The Journal Newsletter
Introduction
Welcome to The Journal Newsletter!
There is a new update of The Journal available this month. Get the details of what’s new, and what’s been fixed, in “The Journal News” section below.
Susan has given us our monthly set of writing exercises–plus a few extra–and this month’s tip is about using The Journal over a home network.
Thank you for supporting DavidRM Software’s The Journal!
Tips & Tricks
TIP: Sharing The Journal over a Network
The Journal can access an entry database, or Journal Volume, across a network. This can be useful, as an example, if you want to install The Journal on two computers on your home network and use the same Journal Volume from both computers.
NOTE: This tip assumes that you know how to setup your home network, and how to allow sharing of folders across that network with Windows.
- Install The Journal on the first computer.
- Run The Journal. In the New User Wizard, when it asks you for the location of your Journal Volume, specify a folder that has been “shared”, or can be.
- Install The Journal on the second computer.
- Run The Journal. When asked for the location of the Journal Volume, point it to the shared Journal Volume folder on the first computer.
If you already have The Journal installed, you can add a network shared Journal Volume in much the same way.
- On the first computer, run The Journal. On the “Journal” menu, “Journal Volume” sub-menu, choose “Create New Journal Volume”. Again, specify a location for the Journal Volume that is, or can be, shared over the network.
- On the second computer, run The Journal. On the “Journal” menu, “Journal Volume” sub-menu, choose “Add Journal Volume”. Point it to the new network shared Journal Volume.
CAVEAT: If you expect to have multiple people accessing the same Journal Volume simultaneously, make sure they are using their own login and are updating only their own entries. Two or more users, all updating the same entry, will not have the desired result.
Writing Prompts
by Susan Michael
Free Writing Exercise – Write for 20 minutes, (without editing) in any style, describing one of your parents.
Poetry Exercise – On a slip of paper write a list of 15 “free association” words. Use the 15 words in a poem. Variation: Create and exchange a list with another person. Then use their list of words to write a poem.
Prose Exercise – Write a short story involving the sale of a car.
Journaling Exercise – Write about the people around you through out the week. Who is the most interesting person you know?
Memoir Prompt – Write a summary of your parents’ life thus far.
BONUS EXERCISES
Poetry Exercise – Write a poem using, “how to…”. For example, “how to write a poem”, “how to break my heart”,” how to distinguish a flower from a frog”.
Prose Exercise – Take the inverse of “regression”, or past lives, and write a story about “progression”, or future lives.
Journaling Exercise – If you had to leave the city you live in, what would you find hardest to leave behind? If you were to move to a new city, what would you do to connect with the community, or feel established in a new place.
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.