Why I Decided To Start A Daydream Journal...

I'm what they call a "late bloomer". I probably read maybe a dozen books between age 10 and age 25, but I lived in my head used to daydream a lot, making up story-lines for shows I watched and stuff like that. Then someone told me I was a writer...

But I'm not a creative person. Even though I sing and play guitar and write novels...I know, right? Go figure. 

Anyway, I got some notebooks last week. I LOVE blank notebooks. They're so nice and crisp and beautiful and...ahem. Since I needed something to justify the purchase, I got the idea of starting a daydream journal with the thought that if I can clear out my head, then more stuff will filter up from the depths of my subconscious. 

Can't hurt, right?

The only downside is the idea of free writing. What if I get it wrong? If I'm not doing it right, how will I know?? Because while being creative should probably look something like this:

 My brain is happier when things look like this:

Okay, not blank more like orderly. Neat. Precise. 

Yes, I'm one of those people...you know, the ones who outline. Shh...don't tell anyone. It'll be our secret.

Notes, files (I use OneNote, which satisfies my need for everything to be in order and I love it), charts, flowcharts. I'm excited for my next novel, to do a STORYBOARD. And when I rewrite, I use a lot of 3x5 cards. I like when they're blank and all in a stack.

But in the meantime I'm doing this:

Exercising parts of my brain that don't like to be tapped into, clearing out all the fuss and noise so that new fuss and noise can rise up. Who knows? Maybe I'll spark something and ideas will pour forth like a font of chocolate. (What? It's my metaphor.)

I'm also writing in FIRST PERSON. Which if you were in my crit group, would make you clutch your stomach muscles for relief as you roared in laughter. (Quit it.) But I decided it was my brain, and writing that way was probably the quickest shortcut to what my daydream me was feeling, and I didn't have to fuss with "showing". Otherwise, you know, I'd be doing it wrong and all.

Next time I'll be talking about HOW you do a daydream journal. In case you need a checklist, like me. 

So check back soon and I'll let you know how it's going. 

How about you, do you journal? Have you found it helped your writing to flow easier?

I'd love to know.

Lisa Phillips is a wife, the mom of a first grader ballerina princess and a 2yo future MMA fighter. Her first novel DOUBLE AGENT will be released from Harlequin's Love Inspired Suspense in 2014. Sign up for the newsletter at the top of this page, or go to www.authorlisaphillips.com