Error loading page.
Try refreshing the page. If that doesn't work, there may be a network issue, and you can use our self test page to see what's preventing the page from loading.
Learn more about possible network issues or contact support for more help.

Note to Self

On Keeping a Journal and Other Dangerous Pursuits

ebook
1 of 1 copy available
1 of 1 copy available

Keeping a journal is easy. Keeping a life-altering, soul-enlightening journal, however, is not. At its best, journaling can be among the most transformative of experiences, but you can only get there by learning how to express yourself fully and openly. Enter Samara O'Shea.

O'Shea charmed readers with her elegant and witty For the Love of Letters. Now, in Note to Self, she's back to guide us through the fun, effective, and revelatory process of journaling. Along the way, selections from O'Shea's own journals demonstrate what a journal should be: a tool to access inner strengths, uncover unknown passions, face uncertain realities, and get to the center of self. To help create an effective journal, O'Shea provides multiple suggestions and exercises, including:

  • Write in a stream of consciousness: Forget everything you ever learned about writing and just write. Let it all out: the good, bad, mad, angry, boring, and ugly.
  • Ask yourself questions: What do I want to change about myself? What would I never change about myself?
  • Copy quotes: Other people's words can help you figure out where you are in life, or where you'd like to be.
  • It takes time: Don't lose faith if you don't imme­diately feel better after writing in your journal. Think of each entry as part of a collection that will eventually reveal its meaning to you.
  • O'Shea's own journal entries reveal alternately moving, edgy, and hilarious stories from throughout her life, as she hits the party scene in New York, poses naked as an aspiring model, stands by as her boyfriend discovers an infidelity by (you guessed it) reading her journal, and more. There are also fascinating journal entries of notorious diarists, such as John Wilkes Booth, Anaïs Nin, and Sylvia Plath.

    A tribute to the healing and reflective power of the written word, Note to Self demonstrates that sometimes being completely honest with yourself is the most dangerous and rewarding pursuit of all.

    • Creators

    • Publisher

    • Release date

    • Formats

    • Languages

    • Reviews

      • Booklist

        July 1, 2008
        OSheaapproaches journal writing asa therapeutic tool and an aidto helping journal keepers discover new strengths and develop others, find previously unsuspected dimensions and depths of their personalities, and uncover and confront painful realities. This self-discoverycombines depth with breadth, so as the writer records both lifes mundane minutiae and family-altering crises, he or she acquiresknowledge of the most valuable kind from dreams andcandid accounts of personal crimes and misdemeanors. OShea includes her own journal entries in each chapter, coveringdifferent eras in her life, and provideswriting tips andjournaling exercisesdeveloped to empower the act of externalizing thoughts, feelings, and, ultimately, oneself. She also includes instructive passages from the journals of notable writers, such asLouisa May Alcott, whorecords her winters earnings in 1855: $120, which includes $20 for her storiesif I am ever paid.A listing of sources rounds out this interesting addition to journaling aids that emphasizes its not the rereading where one finds solace but in the writing itself.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2008, American Library Association.)

    Formats

    • Kindle Book
    • OverDrive Read
    • EPUB ebook

    Languages

    • English

    Loading