Nov. 2004." Next, jot down a list of themes you would like to look for, such as friendships, power of place, body image, or dreams.
Leave enough space so when you find these entries you can note your treasures when they appear.
To identify the thoughts you hope to gather, use a highlighter to mark the lines you like; in another color draw bold strokes down the margins of important paragraphs. In a different color or with post-it tags, note the theme so you can return to it later. Sometimes I write a title at the top of the page to summarize the contents of my entries, which I didn't see during the writing. Of course, you can keep those important pages tagged by simply folding down the corners of the pages.
After rereading parts of your journal, you may want to connect sub-themes and spark new insights and ideas. While harvesting your journal, don't be surprised if you discover answers to your most perplexed questions.
To get you started try this: After rereading a journal, finish with a free writing session to record what you remember. (Free writing is writing one or two pages without stopping. The object is to keep your hand moving across the page even if you have to repeat yourself or write, "I don't know what to say next.") Then, highlight or tag the parts that interest you most.
Harvesting a journal uses several techniques that reap the benefits of poems, essays, letters and even novels.
So, find a quiet space and start slow.
Angela Batchelor, author of WWJD, What Would Jesus Do? (2004) and The Other Side of Motherhood, Mercy on the Journey (2002), facilitates Write Elements: journal and creative writing workshops for kids and teens in libraries, and schools, as well as “The Art of Journaling” for adults and writes weekly for the Gannett Poughkeepsie Journal.
