The Importance Of Writing In A Notebook By Joan Didion

Writing in a notebook can be important for reassurance or a reflection on one’s self. That can be hard for some people. Yet, putting the effort into writing in a notebook can be challenging. One author that represents this idea is Joan Didion. Didion wrote a book called “On Keeping a Notebook” which depicts what she does, sees, or thinks and she writes about it in her notebook. She also reflects on her past self, who she used to be, who she is now and how the things she writes in her notebook felt to her. In order to be true to ourselves, we must recognize who we used to be and how we reached who we are now.

As stated earlier, Didion tells readers that when keeping a notebook we have to be accepting of who we were even if we do not like it.

I, for one, am currently going through one. Buying a notebook is easy, but making the effort to write in one everyday is not. Didion also expressed that she had has struggled writing in her notebook. She states “At no point have I ever been able successfully to keep a diary; my approach to daily life ranges from the grossly negligent to the merely absent, and on these few occasions when I have tried dutifully to record a day’s events, boredom has so overcome me that the results are mysterious at best”(76). I see that I am not the only one that has reached this problem numerous times. My first time owning a notebook was when I was in middle school. I wrote it in at least once a day. I tried very hard to, but then I lost the notebook for a while. I eventually found the notebook and threw it out because I did not like what I had written. I wanted to not remember the middle school me and forget about her and my mindset because life was troublesome for me at that time. Moving along to the end of senior year in high school and I decide to buy a new notebook. I was excited about it, writing in it, detailing my life. After the first two weeks, the thirteen year old me visited me and I lost all types of interest to write in my notebook. I went from writing in it everyday to writing it in once every three weeks. It was quite dreadful. That was when I accepted the fact that I cannot run from who I

Everyone has a former self or selves that they may or may not want be aware of. I would like to use myself as an example. We will begin with eight year-old me. At this stage, I was a small, annoying, shy but rambunctious child from Long Island. Thankfully, I was aware of my annoyance at that time. I was aware of my behavior at eight years old. That horrified me. I got in touch with my eight year old self by remembering my childhood and where I came from. I would ask family members about me and how I was. Most of the time I did not like the answers I would receive but I cannot change the past and how I was. Consequently, I decided that my childhood is my childhood and I have to accept it because it is my past and where I am from and so that is how I kept in touch with eight year old Leah. Now onto thirteen year old me who was a complete naive trainwreck. I gave a little description earlier about thirteen year old me and her experience with keeping a notebook. Middle school is also a time where puberty begins and everyone knows that is the most challenging stage for a young child. Therefore not only was I naive, I was also an emotional rollercoaster. From then, I wanted no part in that chapter of my life. I wanted it to be closed. I got back in touch with thirteen year old Leah when the notebook incident occurred a few months ago. From that point on I was aware of who I was and I can say that I am in touch with that person, but I know I will