Rating: 
Summary: Excellent, "must have" writing resource
Review: "Journal to the Self" is a wonderful smorgasbord of ideas for personal journal writing and for writing in general. Taking proven journaling techniques from a myriad of resources and condensing them into a single tome, Kathleen Adams effectively gives her readers the opportunity to explore different facets of journal writing.Whether you have fifteen minutes or five hours, Kathleen Adams has an approach for you. From "Topics du Jour" to Dr. Ira Progroff's Steppingstones, both veteran journal keepers looking for clever methods of journaling and novices trying to find interesting ways to get going will find this book invaluable. Even if you aren't a journal keeper now, this book has a wealth of information to jumpstart your writing and will convince you to start journaling! As a veteran journal keeper, I have enjoyed a better understanding of myself and found a greater depth of writing outside of my journal using the different prompts and exercises in this book. Although the perspective is written primarily from a self-help journal "therapy" point of view, I highly recommend it as an excellent, "must have" resource for any writer's personal library.
Rating:
Summary: Journal to the Self
Review: "Journal to the Self" is a wonderful smorgasbord of ideas for personal journal writing and for writing in general. Taking proven journaling techniques from a myriad of resources and condensing them into a single tome, Kathleen Adams effectively gives her readers the opportunity to explore different facets of journal writing. Whether you have fifteen minutes or five hours, Kathleen Adams has an approach for you. From "Topics du Jour" to Dr. Ira Progroff's Steppingstones, both veteran journal keepers looking for clever methods of journaling and novices trying to find interesting ways to get going will find this book invaluable. Even if you aren't a journal keeper now, this book has a wealth of information to jumpstart your writing and will convince you to start journaling! As a veteran journal keeper, I have enjoyed a better understanding of myself and found a greater depth of writing outside of my journal using the different prompts and exercises in this book. Although the perspective is written primarily from a self-help journal "therapy" point of view, I highly recommend it as an excellent, "must have" resource for any writer's personal library.
Rating:
Summary: A wonderful Journaling Tool!
Review: Anyone who has ever kept a journal for more than two days eventually is confronted with this awful question when staring at a blank page: Now what? Kathleen Adams responds to this question like a helpful friend, sharing all kinds of tips and tricks in a non-directive and cheerful tone. She covers everything from "unsent letters" to marathon writing sessions, from "lists of 100" (her own invention) to character sketches a la Anais Nin. This is a reference that the serious journaler will use again and again to renew their journaling. There aren't many used copies of this book for sale on this site. There's a reason for that.
Rating:
Summary: One of the Best Books on Journaling I've Ever Read
Review: I bought this book years ago when it was first published. It is chock full of useful writing suggestions that a journaler can turn to for inspiration when writer's block inevitably strikes.
Rating:
Summary: One of the Best Books on Journaling I've Ever Read
Review: I bought this book years ago when it was first published. It is chock full of useful writing suggestions that a journaler can turn to for inspiration when writer's block inevitably strikes.
Rating:
Summary: Wonderful - Fresh Ideas!
Review: I've read an awful lot of books about journal writing. This is among my favorites. Some of the ideas and perspectives she offers are completely new and excellently expressed. I even came across techniques I had not yet been aware of. Thanks for an excellent book Kathleen!
Rating:
Summary: Perfect for beginning journalers
Review: In Journal to the Self, Kay Adams discusses many different ways to write in your journal, including how to get started, and includes examples of each technique. When I teach journaling workshops, I always recommend this book to my students as easy to read, easy to use, and an excellent resource to turn to again and again.
Rating:
Summary: Be your own therapist.
Review: Some people seem to have the natural ability to spill their thoughts onto paper without feeling self-conscious. Others, like me, need a little direction when putting pen to paper, and this is where JOURNAL TO THE SELF comes in. The book presents many ways to express yourself in a journal including: character sketches, captured moments, dialogue, lists, unsent letters, and stream of consciousness among others. Using these methods, you will work through problems and gain greater self-awareness as well as purge yourself of any problems in your life that you feel you can't talk to anyone about. For those who think they can't fit journaling into their day, all of the exercises in the book can be done in as little as 15 minutes a day or expanded into writing sessions as long as you need them to be. Journaling is truly one of the best and least expensive ways to get to know yourself better, and maybe solve a few problems in the process.
Rating:
Summary: Be your own therapist.
Review: Some people seem to have the natural ability to spill their thoughts onto paper without feeling self-conscious. Others, like me, need a little direction when putting pen to paper, and this is where JOURNAL TO THE SELF comes in. The book presents many ways to express yourself in a journal including: character sketches, captured moments, dialogue, lists, unsent letters, and stream of consciousness among others. Using these methods, you will work through problems and gain greater self-awareness as well as purge yourself of any problems in your life that you feel you can't talk to anyone about. For those who think they can't fit journaling into their day, all of the exercises in the book can be done in as little as 15 minutes a day or expanded into writing sessions as long as you need them to be. Journaling is truly one of the best and least expensive ways to get to know yourself better, and maybe solve a few problems in the process.
Rating:
Summary: The 79-cent therapist
Review: That is what the author calls her journal, the 79-cent therapist. Nowdays, when even those tiny 3x2 memo notebooks cost nearly a full dollar, and when a regular notepad will go for almost three, calculate the cost of therapy: the price of this book + shipping + some paper & pencil = ...? Compare to $150 per hour at the local shrink.
This book helped me overcome the misery of a sad breakup. I was in college. After the heart-break, I spent my free hours between classes hiding in a library cubicle, crying. Then I found the book by mistake at the local bookstore, and added a journaling time to the crying and hiding. Using just a few of the techniques in the book, it only took me a couple of months to get over the guy who broke my heart. My self esteem improved. I recommend this book as a Self-Help tool. I am into writing anyway, but I'm sure that the tricks will work even if you're only a beginner or can't even spell well.
Sometimes you feel like you can't tell anyone what's going on. When no one else will listen, paper will. Paper can handle even the craziest thoughts. I recommend this book to you.
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