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As a student you are required to write for your teacher or your family might ask you to write something for them. You probably write e-mails and use ICQ a lot, but have you ever written just for yourself?

Writing a journal is one of the main ways to write just for you. Sometimes writing things down helps you understand what's going on inside your head - what you are really thinking, and what you feel.

So why write journals?

- To help you remember what you've done or still have to do

- To talk to yourself to understand what's happening in your life

- To tell someone (your journal) a deep secret

- To give you a chance to think and write

- To organise ideas when you're thinking about something

- For fun and relaxation

- To see what's in your head

- To keep a 'memory' of events in your life

Who keeps journals?

Many people keep journals, including ships' captains, travellers, students and business people as a summary of the day's events. They can also be kept because you wish to record very private things that happen to you. A journal is a place where you can write your most personal thoughts. It is for no one else to read but yourself, except perhaps those very close to you.

Journals are also referred to as diaries and you may have read famous people's diaries such as The Diary of Anne Frank or perhaps a leader's diary or journal published either during his/her lifetime or after their death. Many famous people, such as artists, politicians and writers, have kept journals which were probably never meant to be read by anyone else. That's why diaries or journals usually have a key, to ensure privacy.

Sometimes, after the writers have died, their diaries are published and they give us a great insight into their lives, because when we keep a journal we are totally honest, as we are talking to ourselves and are not writing for an audience.

Is there any structure in writing a journal? Yes, you could set it out like this:

Wednesday, October 30, 2002

Dear Diary,

Today was the worst day of my life. First, I slept in and was half an hour late for school. The 'Dragon' made me stand outside the discipline office for two whole periods! It was so frustrating! She's got real problems in my opinion. I told her that I couldn't help being late as my little brother was abducted by aliens and we were worried about him. He eventually came home so that's why I was late. She didn't believe me! Perhaps I overdid it? Fancy that! Next I got into trouble with my history teacher because he didn't believe that my mother accidentally threw away my homework. At lunchtime I got into a water fight with my friends. We were all given detention and a black mark because we got soaking wet. School's so boring when they don't let us have any fun. Anyway Dear Diary, I must go now as I HAVE to do my homework.

Talk to you tomorrow!

Please note the language features used when writing a diary.

- Use of first person - I

- Colloquial language - I kind of overdid it

- Colourful language - (metaphors) Dragon

- Words showing personal feelings - so frustrating, so boring

You can write anything in your journal: poems, cartoons, song lyrics, photographs, and even insert souvenirs such as concert tickets. In fact, anything which expresses what you want to say or record as a memory. It's a lot of fun. Why don't you try it?



Dear Diary . . .