During the course of the semester there was a project which involved creating a Journey Journal. In this Journal we used the anti-rules as a writing style. These rules are supposed to help you write your thoughts and ideas more clearly. They channel all the writing energy into the ideas themselves without having to worry about the coherence, an aesthetics of the writing. Each time an entry was made I was supposed to write for ten minutes without stopping, thus forcing myself to let my ideas flow as I wrote. Some of the rules to follow were: to not worry about spelling, punctuation, and grammar, always keep your writing hand moving and to go for the jugular. This last one represents that as you write some key ideas are bound to show up in your writing. If you stick with them and elaborate them you are hitting the jugular.
As I dove into this writing experience I learned about the great impact it had on my writing. The first few entries were hard because of the anti-rules. I'm accustomed to write coherently while being on the lookout for any possible errors I could commit, however, these new set of rules changed the game. I could now focus solely on the ideas and nothing more. I caught myself dashing out or fixing some of the words I miswrote. Even stopping to think because of the sudden "writer's block". Still I learned and pretty much dominated these rules. This style of writing has helped me in other classes to get my ideas flowing in order to write killer essays. Forty Journal entries and twelve Life Compasses were made.
As I dove into this writing experience I learned about the great impact it had on my writing. The first few entries were hard because of the anti-rules. I'm accustomed to write coherently while being on the lookout for any possible errors I could commit, however, these new set of rules changed the game. I could now focus solely on the ideas and nothing more. I caught myself dashing out or fixing some of the words I miswrote. Even stopping to think because of the sudden "writer's block". Still I learned and pretty much dominated these rules. This style of writing has helped me in other classes to get my ideas flowing in order to write killer essays. Forty Journal entries and twelve Life Compasses were made.
The Life Compasses had four areas in which you scored yourself from 1-3, three being the highest. Physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual were the four areas of the Life Compasses. After you had the four numbers you added them and the total reflects on how you feel on those aspects as a whole. Overall, I typically scored between 10-12 on these. My weakest areas were: spiritual and mental. Spiritual because I really miss going to church on Sundays and having family brunch. Mental because of the constant stream of stress my mayor gives me, in addition to the med-school application process. I'm finishing now so I feel a lot better.
This Journal has been a great experience and I recommend it to anyone who has trouble expressing his/her ideas clearly. As you write many entries you are bound to notice the difference in the writing process and start to notice how fluidly the ideas just pour out of the command center (Brain).
Pouring your thoughts into paper is a great way to gain a different perspective of one's life. Not only does it help you with the fluidity of your ideas, but also, when you look back at them, you gain a whole new perspective on situations you have already experienced.
ReplyDeleteI also wrote about this in my entry about my journal. I sometimes have trouble expressing myself, but by writing about it, it was easier to express my feelings later on.
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