One thing we know for certain is that journal writing has the capacity to bring improvements in mental and emotional health to those who partake in it.  When we write in a journal, we partake in an exchange of information, ideas, and emotions in a way that we cannot do easily outside of a journal. 

Journal writing can take on all kinds of different forms, methods, and styles.  One writer may journal solely for the purpose of organizing creative ideas for short stories, whereas another writer may engage in journal writing to make peace with the past by writing about the memories stuffed away in dark closets.  Using a journal in a way that no one else does is perfectly acceptable; there is no law that says every writer must write the same.

As well, journals can be flexible and contain a variety of different pieces within its pages.  As journals meet a variety of writing needs for its writers, so its flexibility is a part of its beauty.  A journal that allows a writer to collect notes for a professional development conference, brainstorm a short story, and relieve memories from a decade ago is a highly valuable tool on several levels—professional, creative, and personal. 

One way that writers can participate with journals is to write letters.  A journal can be written with any intended audience, and sometimes this is a useful tool to jumpstart creativity or memory stimulation to write to a specific person or audience.  When we write to someone in particular, we can tap into a different level of creativity and contact deeper messages to communicate.  
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Once upon a time, I wrote letters as a means for recording details of events from the past.  Like most people out there, I have some events in my past that caused me ongoing harm and I needed to find a way to release the effect those held on me.  By writing, I was able to tap into the dark memories. 
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By writing about them in a letter format, I got much closer to connecting to the truth of the events than I would have if I had been writing stories or in an essay-format.  The letter allowed me to communicate more directly, and that opened up new messages that I would not have tapped into had I written a more standard journal format.  

Grandpa Daniel—I would like to write a letter to my grandfather to ask him about his life.  He was born in Ireland, grew up in Australia, and moved to the US as a young man.  While in the US, he tried several times to take his family back to Australia but circumstances never worked out.  He lost my grandmother who was disallowed surgery following childbirth that could have saved her life because a priest had to be available to approve uterine surgery.  After her loss, he grew a hard shell and suffered a series of terrible losses during the Depression and afterwards.  I would like to write and ask him about his life, ask what he would have changed, and ask him about what went well.  I think his story is an important one to hear, and although he passed long ago, I would still like to know it. 

Fawne—My childhood best friend died much too young, and her loss riddled my heart with holes.  I would like to write her and take note of the wonderful memories we created.  I would also like to let her know that I should have called her more often, I should have told her how important she was, and I should have made a greater effort to be there for her. 

Ray Bradbury—Bradbury was an exceptional writer who noted his writing habits in a book called Zen in the Art of Writing, which is a collection of essays on his views and habits on writing.  He wrote every day of his life and cultivated ideas for thousands of stories through those hours of daily writing.  I would like to write to Bradbury and ask him to coach me.  I would like him to agree to email me every day to remind me to write, to read over my work and make suggestions, and to keep me on the productive path, since I tend to take on too many ideas at once.
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These letters are just three of the list that could be written.  The idea is that not only can a letter be written to someone in the present, which could potentially be sent, but a letter could just as easily be written to someone in the past.  Of course, it could not be sent but the benefit to the writer is still there.  

Writers may be able tap into a wide variety of emotions, stories, ideas, and purposes by connecting with a greater assortment of genres in letters.  The letter can be written to anyone, at any time, and for any reason.  This can open an incredible array of opportunity for journal writers. 
 
Gratitude—Communicate appreciation and gratitude to a mentor or a person who laid the path for you to achieve your own goals.

Anger—We cannot always let our angry emotions out in public, but a letter is a place where we can say anything that we need to, including communicating our darker emotions.

Frustration—Sometimes people get in the way, block our progress, or create barriers that slow our advancement—all of which creates frustration as we are trying to reach our goals.  Write a letter to one of these people. 

Stifled Communication—What we have not said but wanted so dearly to say could have changed everything.  Say it now. 

Acknowledgement—Recognizing that what happened did in fact happen is an incredible step in truth making.  Write a letter that acknowledges the truth.  Include an apology, a reason, or a request if needed.

Sharing Stories/Memories—Much of our writing may be the simple sharing of stories—both our stories and the stories we want to hear.  Write a letter that shares one of your stories that needs to be communicated, and write a letter that asks someone to share a story of their own. 

Relief of Regrets—Not a one of us walks this earth without a regret.  Sometimes we say the wrong things, we make the wrong choices, and we suffer the consequences.  Release those regrets in a letter and make peace with the past. 

Mentoring—Your mentor may be across the country or across time, but that does not mean that you cannot write and ask for advice, direction, and guidance.  Write your mentor (this can be anyone—Gloria Steinem, William Shakespeare, or George Washington) and connect with this person. 

 
The letters that you have never written do not have to be sent.  There is no requirement that a letter written must be placed in an envelope and mailed.  Letters can be a place to collect one’s thoughts, consider different ideas, say the words that we cannot speak aloud, or share what is impossible.  Incorporate letter writing into your journaling practice and see how it affects your overall writing and well-being.  

We know that journaling has many applications that can benefit people from all walks of life—professionals, students, parents, teens, academics, and creative types—like artists and writers.  Journaling can bring about a state of mindfulness, where people can slow down time and concentrate on a self-care activity.  It can offer a creative outlet for those seeking an accessible means for expression.  And it can be a gateway into establishing a productive writing practice.


The most wonderful aspect of journal writing is its versatility.  People can use it in different situations to meet different needs, and it remains relevant since it is a flexible practice. 

Since journaling is a flexible activity, writers can begin a journal that is focused on goal setting and work towards reaching a dream, then change to journal about reflections of events in the past.  Journal writing changes with us.  As we switch subjects and interests, it stays there and allows for a comfortable space to meet our needs.  While journaling, we can be professional, creative, parental, friendly, depressed, anxious, confident, entrepreneurial, or organized. 

Anything works in the pages of a journal.  
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When we journal, we are our whole selves.  We can explore the ideas that comes into our minds, ponder the questions that make us curious, and wander through avenues of new ideas.
 
While journaling, writers can brainstorm ideas for creative projects, and there are activities to make this process more productive.  When we brainstorm, we want to collect all the questions, ideas, details, and thoughts that we possibly can in an effort to explore our ideas.  What starts as a passing thought can turn into a well-loved novel.  
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A bullet journal is a flexible journaling method that allows a writer to change topics, ideas, and questions from page to page.  Its format is linear so writers tend to stay well organized when using a bullet journal.  And, a bullet journal allows writers to use drawings, icons, color-coding, and a variety of media, so it appeals to visual thinkers (most people are visual thinkers). 
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People use bullet journals to create plans, outline ideas, lay out calendars, and for all kinds of mental activities.  For our purposes, we are going to use a bullet journal as a brainstorming tool for creative writing.  Of course, a bullet journal can be used as easily for brainstorming any project, style or writing, or professional development project imaginable, so keep the method in mind for upcoming projects.  

Anyone who considers themselves a writer will tell you that they come up with more story ideas than they are able to follow up on.  Most writers will start a dozen stories for any one that they complete.  Ray Bradbury kept copious notes of his daily writing activities and remarked that he wrote every day of his life since elementary school, but only a fraction of his ideas turned into completed stories and books.  Every brainstorm will not turn into a completed story, but no story is complete without the writer exploring the topic first.

When writers brainstorm, we collect as much available information on a particular topic—questions, ideas, thoughts, details, research, data, and so on.  Every little tidbit that we can muster up to compile into a brainstorm has the potential to add to the depth, breadth, interest, and complexity of our stories.  The more in depth the brainstorm, the better the story. 

So, what is a brainstorm?

The brainstorm is the first step in the writing process: brainstorming, outlining, drafting, editing/revising, and presenting.  Variations of the writing process may use different terms for these steps or a different number of steps, but the general idea is the same.  Writers follow a series of writing steps with the purpose of producing a completed piece of writing.  The writing process works for any style of writing: poetry, research papers, creative projects, narratives, essays, letters, or books.  In the writing world, the writing process is the path to producing high-quality works. 

Brainstorming is the first step of the writing process.  Anything can go into a brainstorm—anything.  It can be a list of questions, it can be a series of drawings, it can be a collection of hand drawn maps, it can be a collection of quotes and dialogue lines, and in all likelihood it will be a combination of all those and more.  A brainstorm is a collection, a brain dump, a messy riotous assemblage, and it is the beginning.  

So, take a look at how to use a bullet journal to brainstorm a story.  If a writer wants the final outcome to be a completed story, start with a thorough brainstorm. 

In a journal, begin five different lists, each of these will become a separate bullet list. 

List 1: Characters

List 2: Plot, Conflict, Problems

List 3: Settings and Scenes

List 4: Dialogue, Lines, and Quotes

List 5: Tone, Mood, and Style

For list 1, begin by listing each of the characters you will put in this story.  This list can grow and shrink with time, but start with at least three characters.  It is fine for a character to be an animal, an alien, or an object.  Good stories sometimes have unusual characters.  Once the basic list is in place, add details, descriptions, attributes, and complexities of each character.

For list 2, begin by listing the basic events in the story that will make up the plot.  There should be some kind of exposition, rising action, conflict, climax, and resolution; set these up in any combination or order that suits your needs.  Once the initial list is in place, layer the list with details, complexities, and depth that add to the story.

For list 3, break down the story into scenes and different settings.  For each of these, what are the most important aspects of the scenes?  What elements should be highlighted in each one?  Will there be literary language, symbolism, or details that make these scenes more valuable?

For list 4, list at least two high value lines of dialogue for each character to share.  Oftentimes in literature, it is the poignant or highly effective dialogue lines that affect readers so greatly.  What are these? 

And for list 5, look at each step in the story, each scene, each character, and each line of dialogue and determine a mood, tone, or style to assign to it.  Does that scene in the closet need to be foreboding and dark?  Does the scene on the beach need to be refreshing and affirming?  For each one, list as many details as you can about what you can do to add depth and breadth to these story elements. 
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A bullet list is not a completed piece of writing.  It is the beginning of a piece of writing.  A writer can come back many dozens of times to work on a brainstorm to add more detail, cross out erroneous items, question past ideas, and develop the story’s basic layout into something more complex.  With that bullet journal brainstorm in place, the next step of outlining becomes a quick and natural progression towards a completed story.  The bullet journal can be used for some many different types of projects, and it works wonderfully for a brainstorm.