Keeping a Diary

Keeping a Diary

Photos by Midge Frazel, 2016

Diaries, by their very nature, are a personal and old way of keeping a narrative of life in a particular time period of life. Genealogists know the value of keeping a diary and many have diaries of ancestors and relatives in their bookcases. 

Diaries can be kept daily or whenever the writer feels the need to write. They are usually lined paper, with a sturdy cover and a ribbon for a bookmark. To keep them shut, a simple elastic band is set in the cover to keep the papers inside. The two photos above are diaries that I have in use. To the non diarist, they look the same, except for the color of the cover. I put an orange square over the place in the bottom diary that is for the date in the format month/day/year but you can see that there is plenty of room in the other one for adding that information as the header is wider. You write on a page until you run out of room and start another page.

Diaries are meant to be carried around in a bag, pocket or briefcase. They are freeform and adaptable. In the past, they were predated and were a Christmas stocking stuffer, along with a new pen, to encourage children to observe and write. Adults enjoyed the peace and quiet of children writing in a diary or journal while the adults were occupied with other tasks.

My childhood diary had a lock and key. It keep prying eyes out. 

Blogs are today's diaries. They can be public or private just like their paper counterpart. Many people sketch or draw diagrams, keep records of family events and use them to plan for the future. Facebook and Twitter, and other social media, are a combination of diary and journal. They are for public sharing or thoughts, events and ideas.

Many people use a diary, a journal and a planner together to manage their life.