I am writing a journal that I want to be published. Can I think about what I'm going to write on a day before I actually write the journal entry? Does anyone know anything about that. Thanks, Josh -Edit- This post sounded confusing I guess so forget the question. Sorry If I seemed rude to anyone , I am never rude. Please forgive me for seeming rude. Also, I only write true stories in my journal. Thanks, Josh
Not sure I understand your question. You can think about anything you want to think about whenever you wish to think about it. Do you mean a journal as in a diary (nonfiction) and are considering if it is okay to think about the content before anything actually happens and therefore it would be fiction?
Trilby, I was actually confused by your third line. Also, I am writing true things only and it is for a diary/journal. To put my question as clear as I can: I am writing a journal/diary to get published. When thinking of what to write in my journal, do I have to think of what I am going to write on the day I write the entry? Or can I think of what I'm going to write on a previous day. I think other people would understand the first post and this one. Trilby, sorry if that seems rude. Thanks, Josh
I think that the problem with the question is that you're implying that there's some standard practice for writing a journal to be published, some set of rules that must be followed. But there isn't - writing a journal with the hope of being published isn't a common thing to do, and therefore I don't think that there's a set of rules for it. So, you can do whatever you please. You can think ahead, you can think on the day, you can think after the day. It's your project, and we're not in a position to tell you how you must do it.
trilby isn't the only one who can't make sense out of what you're asking... it's simply not worded in a way that can be easily understood, josh... your following 'explanation' was just as muddled... and yes, it was a bit rude to make that comment about 'other people'... i have to take it as an insult to me, as well... you seem to be saying you 'think about what to write' in a journal before doing the actual writing, the way one would think up scenes for a work of fiction, or choose a topic for an article, when most people who keep journals don't do that... they simply write whatever comes to them when they sit down to add an entry... and that's why it's hard to figure out what it is you're asking, or why you need to ask it... so what is it that you would be 'thinking' of before you write it? as for wanting to have it published, why do you think total strangers would want to read your diary?... or, if any would, to pay good money in order to do so?...
I agree with mammamaia, It was kind of rude and the question was a bit odd. I guess most people keeping a diary/journal live their lives first and write about it/reflect upon it afterwards, so I'm not sure I understood your question either. Of course you could think about what topic to write about the day before, but that to me sounds more like you would write some kind of memoir or autobiography, not a journal because it would mean that you would decide the day before what was going to happen the day after, which would make your life kind of fiction-like or at least adapted to fit into the theme of the journal, and that journal would probably lose its purpose.
I'm not quite sure what you're trying to get at here. Are you trying to say that you're going to write a fictional journal, sort of like a Bridget Jones style journal following a fictional character and thier fictional lives. Or are you going to write a journal based upon your experiences in the real world. If your going to write a journal based upon your experiences then you cannot write it in advance. What you should consider doing is keeping a notepad with you and making notes on your daily life, review this at the end of the day and write a short piece about what happened. Obviously most days will be mundane, so it will be up to you to edit it and make it something that other people want to read. You should also consider reading other journals which authors have published, to see how its done.
My first post in this thread sounded confusing I guess so forget the question. Sorry If I seemed rude to anyone, I am never rude. Please forgive me for seeming rude. Also, I only write about true things in my journal. Thanks, Josh
Hi Josh, It takes a big person to say 'sorry' High Five, for that. Good luck with your writing. Trilby
ok, so if you only right true things, then you can't decide what's going to happen that you'll write about the next day... do you see why we were confused?... did you perhaps mean a 'memoir' and not a 'journal'? i have to ditto phil's good advice about writing and reading... and thanks for the apology... all is forgiven... hugs, m
What I'm writing actually is a memoir in journal form, maybe I should have said that. I have always thought of my journal as a "memoir in journal form." I write about things that happened in my life on days that it did not happen, but it is all true things. Maybe that made sense of it. Josh
a memoir is a memoir and a journal is a journal... if you don't get that straight you'll not only confuse people here, but will also have serious problems selling an agent or publisher on it... if it's not a retelling of what you did/thought/felt on the day you're writing it, then it's not a 'journal'... 'jour' is french for 'day'... so it's the same as a 'diary' which is from the latin for 'day'... if it's a retelling of events from various times in your life, then it's a 'memoir'... which is from the french word 'mémoire' which means 'memory'... when you say 'on days it did not happen' what do you mean?... writing about it the next day?... or days/weeks/months later?... and why do you think what you're going to write will be marketable to total strangers?...
Josh, an important component of ANY marketable writing is clarity. The difficulties you are having while trying to explain exactly what the series is makes me think you will have a problem offering it for publication, regardless of the subject matter. As Maia points out, there is not much of a market for memoirs from an unknown person. If you are famous for some other reason, like being the leader of a country or huge company, or being a top celebrity, that would be different. As for a journal, that would be of even less interest to the average person. Would you pay money to read Joe Random's Twitter feed? Clarity of expression is something you can work on, if you are sufficiently committed to writing. But I think you will need to reconsider your choice of subject matter.
