Should Writers Also Be Journaling?

by Emme Gannon @GannonEmme

It was one of those rainy days of the soul, when a cup of tea and a book seemed to be the protocol of choice. Dragging myself to my library, I scanned the shelf reserved for unread books—stories that waited to spirit me away from the present into a better place. Adventures that would take my mind off myself and maybe, just maybe, would bring light to a dark day. At once my eyes fell on two leather-bound journals that had been mistakenly placed there. 

Their mysterious presence beckoned. Like the delight of finding an unopened gift, I drew them from the shelf and opened first one and then the other, scanning the beginning page of each for a date. They were written by me three and four years ago. Not so terribly long ago, but a period in my life holding a lifetime of sadness. After setting my tea on the side table, I molded my body into the soft cushions of a chair while I read. 

Through tear-stained pages, I was transported like a time-machine back to when I first noticed symptoms of my husband’s illness. I spent the entire morning reading and re-living the most horrible of times. My writing described desperation, fear, and anxiety as I wandered through a foreign world trying to find my way. Why did this happen? How did it happen? What do I do? With each question, my needs eventually became apparent. 

Then, something happened. I witnessed on those pages the loving hand of Jesus, as He took the highest of mountains and leveled them so that I could navigate. He gave answers to my burning need. He sent people who gave wise counsel. Those who confirmed decisions I was afraid to make. He provided wisdom beyond my understanding. 

He performed these miracles in the most amazing of ways. He showed me truth by indirect communication—allowing me to experience His truth, rather than to spoon feed me knowledge that would be like seed sown on rocky soil. He let me see and feel the need. Be completely engaged in the frailty of the situation. And then He lead me along the correct path, allowing me to respond with a depth of understanding that would not have been possible any other way. 

It was past lunch when I finished reading. I laid the books aside and pondered that journey of four years ago. In my journals, I was unable to adequately express my needs, so I wrote my feelings. By expressing my feelings, I uncovered false thinking and need. Then God showed truth. 

These steps to experiencing truth also hold true in our writing. CS Lewis was a master at it. In the Lion, Witch, and the Wardrobe, Lewis torments the reader by showing the children’s hopeless situation. We become more than an observer. We jump through the wardrobe with them. We lash out at Edmund for his folly. We experience the children’s desperation as the White Witch seems to be winning. 

Then Aslan gives truth. We weep when he saves Narnia the only way he can, by his sacrifice. We grieve as we experience what seems like evil’s victory. Then, Aslan rises again, and we know. Evil cannot be permanently eradicated by the deeds of humans. Its demise can only occur by the sacrifice of Someone holy who dies on behalf of our sins. Then rises again so that, by believing in Him, we can be given eternal life. The emotions that brought us to that place of darkness and despair are eradicated by experiencing truth. The words have power because they bring change. 

We are called to be writer’s in dark and evil times, where evil is disguised as truth and good portrayed as evil. Debate rarely produces change. However, by bringing our readers on a journey of discovery and allowing them to experience need by connecting to emotion, truth shines forth and changes hearts. We can continue to personally experience this phenomenon by journaling. 

I journal every day. Not words that I would one day leave behind as the legacy of a wise and strong woman. Instead, I shamelessly admit feelings that describe moments in time when I was broken, needy, and defenseless—times when only Jesus could bring life. But first I had to see my need, and only then could I experience His power at work in my life. 

I encourage you to give it a try. Something happens when we’re honest. When we move away from our brand and become who we really are. For it is then we allow an opening for the Holy Spirit to “restore what the cankerworm has eaten.” It is then that our stories go deep to the hearts of our readers.

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Should Writers Also Be Journaling? insight from @GannonEmme on @EdieMelson (Click to Tweet)

Emme Gannon is a wife, mother, and grandmother who loves to write stories that stir the heart. Her award-winning writing has appeared in Focus on the Family magazine, several anthologies, and numerous newsletters. She just completed her first novel.