(Paperback - Revised Edition 2004)
A Classic Guide To Journal Writing, Tristine Rainer's The New Diary takes readers beyond the rigid calendar diary they may have kept as a child or travelogues of family vacations. A blueprint for efficient, productive and creative diary writing, it is a tool for tapping the full power of your inner resources. With more than 100,000 copies in print, The New Diary is as much for the novice journal-keeper as it is for those who have kept diaries their whole lives. It does not tell you the "right" way to keep a diary; rather, it offers numerous possibilities for using the diary to achieve your own purposes, such as:
- Clarifying your goals
- Focusing inner energies
- Freeing inhibitions and releasing your imagination
- Using a workbook to explore dream
- Writing about your life: past, present, and future
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June 05, 2003: I attribute much of my success as a writer to my journaling, and this book is what inspired me to USE my journal as something more than a daily list of the day's happenings. After having read the book, I like to write a copy of her Basic Diary Devices. They come in two groups: The Four Natural Modes of Expression (catharsis, description, free-intuitive writing and reflection) and Seven Special Techniques (portrait, map of consciousness, guided imagery, altered point of view, unsent letter and dialogue). And that's only the first 100 pages! Although written in the late 1970s, this book doesn't feel outdated. She references the pop psych of the time, but it's nothing that isn't easily overlooked.
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March 23, 2001: Reading through this book really helps you find a direction in your diary writing. It gives creative tips to help you open up your creativity and also how to be more honest with yourself naturally. It really helped me focus on who I really was. I recommend it for anyone who's having trouble keeping a steady journal, or even those that keep a steady one!