Keeping a journal
C-24
A journal is a collection of informal, exploratory, and sometimes experimental writing. In a journal, often meant for your eyes only, you can try out ideas and find out what interests you about a subject. In a journal, you might do any of the following:
- freewrite
- pose questions
- comment on an interesting idea from a class
- keep a list of questions that occur to you while reading and researching
- list ideas to draw on in future essays
- imagine a conversation between yourself and your readers
- stage an imaginary debate to understand opposing positions
You might keep your journal on your smartphone or laptop, using an app that lets you keep notes.