So much has happened in the last year. So many incidents, experiences, feelings and emotions remain untold. There are so many stories that you haven't really shared with anyone. But why? As children, you go through a plethora of incidents every day and that’s what moulds you to be who you are. That’s what changes your attitude to life, your way of handling situations and sometimes even avoiding them altogether. But when at a certain point in life, you wish to know how was it that you became the person you are today, you feel at a loss for a starting point. All that made you who you are will simply be wiped out from your memory. Now, how do we save ourselves from such a situation?
With so many stories to share, why not allow yourself to bring your pen to meet paper and express yourself freely using a diary? With the help of a diary, your life will feel sorted, will be put into the right perspective and you will be able to find yourself amidst the tangle of everyday activities. With this article, let’s check how to make your diary your best friend.
To begin with, pick a peaceful area that allows you to write: this is necessary, although you won't be speaking out loud.
You need to start by addressing the diary: consider it as someone that you are really close to. Would you like to call it by a name? Would you like to think of it as something magical that can talk back to you? Would it have the personality of someone that you are familiar/comfortable with? It’s always best to build a relationship with the diary first so that you feel a tendency to come back to it daily.
Next, establish a bond with the diary consistently: you could mention the date on which you share incidents of a particular day with the diary. This will help you know exactly when a life-changing experience occurred. You could share all your joys, pains and thoughts as the first step to establishing a relationship with the diary. Remember, unlike actual friends, this is a true secret keeper and you can be yourself 100%.
Talk casually as you would with a physical person: you can talk to the diary out loud or inside your mind, whichever feels most effective to you.
Ever been amazed by a crazy, beautiful day? You could initially talk to the diary about what kind of a day it was. Did you expect it to go one way and it turned totally opposite? Or did it go as planned? For example:
Oh diary, you really should have felt the wonderful weather. You could have felt the breeze swishing across your pages if you had been with me when I opened you in the park. We ought to try that at some point. Note how a connection is established with the diary initially before talking about your day.
Let’s say you were having an ongoing argument with a friend. You could say, “Hey, I’m not sure what else to say to Steve. We’ve been arguing for almost two weeks now and we still can’t come to an agreement. I don’t want to think we can’t get through this, but I don’t know what more to do or say.” Note the conversational tone and the pain felt while you express your feelings.
Maybe you have a difficult relationship with a family member: “I hate that my mum and I don’t get along. She just doesn’t understand me, and she refuses to listen when I try to tell her how I really feel. I pray that she would try to see things from my point of view sometimes. Until then, I hope to be more patient and understanding to her.” Note how you state your hopes and analyse a situation.
Remember a few grammar rules to follow: the content needs to be organised structurally. You could use linking words and proper paragraphs to help you with that. Since most of the details are a retelling of what happened, you need to ensure that the simple past tense is used consistently. Finally, you could ensure that the first-person narrative is used throughout.
Wind up with a proper sense of closure: depending on the mood, you could close with your hopes/plans for the next day, or maybe someone interrupted your writing in between and in that case, you could excuse yourself and simply say good night. A basic ending could be ‘I think I should head to bed. Good night.’
From an examination point of view, we need to follow these tips to understand the skill of organised diary writing. Keeping a diary will not only help you find tackling this exam question easily, but will also have a positive impact on your well-being. From reflecting on emotions to having a safe space to vent, possessing a diary can serve as a powerful life tool and a practical test-taking practise to ace your exams. By spending a little time to contemplate the activities of the day, you can make keeping a diary an enjoyable and productive experience in 2023.