If you’ve taken my classes, you know that I’m a big fan of approaching essays on a physical page first, not in the computer. There’s plenty of research about the power of the pen. Studies show that the physical movements required for writing tap into areas of the brain that you can’t access with word processing.

In fact, I encourage students to write longhand in a journal for a few days in a row on the same topic to unearth as many thoughts, memories, emotions, and specific details as possible.

Yet, over the past few months I have gone 180 degrees in the other direction and started an electronic journal — not by design, but out of necessity. I have been short on time and high on ideas and the only way to really capture my thoughts, feelings, and ideas was to be more flexible with my process.

Since I was spending a lot of time on the road, I started by dictating sentences and notes into my phone. Over time, that evolved. I realized that I formulated my most poetic lines and story ideas when I was in conversation with a friend. Usually on a walk. So I began dictating into my phone during morning walks with my dog.

For what it’s worth, I am dictating this newsletter now while I’m getting my kids ready for the day. True, “writing” this way doesn’t allow me to access the same intensity of emotion. But I’ve found that I can add that in when I revisit the draft. And instead of limiting my ability to write longhand for several days in a row on the same topic, having a digital footprint seems to kick off more thoughtful physical journaling when time permits, late in the day — or even the following week.

The Perks of a Digital Journal

There are perks to keeping a digital journal that I’d never considered (until now). The most obvious, of course, is accessibility. Unlike a physical journal that you have to carry with you, a digital journal is always at your fingertips, assuming you have a smart phone.

Digital journals also allow for a more robust memory-keeping experience. You can include photos in your journals, audio clips, and videos. Myriad journaling apps not only allow you to include these “rich” extras, but they also enable you to organize your entries by using tags and taking advantage of search features.

For writers, digital journals are a boon since you can also edit entries later — and copy and paste them into a traditional word document if you decide to transform one of your entries into an essay.

I don’t think electronic journaling will ever be my preferred format, but it allows me to capture ideas and stories that might otherwise languish. Without realizing it, I’ve been keeping a digital journal for each of my boys, complete with pictures, special memories, and notes about what keeps me up at night. It’s like a scrapbook, without the physical book, but I digress.

Here are a few tips I’ve learned during my digital journaling foray:

  • Make it conversational. “Writing” in a digital journal allows you to speak more freely than you might on the physical page. If you’re dictating, you don’t have to worry about your thoughts coming faster than you can capture them by hand. Instead, just talk into your journal app as you would to your bestie. You’d be surprised how brilliant you sound when you can escape the formality of a physical page.
  • Be careful with dictation. Voice to text is a great tool, particularly when your hands are occupied with kids, meal prep, laundry, etc., but it is hardly fool proof. On more than one occasion, I wasn’t able to decode my electronic notes because of inaccurate dictation.
  • Come up with a personal shorthand. If all you have is a few seconds idling at a stoplight, dictate the key images or words that will best jog your memory later. So if the “aha” moment you want to preserve was about the time your aunt helped you plant an herb garden, and there’s some lightning bolt metaphor coming to you about the direction of the sun and growth, rather than trying to capture all the connections your neurons are making in that moment, record your Aunt’s name, a sensory detail or two, and a phrase about what it meant.
WRITING PROMPT

Write about a time when your viewpoint shifted 180 degrees in the opposite direction. Maybe you used to be pro-life but shifted to pro-choice? Or maybe you didn’t believe in taking drugs but then had a transcendent experience with psychedelics? What did you learn about yourself? How did changing your perspective inform your life? What would you say to your younger self about the previously held views?
PRO ADVICE
“One of the most important aspects of beginning a journal, physical or digital, is that you build a habit to regularly write in it. The easiest way to form a good habit is to write in your journal at the same time in the same place, each and every day.

Thanks to built-in notifications from most digital journaling apps, it’s easy to set up alerts that remind you when you need to write in your journal. You can even track your word count and set yourself a target to reach with each entry.” – Daniel Helyer

Want more intel from Helyer about the ins and outs of digital journaling? Check out his 101-digital journaling guide for newbies.