Objective- To be more emotional in your journaling.

Basics of Journaling-

The big "5" Ws. Who, what, when, where and why.

Who was there? What were they doing? When was it? Where were they? Why were they there?

Now that you have the basics down, we'll delve into the emotional side a little more.

You need to play out all the details of the event not just the name and date.

Be sure to add in the things that cannot be seen. For example on Christmas- showing pictures of your children/self
opening gifts... Don't forget to include what you got/favorite gift/smell of the pine tree or of the
ham cooking/the sights-how the tree shimmered, wrapping paper everywhere/looks of joy.

Details are important!!!! The journaling can be trimmed later.

Flowery words and phrases aren't important. Speak as tho the person were standing next to you.

"Talk" to your computer as your journal. Tell your computer the story of your vacation, holiday, about your child.
If you had just celebrated your child's birthday, and someone asked how it went. Would you say-
June 23, 2004- Our House-6 pm- He had fun and got lots of great stuff? End conversation?
I doubt it! You'd go on about his gleaming face, his joy as he ripped off the paper, the gifts he
got, the fun he had, the games you played....etc.

If you cannot "talk" to your computer, try talking to a picture of a friend/family member who was not at
the event, and type as you talk. If this still doesn't work for you, try calling a friend/family member who
was not at the event and type as you tell them about it.

If it helps, you can always journal before you ever scrap. Sit down and journal while the event and emotions are
still fresh in your mind. Save this for later.

Make sure that you play out all the details, not just the factoids.

As you journal, remember that these pages will be veiwed many years from now. Help them feel as though they
were there will all the little details. Let them know about how much you cared about your loved ones. Don't hold
anything back. Don't let the fear of 'sounding silly' hold you up. Journaling is much more important that feeling
silly. Your words, no matter what you think of them now, will be treasured by generations to come.

Journal to your future grandchildren. Think of what you would like to have written down from YOUR grandparents.
Would you think any of that sounded silly?

Here are some of my layouts that I consider "emotionally journaled":

Journaling pages:

Some helpful journaling links:

http://www.scrapyourstories.com/meaningful.htm

http://www.turningmemories.com/psphobia.pdf

http://www.turningmemories.com/pstrackmemories.pdf

http://www.writersdigest.com/writingprompts.asp?prompts=365

The last link has a writing exercise a day. Some of the topics are rather "interesting", but it is a great way
to stretch your journaling wings.

Now, lets see some wonderfully journaled pages. Remember, don't hold back your emotions. Play out on the
page just how much you love your family and how you treasure all your times together. Journal for your
future generations. Let them know your story. Don't make them guess what is behind those photos. Write those
stories down. Don't make them guess. Happy Journaling!!!