Diaries, like personal growth, are forever a work in progress

Documenting the great and small moments in your every day life serves many purposes, even — perhaps especially — when it’s not for publication, writes Karl Whitney
Diaries, like personal growth, are forever a work in progress

I come across a note I took in early January, just after I had been walking late at night on a thin layer of snow that crunched beneath my feet. 

I’VE COME to believe that one of the most valuable aspects of writing is that you can record what was it like to be alive at a certain time and in a certain place. If it all ends tomorrow, at least there’ll be notes.

The first draft of my observations I keep in a notetaking app on my phone, alongside other assorted jottings that most often include my grocery list: There, accounts of half-remembered dreams mingle with personal exhortations to buy coffee beans and toilet roll.

You have reached your article limit. Already a subscriber? Sign in

Unlimited access starts here.

Try from only €0.25 a day.

Cancel anytime

BOOKS & MORE

Check out our Books Hub where you will find the latest news, reviews, features, opinions and analysis on all things books from the Irish Examiner's team of specialist writers, columnists and contributors.

More in this section

Scene & Heard

Newsletter

From music and film to books and visual art, explore the best of culture in Munster and beyond. Selected by our Arts Editor and delivered weekly.

Cookie Policy Privacy Policy Brand Safety FAQ Help Contact Us Terms and Conditions

© Examiner Echo Group Limited