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Some days I open up this window of my life and have absolutely nothing to say. I’m a blank slate. I stare at the whiteness of the background, waiting for something to come and it doesn’t. Some would call this “writer’s block.” Perhaps it is.

There is always something to write about, however. Some writers I’ve learned from suggest that you just free-write about anything. Others recommend working on a different writing project. Still others recommend a walk or some other activity.

If you’re a fiction writer, you know that stories unfold. It is rare that you will write out something as complicated as a novel without taking breaks or working on different aspects of a plot. It is the same for any writing project. The work begins as an idea, translated to the page, then alters itself as the author refines the story and crystallizes the pictures to the page.

The dream journal is a writing project. It brings your dreams to the page. Unlike other writing projects, your dream journal or personal journal is “for your eyes only”. Subsequently, you just write in it. Grammar doesn’t matter, spelling doesn’t matter, nothing matters but getting the things in your head onto paper or a digital document.

The more you journal, the more you can get out of your head. You can settle things with yourself. You can iron out past mistakes, relationships that didn’t work, failures, successes. Whatever you bring to your journal is something you needed to get out of your head.

Journaling is a way to talk to future generations. When you’ve left this life, your journal will be left behind. Can you imagine what wisdom is embedded in those pages for future generations. Do you think Marcus Aurelius ever thought someone would publish his journals? What about Seneca, Epictetus, Virginia Wolfe?

Writing is your way to communicate. It is a way of making the imagination come alive and join our world. Have a great Saturday!

Until next time…

Dave