Your journaling style on los

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breakingbrie

New member
I am never good at journaling. So I mostly just leave it out, but I love journaling on los, and later on when the books get passed on to my girls, I want them to have some stories/letters/random journaling on the los - to tell the story about the photos they may not remember, or to tell them how I feel.

I know there's no wrong way to journal, but how do you girls do it? Do you write like you're talking to your kids, or whoever your lo is about, do you just tell the story and use their names in it like you're talking to a random person? I've done both ways, and it makes me feel unorganized... :unsure: Not sure why, but then I end up deleting most of my journaling on los. It seems odd that they will end up having scrapbooks about our family and themselves and be reading about themselves... On los I make for me that are about me, of course I write "I" feel this, or "I" did this... I wouldn't want to be reading "Brie" did this.

Is it weird to have some random stories, and some that are particularly 'addressed' to them - and some that are particularly to them from me? How do you girls do it, and do some of you do both?
 
I do all of the above, sometimes it's a note to them, sometimes it's the story in 3rd person... I don't think that they're going to look at my pages one day and care that they're done differently, but just that I took the time to write about it, kwim?
 
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I do it different ways depending on the layout. Sometimes I write as if I'm writing the person the page is about. Sometimes I just describe the event or the moment. For me it's more a matter of the emotion that goes along with the story. If it's more personal, I write it from a more personal viewpoint.

The one thing I have to be careful about is that I sometimes find myself writing as if the people viewing my layouts in online galleries are the audience. I catch myself explaining things in too much detail, trying to give backstory that really isn't relevant for people who are part of my family. I don't know if that makes sense, but the point is to just remember who you are scrapping for. It's for you, your family, and your posterity. So, write with them in mind.
 
Originally I wrote a novel, but I decided to delete it and come up with this...

It's most important what is right for YOU. Try several styles for journalling (second person, third person, go through galleries and think about what kind of journalling you like and then have a try at it) and see how they feel to you. And then decide. You don't have to stick to one style, anyway. Change is refreshing.

I could truly write a novel on journalling and my preferences, but that's not really important, because your pages are yours. ;-)
 
Thanks for the input girls! I guess it does make sense to journal the particular lo based on that particular lo... Some I make just for me, some are specifically for the girls, and some are just to get the story down... I think I just need to loosen up on my 'everything needs to fit, match and be perfect' approach! lol, I'm seriously too uptight about it, and looking through my los just makes me feel scatterbrained to read through the different styles. The point is I want to journal more on my los, and yea, if it gets the story told or thoughts put down, the point of view doesn't matter :)

Thinking about it, I wonder if I tried a letter style more often, if that might make it feel right to me... kind of a "Caitlyn, journaljournaljournal. from, mom" Hmm, I think you girls are all right! I'll just keep at it, because I want to incorporate journaling more and more - there are some pics that stand for themselves, but I'd like the girls to have those other stories, feelings and thoughts down. Thanks for helping my put my mind at ease about it!
 
Brie, don't worry about it! Go with the flow. What's important is to put those stories down, it doesn't matter in what style it's written. I have pages both in English and in Slovak and I don't care. Perfectionism is a road to hell - I know what I'm talking about. Good luck, and have fun at journalling. :-)
 
I've just remembered - there was a 5-point challenge last month for journalling. It had a list of about 25 ideas. I think the point was to show us that you really don't have to stick to one thing, that we should try different things. Actually lots of those journalling ideas were fun (like using dialogues and such).
 
I agree that you just do what feels right to you - no one is going to read it 75 years from now and say, "That sounds weird!" They're going to be more into the fact that there is a record of their relatives so many years later. They'll want to read about the photos and will laugh or cry over them, but I seriously doubt they'll judge them :)

For me journaling is very important - I've always been the "family historian" and the one who cared about the old photos and our roots. Once in a while I don't journal but I always put the date on a layout - it amazes me sometimes when I look through different galleries at how many people don't even put a date on... I know my memory won't be working that well 30 years from now and I'd never be able to remember what year something was :p
 
adrianka said:
I've just remembered - there was a 5-point challenge last month for journalling. It had a list of about 25 ideas. I think the point was to show us that you really don't have to stick to one thing, that we should try different things. Actually lots of those journalling ideas were fun (like using dialogues and such).
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Thanks for the info, I'm going to have to check that out! I haven't gotten back into the challenges yet, so I didn't see that.

Yea, Marie, I know what you mean about dating los. There were some I didn't, and wish I had, because I already can't remember when some were taken. I always wanted to know how old I was looking back at old pics from when I was little, and lots my mom can't remember how old we were, or where we lived at the time, so I like to put that in there!
 
I usually use second person (you) when I journal as if I'm speaking to my DD or SS. I often refer to myself as 'Mama' or 'LeeAndra' in this tense, too (vs. 'I').

If it is a page abt a lot of people or a big event, I will journal in third person.

I just can't deal with trying to coordinate everything to match, kwim? I scrap too much for that! I have 1000s of pages since I started 8 years ago, and if I had to worry abt matching two page spreads, tenses, etc. I'd lose my mind!
 
It depends on the project... but 99% of the time it's in second person... I scrap for my son, it's his story that I am capturing... if it's a general layout on a vacation or something, then I will do third. :) Whatever you like to do - but the most important thing is getting those stories down! ;)
 
I kind of mix mine up! If it's just one kid and I'm scrapping about something they did (school project, award, activity) I usually scrap and use their name....like I'm scrapping for anyone to read. I I'm scrapping a page about one kid and it's about them (their personality, their actions, their attitude) then I scrap it to them and I usually don't use name I use: you.

If it's a group shot and I'm scrapping about something they/we did (holiday, vacation activity) I usually scrap and use names ....like I'm scrapping for anyone to read. It's a group shot and it's about them/us (their personalities, their actions, their attitudes) then I scrap it to them and I usually don't use name I use: you/your.

I wanted to add that yes I'm scrapping for my kids, that is my short term goal....but ultimately...in 30 or 40 or even 50 years I have no idea who is going to look at these pages. So that's why I like to scrap some in the 3rd person....if I never put the name on the page then how will future generations ever know who that is in the photo!! :D :D
 
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I use all of the above methods. 2nd person is my favourite when doing LO's on my daughter and first person for BOM pages. But I will switch it up journal in the 3rd person too. I also love the letter format.

Like Adriana, I could do a dissertation Journaling... but I'll spare you... ;)
 
I don't have kids, but I generally write as if a third person were viewing my layouts--not necessarily me or the subject. Sometimes I journal to my subject, sometimes I journal to myself. :)
 
breakingbrie said:
I am never good at journaling. So I mostly just leave it out, but I love journaling on los, and later on when the books get passed on to my girls, I want them to have some stories/letters/random journaling on the los - to tell the story about the photos they may not remember, or to tell them how I feel.

I know there's no wrong way to journal, but how do you girls do it? Do you write like you're talking to your kids, or whoever your lo is about, do you just tell the story and use their names in it like you're talking to a random person? I've done both ways, and it makes me feel unorganized... :unsure: Not sure why, but then I end up deleting most of my journaling on los. It seems odd that they will end up having scrapbooks about our family and themselves and be reading about themselves... On los I make for me that are about me, of course I write "I" feel this, or "I" did this... I wouldn't want to be reading "Brie" did this.

Is it weird to have some random stories, and some that are particularly 'addressed' to them - and some that are particularly to them from me? How do you girls do it, and do some of you do both?
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Brie, I struggle with this too and because of that, I hate journaling. I can never think of the "right" way to word my thoughts and as a result, I throw on the date and that's it. I feel like I'm ripping them off, I'm robbing them of the story.
I've made it my personal challenge this year, to get that story on that page, no matter how it sounds or how it comes out. Sometimes it's just rambling, but that's me. That's how I am and I guess it's important for that to be on the page and that IS part of the story. Does that make sense?
 
I do whatever feels right for the layout and my mood at the time. However, I rarely journal in second person. It's almost always 1st or 3rd.
 
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Most of my pages are as if I'm speaking to the kids. (Ben, it was so funny when you....) But if I'm telling a story that involves all 3 of them or a large group, I usually do it in the 3rd person to make it clearer for a reader. I do some of everything, though. I have some pages that are all quotes from the kids, other pages that are written as if they're a fairy tale, etc.
 
I just write it like i am telling a story, we went here today, keira did this, coop did that. I love doing this. Mine are boring for the most part, i hate reading them back, but i am sure the kids will appreciate it.
 
OK, so I tell what I do - I have dabbed into writing during my life, and I love to write, so I'm always telling a story to an invisible public. So it's 3rd person, always, for me. I'm always aiming at a bit of "above things" style, but that's because that's what I love to read and what I love to write. As a narrator, I'm talking in 1st person of course, but I mention others in 3rd.
 
I always do my journaling as notes to my kids. It is my gift to them so I want them to know the story of what is going on and my feelings on that day or favorite part. It is my love letter to them. :)
 
You girls make me smile! I was really starting to feel like I was weird journaling all different ways... and once I started worrying about it, I was entertaining thoughts of editing all the los I've ever done -:blink: and THAT would have totally made me crazy!! I'm so glad I'm not the only one who does it different ways!
 
I generally write like I'm having a conversation with someone, either my girls who are the subject of the page or a mystery third person I'm telling a story to through the page. I generally don't stress too much about it. The important thing is to get the story down!
 
mariewilcox said:
I agree that you just do what feels right to you - no one is going to read it 75 years from now and say, "That sounds weird!" They're going to be more into the fact that there is a record of their relatives so many years later. They'll want to read about the photos and will laugh or cry over them, but I seriously doubt they'll judge them :)

For me journaling is very important - I've always been the "family historian" and the one who cared about the old photos and our roots. Once in a while I don't journal but I always put the date on a layout - it amazes me sometimes when I look through different galleries at how many people don't even put a date on... I know my memory won't be working that well 30 years from now and I'd never be able to remember what year something was :p
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This is me too!!! I'm mental about putting dates on everything, and telling the story for future generations is a major part of why I scrap .. that being said, I dont journal on every single lo, but I do always put a date, and usually names of who is on the layout too. My memory is like a sieve, so past and more recent memories need to be recorded as I remember. When I'm older, Im sure my kids will say 'hey, mum, when was blah blah blah' and I'll be like 'I cant remember, go look at your scrapbooks' LOL :p
 
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