Journaling Tips

While a picture is worth a thousand words, there are some things a photo just can’t say. That’s where journaling comes into play. Journaling tells the story behind your picture(s). Here are ten simple tips to capture the words behind the photos.

1. Start with documenting the simple facts – name, date and place. Your children and grandchildren will thank you! How many times have you looked at a picture from your ancestors and asked “Who is this?” or “What year was this?” Jot down these facts and you have the basics of journaling.
   
   
2. Tell the story behind the photo. Imagine you were sitting down showing the picture to a friend. What would you tell them about it? Adding the story behind the photo allows your book to tell the story itself. Let’s face it, we won’t always be around to tell the story.
   
   
3. Capture the emotion. Try not to keep your story to just the facts. Include how you felt at the moment in order to bring your story to life.
   
   
4. Focus on your senses. You can see the photos. So, in your words talk about how the weather felt or how the food tasted or smelled.
   
   
5. Start a notebook to write down all those cute things your kids say or do. If it’s small enough, you can carry it in your purse and always have it ready at-hand. As much as you’d like to think you’ll remember, most of those precious moments will be forgotten if not documented.
   
   
6. Create a list. When I have a hard time writing a story, I resort to developing a list. For example, “Things I love about you”, “Your favorite things”, “Our Saturday Activities”, “My Santa List”, etc.
   
   
7. Include your favorite quotes or poems. When in doubt of your own words, use someone else’s! Just be sure to give credit where credit is due.
   
   
8. Share a recipe. Especially for your holiday and/or event photos. This is a great way to capture your favorite family recipe, but it also brings to life those tastes and smells we talked about earlier.
   
   
9. Hand someone else the pen (or keyboard!). Hearing from another viewpoint adds interest and depth to your story. One idea is to have each of your children write a few sentences about the day. You’ll see how the details transform into a rich story.
   
   
10. Have fun! Don’t stress over your grammar or style. Your voice is what’s important to the story and will be cherished for generations. Live life. Capture Moments. Forever!