Thoughts For Thursday - Thoughts Of The Moment

Today's TFT is brought to us again by Mary Ihla. Journaling is so important, so for the next couple of weeks I will use Mary's journaling thoughts...

When I journal, sometimes my brain just gets "stuck". The words don't flow because I am trying too hard to focus on making my journaling perfect the first time. Sometimes I just want to get the layout finished and into its cozy little page protector and don't spend long enough focusing on writing my memories and thoughts about the photos I just spent eons carefully choosing and then just as many eons selecting papers and embellishments to go along with them.

Free Writing can also be referred to as "Brainstorming" - getting all of your thoughts down on paper in no particular order. It helps us to filter the jumble of thoughts we may have tumbling around in our brains. This always works for me when writing essays (college & hs), talks or lessons for church, correspondence for work, etc. I have a general idea of what Iwant to say, but my thoughts area jumbled mess.

I challenge you to try Mary's Free Thinking Exercise this week as we all work to perfect our journaling and/or get in the habit of journaling.

Inky Smiles!

Erin

PS... Voting closes soon... get your votes in for Sketch Challenge {003}

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Thoughts of The Moment: Free Writing Exercise

by Mary Ihla (Used with permission.)

Last week I asked you to determine if your scrapbook pages speak for themselves. What did you discover?

Even though you may appreciate the importance of journaling, you might still be avoiding it. You're not alone. A recent survey revealed that journaling is the least favorite aspect of scrapbooking.

Word phobia develops when your judgmental left brain dominates your creative right brain. "Free writing" is a process that will help you silence your inner critic and make the act of putting words to paper more comfortable.

You'll need the following for this focused free writing exercise:

• a kitchen timer
• a couple sheets of unlined paper
• a pencil or pen
• a selection of photos or a completed scrapbook page

Find a quiet room where you can write comfortably without being interrupted. (Yes, for some of you that may be the most difficult portion of this exercise!) Prop the layout or photos where you can view them while writing. Make an effort to clear your mind and concentrate on those images. Set the timer for 10 minutes and begin writing.

There are a few rules to follow when free writing:

• Let your thoughts tumble out onto the paper, writing whatever is on your mind.
• If you can't think of anything to write, just write, "I can't think of anything to write."
• Don't worry about spelling, grammar, or sentence construction.
• Don't make corrections or judge what you've written.
• Don't stop writing until the timer goes off.

You'll be amazed at how much you can write in just 10 minutes. Some of it won't make sense, but that's fine. Don't throw away your writing, because next week I'll show you how to turn those "paper thoughts" into scrapbook journaling.

"Write down the thoughts of the moment. Those that come unsought for are commonly the most valuable. " ~Francis Bacon