Dear Journal vs. Dear Jane vs. [BLANK]

It's just a short post for today. JOURNAL NAMES!

We all have a favorite way to greet our journal at the beginning of every entry.

But what are the benefits of addressing a book we are writing in by name or by “Journal?”

Anne Frank named her diary “Kitty.”  She personified her diary with a [pet] name so it can be easy to write into it as if speaking to a silent friend.

I’ve given my old diaries names too… Xi, and Sairah, to name a couple.

I’ve even greeted my diaries with made-up words for “hello”!

The trend of greeting a journal with a “Dear Journal” or “Dear Jane/Jack” varies from person to person. It depends on what the journal is for, or how it helps the journal writer get in the mindset of writing—communicating to the self. One could even address the journal by their own name, if that helps.

In my Comfort Journal I begin by writing the date, day and time on the right-hand side, then underneath I begin on the left-hand side, “Dear Journal.”

And my big 200-sheet  notebook?  I do that differently. I still date, day and time it, but I do not begin with a “Dear Journal” or “Dear Jane.”  I just simply begin. Perhaps it’s because I use this notebook as a writing dump, a place to just pour out stuff when my head overflows with thoughts and words. For this particular notebook there is no need to address it. But that’s just how I do that one.

QUESTION:

What do you think of journal names? Leave your response in the comments.