Today’s nugget of advice is: write in your journal every day.

Try to give yourself a block of time every day to write. Even if you feel very busy, make time for yourself to write. Write about events that have happened to you. What did you eat for lunch? What happened at school today? Use language that captures what happened, so that Future-You can remember clearly.

But your journal isn’t only for capturing events of the day! You can write about anything you want–your thoughts, the dream you had last night, your fears, your worries, your dreams for the future. Be creative. Maybe a story will spring from something that you’ve written. Or maybe you will find that you tend to write about certain issues, and so your journal could serve as a springboard for further research.

Why should I write in a journal?

• Making a habit of writing in a journal will benefit you tremendously as a writer! Practice makes progress!
• You will learn to gain your own voice – how will you know what your voice is before you even use it?
• You will learn to see things and describe things in new ways
• You will have a record of the wonderful and marvelous thoughts you’ve had, and the fun things that you’ve done
• You can learn about yourself

In the next installment of The Writing Room, I’ll give you some writing prompts in case you’re stuck for ideas. In the meantime, happy journalling!

Faithfully yours,
Jessica
Hong Kong Young Writers Awards