Journaling as a Writer - and, More Importantly, as a Human Being

"Getting lost in something larger than myself always reminds me of the reasons why I write," -Anne Valente

I haven't been writing much, and as a writer at heart and by blood, this is like an mammal saying they haven't been breathing much. 

Usually, my writing - even though it's a fictional story - lets me release my thoughts, feelings, and emotions through characters and situations that are completely unrelated to my life. But since I've been ashamedly suffering from writer's block since like, August, journaling has become my forceful, if reluctant, outlet. 

In an attempt to relieve my creative and literary constipation, I've been journaling my days and my feelings away. 

And I've found that it's helped. 

It's helped me see how tainted my thoughts and emotions can be. With this, I always have the written perspective of time and my thoughts. 

Things I was freaking out about a week ago have become irrelevant or completely turned on their head. It helps me understand myself better, to pin down my thoughts somewhere tangible, where I can then wrestle with them and figure them out. 

And I can better understand myself, so I can better understand my writing - or lack thereof. 

Trust me, it helps in those in between chapter times or those emotional moments. 

Try it. It's like a drug. 

~The WordShaker