Expressive Journaling

I'm in a writing mood today, so we're going to talk about journaling. In my opinion, it's the most important part of your scrapbook. Yes, it's fun to look back at old pictures, but without the written words describing the picture, the memories start to fade and meaningful moments are forgotten.

We've all heard of the five W's. Who? What? Where? When? Why? Keeping these five questions in mind while journaling will help what you write to be complete. Consider the following:

-Who was there?
-What were they doing?
-When was it?
-Where were they?
-Why were they there?

It's important to record all the details of an event, not just the names of the people involved and the date it took place. While details are very important, don't include flowery words and phrases. Talk as though the person looking through your scrapbook is sitting right next to you while you tell them the stories in the pictures.

If you had just celebrated your child's first birthday, and a friend asked you how it went. Would you answer January 20, 1998--Our House? I doubt it. You'd talk about her excitement when she saw the pile of wrapped presents, how she stuck her hand in the cake, the guests who were invited, and all the fun she had. It's helpful to keep this type of thing in mind as you are taking photographs. Take pictures of things that will later provide details of a story.

When you're journaling be sure to add in details you can't see in the picture. For example, if you were scrapbooking Christmas photos, you might want to include something about your favorite gift, the smell of the pine tree or ham cooking, how the tree shimmered, what time you got up, and the excitement and joy on the children's faces.

It's important to journal while the events are still fresh in your mind. I have a journaling folder which contains thoughts and ideas I will eventually get around to scrapbooking. You don't have to wait until you create the page to create the journaling.

As you journal, keep in mind the pages may be read by people many years from now. Help them feel like there were there. Talk about the important things such as how much you cared for your loved ones. Your words, no matter what you think of them now, will be treasured by generations to come.

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