Who has not heard of the book Diary of Anne Frank? The inimitable courage and strength that Anne, a thirteen year old Jewish girl displays in the face of Nazi harassment has now become a legend. What sustains Anne through her period of hiding with her family in a small, cramped room is her ‘Dear diary’. Her diary becomes her source of comfort and joy. It becomes her friend and confidante, privy to her secret thoughts and fears. It becomes her bulwark and her source of sustenance through difficult times. The power of the ‘moving finger’Shyamala had been feeling good ever since she had started writing her daily thoughts in her diary. Although her days kept her busy and there were times when she was run off her feet, she felt better connected to her self and more in control of her life, as she faithfully confided her sometimes random thoughts everyday in her diary. The ResultsShyamala felt that it would be a good idea to share some of the amazing changes in her life, ever since she took to writing her journal. She hopes that this will be a source of inspiration to others to do the same. She believes that since she has been writing, she has discovered that she
Making a promise Make a commitment to write at least two pages a day. Soon you will be moving from ‘Oh! I have to write’ to ‘Ooh! I need to write!’ When do you write? There is no time like ‘morning time’. As Browning puts it “Mornings at seven… The lark is on its wing, The snail is on its thorn… God’s in heaven, all’s right with the world.” Start your day by penning your thoughts in the morning. Your mind is still fresh and you will feel more intimate with your soul. If you write at the end of the day, your diary will read more like a report than an expression of your feelings. Write at least a page, however busy your morning maybe. Get up a little early. Believe me, it’s worth it. What should be the subject matter? How do you get started on what to write? Don’t fret! Try some thoughts like….
The key is to get started. It will get easier with time. The words will start flowing and a new relationship will begin which will be inspiring. How do I make this a habit?
One important way to stay connected to the habit of writing, is to create the right ambience for it.
Don’t feel guilty if you miss a day or two. But don’t stop writing. Start again the next morning. Treat this time as holy and sacred. Give yourself to the moment. Let the words and thoughts flow. Don’t worry about punctuation or syntax. This is not about how you write. It is about what you write. Keep your Diary in a safe place. It’s ‘for your-eyes-only’. Keep the hand moving. Add colour to your blank pages. |
My memory is certainly in my hands. I can remember things only if I have a pen and I write with it, and I can play with it. I think your hand concentrates for you. I don’t know why it should be so.