While I was working on the previous post, the “influential authors meme,” I was frustrated by how few books I could recall from my early years. As I noted, I have a much better memory for recent reading than anything, really, before graduate school. Okay, so I’m getting older and this is probably just a function of memory but still …

So it occurred to me that I should just look through some of my old journals because one of the things I use my journals for is to record my reading. I began keeping a journal/diary in high school and have been doing so ever since. I keep my old journals in a cardboard box in the corner of a closet and rarely look at them; in fact, I have never sat down and really thoroughly read through them. Even my book search was pretty abbreviated — I just flipped through looking for titles. Still, I consider that cardboard box to be one of my most precious possessions and, in the event of a fire my list of priorities goes something like: 1) Golden Boy 2) cats & dog 3) laptop 4) journals. (As if, in this scenario, I would have the opportunity to go rooting through a closet for a very heavy cardboard box while the house burns down around me).

Here’s my personal archive — the BSG In Print edition:

I dug out my journals and while they weren’t very helpful in reconstructing my reading list (apparently I didn’t record my reading much before grad school — disappointing), it did get me thinking about journaling, why I do it, why these old records mean so much to me, and how my journaling practice has changed over the years. It also made me curious about other people’s journaling habits.

(I should mention that part of my scholarship includes working with women’s diaries and letters so I have a particular framework for thinking about private writing; I tend to view even my own rather embarrassing and undistinguished journals as potentially rich archival materials to some unknown scholar in the future who will find them as fascinating as I have found those I have worked on. Far, far in the future.)

I hereby inaugurate The Journal Meme:

1. When did you begin keeping a journal/diary?

2. Do you journal regularly or sporadically?

3. Which, if any, of the following things do you use your journal for?: recording dreams, creative writing, arguing with particular individuals (your boss, your parents, your lover, etc.), listing books/movies, tracking your weight/diet/exercise, composing unsent/unsendable letters.

4. What other purpose(s) do you use your journal for?

5. What kind of material text do you use for a journal? (For example: leather bound hard-cover, cheap spiral notebook, etc.)

6. Where do you keep your old journals?

7. How often, if ever, have you read through your old journals?

8. Have you ever allowed anyone else to read your journals?

9. How has your journal keeping changed since you began blogging?

10. Upload a picture of your journals (or as many as you can).

It’s difficult to tag folks for this meme because I don’t know how many of you keep a journal/diary. If you do and want to participate — please do and let me know! (I am going to nudge Jo(e), because I’d love to see a picture of all her journals.)