The Journal Newsletter
Introduction
Happy New Year!
January tends to be an introspective time of year. Like many of you, I have spent some time recently reviewing past goals and setting new goals. An exercise that I found useful, and would like to suggest, is to take your goals from 2003 and write a report about the year. What did you accomplish? Was it a planned goal or an inspiration/opportunity that came up during the year? What didn’t you accomplish, or maybe weren’t able to accomplish? Finally, how does your performance in 2003 affect your goals for 2004?
Susan takes a break from cropping photos of the kids to give us a new set of writing exercises, and our tip this month describes how to use the new Post To Blog feature of The Journal.
Have a great New Year, everyone!
Tips & Tricks
TIP: Using the Post to Blog
The Journal 3 Build #57 introduced a new feature: Post to Blog. A “blog” is a Web log, or online diary. Blogs are used by all sorts of people for all sorts of things. From simple daily chronicles, to opinions about books and movies, to keeping friends and family abreast of what’s happening in your life.
The Journal’s blog support gives you the ability to post entries or selected portions of entries to your blog(s)–without sacrificing privacy and security. You choose what entries and information are posted to your blog, and keep sensitive and/or private information inside The Journal.
Here are the steps for using a blog with The Journal:
- Create your Blog AccountFirst, you will need a blog account to post to. Many blog hosts, like LiveJournal (www.livejournal.com) and Blogger (www.blogger.com), provide free accounts. You just have to sign up for one.
- Create a Blog Profile in The JournalNext, you need to create a blog profile so The Journal knows how to post to your blog.
Click on the Tools menu, bring up the Post to Blog sub-menu, and choose Blog Profiles…
On the Blog Profiles form, click on Create New Blog Profile and enter the necessary information:
- Blog Tool (example: LiveJournal)
- Alias/User Name (example: DavidRM)
- And so on.
In most cases, you can leave the rest of the blog profile settings as they are.
- Make an Entry in The JournalBring up a blank entry and type up the text you want to post to your blog, just like you were making a normal entry in The Journal.
- Post the Entry to your BlogSelect the text you want to post to your blog and right-click on it to bring up the editor’s context menu. Open the Post to Blog sub-menu and select the blog profile to use.
You will be prompted for your password, and then the selected text will be posted to your blog.
That’s all there is to it!
Blogs Supported
- Blogger & Blogger Pro (www.blogger.com)
- CafeLog (www.cafelog.com)
- LiveJournal (www.livejournal.com)
- MovableType (www.movabletype.org)
- TypePad (www.typepad.com)
- Custom: Blogger (blogs that support the Blogger API)
- Custom: LiveJournal (blogs that use the LiveJournal API/source code)
- Custom: MetaWeblog (blogs that support the MetaWeblog API)
- Custom: MovableType (blogs that support the MovableType API)
Support for more blogs will be added as users request them. So if you don’t see your favorite, check “Setting Up a Custom Blog” in the online help or contact DavidRM Software (support@davidrm.com).
Writing Prompts
by Susan Michael
Free Writing Exercise – Write for 20 minutes, (without editing) in any style using:
1. “My last memory of…”
2. “The East India Company…”
Consider writing something surreal.
Poetry Exercise – 1. Write a poem that repeats a selected word in each line. Consider using foreign translations of the word. (cat, gato, catze).
2. Write a poem with a seasonal theme.
3. Write a poem about seasonings. For example, “Salt and Saffron”.
Prose Exercise – 1. Write a list of five first and last names. Select one of the names and write about the character.
2. Write a short story using, “Foolproof plans for…”
Journaling Exercise – 1. Write down notes about the people and setting of an actual shop, bookstore, or while in transit from one place to another. Note how people are dressed and their demeanor.
2. Extract an overall tone from the experience to characterize the location. Write a few paragraphs based on your observation.
Memoir Prompt – Did you grow up with pets? Write about a specific memory.
About the author: Susan Michael currently facilitates the Tulsa Writers Cafe for the Arts & Humanities Council in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Ms. Michael has also led writing & creativity workshops for children, teenagers, and adults.
Submission Information
If you would like to contribute to the “How I Use The Journal”, “Writing Exercises”, or “Tips & Tricks” sections, or would like to submit an article about journaling, writing, or another The Journal-related topic, we would love to hear from you.
Submissions for the newsletter should be sent to: support@davidrm.com
If you are submitting for a particular section, please indicate which one. Try to limit your submissions to 500-1000 words. Submissions may be edited for length and content.
If you prefer to remain anonymous, please state this in the email. Otherwise your name (but not your email) will be used in the article heading.
As always, if you have any suggestions for, or bug reports about, The Journal, please feel free to email them. Both are always welcome.