Why do you journal?

[enochs_fable]

Some people write to be read, or to vent, or to socialize, or any and all combinations of the above.

When you post on livejournal, why do you write? If you had to pick a central reason, even if it doesn't apply all the time, what would it be?

Comments

[verin_the_brown]

You mean specifically in LJ or wherever we may write?

[enochs_fable]

Oops. Yes. I'll amend.

[verin_the_brown]

Sorry to ask here, but I'm lazy. Enoch, can you still see my journal? Can you still see my pictures. My paid account expired and I'm not sure what that means.

[enochs_fable]

Yes, and yes!

[st_emma]

I write my LJ, at least, because I have the memory span of a fruit fly, and if something isn't recorded for posterity, I will most likely forget it sooner or later. When I write poetry, though, that's usually because if I don't get it out, it will swim around and around in my skull until I go completely insane. (Some would argue that I've already gone completely insane, but that's another issue entirely.)

Two main reasons:

[kickindancer]

venting and/or socializing with people who live far away.

A secondary, or tertiary reason (depending on how you interpret my first sentence) is to keep my friends up to date with what's going on in my life.

[going_not_gone]

To practice the craft of writing by trying to write something every day, and have it be interesting enough that someone will find it worth reading.

To examing and/or vent my emotions, both negative and positive.

To both share and preserve moments in my life that seem, to me, interesting or illuminating or simply amusing.

To have a social life even while sitting alone behind my desk.

Mostly, to communicate. To create and maintain connections with others, especially with people whose lives are not just like mine.

[qarylla]

Well, I currently maintain two journals.

I have my knitting journal, where I mostly write about knitting, other hobbies and crafts, and some of the more domestic things. I write more frequently there, because currently that is where more of my interests lie. I write because it helps me to feel more connected to a community that baffles a lot of my other friends, the people who go, "but you could buy that for less money."

I write in my LJ to vent, to think about things, let people know what is going on in my life and to share weird things (tm).

There is a definite overlap between the two journals, because I don't always go out of my way to post the more thoughtful ruminations here where more of my friends can read them. Sometimes I just post them out in knitting land because that is where I am at the time. The Knitting journal in a lot of ways feels more private, because most of the page views as far as I know are actually from me.