How Dracula is getting me into Journaling

I'm currently reading Dracula by Bram Stoker for bucket list goal number #235 A-Z Author Challenge, and from reading it, despite my laziness to pick up the book sometimes, I am actually very much enjoying it. I think the old English slows me down a little, but I'm getting better with it. So far, I'm on page 240, just over halfway into my copy of the book, and there are a few things I have learnt about journaling already. The first and main thing being a passage that truly opened my eyes to the idea and necessity of journaling. It got me started right away. It was a statement from Mina Murray where she said, in one of her letter to Miss Lucy Westenra,

"When I am with you I shall keep a diary... I don't mean one of those two-pages-to-the-week-with-Sunday-squeezed-in-a-corner diaries, but a sort of journal which I can write in whenever I feel inclined. I do not suppose there will be much of interest to other people, but it is not intended for them. I may show it to Jonathan someday if there is in it anything worth sharing, but it is really an exercise book. I shall try to do what I see lady journalists do: interviewing and writing descriptions and trying to remember conversations. I am told that, with a little practice, once can remember all that goes on or that one hears said during a day." - Mina Murray

This passage alone showed me the importance of journal keeping, as well as the simplicity of keeping one, and the ease of what one could put within its pages. Let me break this down a little, as well as point out some further points which resonated with me throughout the novel concerning journal keeping.

It's a great reminder of what has happened.

As great a memory as some of us might have, it is impossible to remember every single thing that has ever happened, especially the little things. For me, for example, I have a pretty amazing memory and tend to be able to recall a lot of information, memories, events and so forth. However, when it comes to needing to memorize things that I might otherwise forget, like the knowledge that I might need for an exam I find that writing it down allows me to remember the information a lot better. Therefore writing a journal helps me to recall things that have occurred during the day, and by doing so, I am training my brain to recall things which I would probably have forgotten later on. No matter how small or large the situation, conversation, event, or happening that you might scribble about in your little diary, there may be a time when that information could help you or another person. Which brings me to my next point.

It may help somebody.

There is an extremely important thing that occurs several times throughout the novel where people's diaries are used in order to acquire information as well as to align timelines and events. By the journals being shared amongst the group, it not only helped them all to understand far better the situation they were all in, and the things that were occurring and why they occurred, but it also aided in allowing important insight into the other persons honest feelings and perspective, which I think, is something we don't do enough of these days. There is one scene in particular where Mina begins to understand that the situation that is unfolding may require hers, and her husband's side of the story in order to help fix the vampire outbreak. And so, she makes a copy of the journal entries to share with the professional Van Helsing. Despite, the privacy, and safety in keeping one's perspective and opinion to one's self, and despite the fear of being judged or mocked, Mina understood that sharing her position would, hopefully, be of good use. And she was right. By sharing her diary, and her husbands, with Van Helsing, he was able to understand the gravity of the situation and Mina was able to learn that her husband was not insane and that they were in fact, in mortal danger.

Now, I'm not saying that we should go around sharing out journals, our private matters or our honest private thoughts with total strangers, but what I am suggesting is that, in certain situations, some people may find comfort in knowing that they are not alone, or in gaining advice, or learning from other people's mistakes. For example, one day, when I'm well and truly buried I hope that the stories, and life lessons that I have written and learnt, from life, and have written down, will one day bring helpful insight not only for my future ancestors about who I was and what I was like, but also, that it may reveal to them important life lessons which I would not be able to share from beyond this life. And, as I mentioned before, by writing things down, it will make things easier for you to remember certain situations, meaning that you'll be able to give advice to those who may be struggling with similar issues or be in a similar situation that you were once in. Furthermore, with the new insights into your own mind, you'll be able to share your thoughts on the matter with that person, which leads me to my next point.

It's a great form of meditation.

Journaling, I have found, from both writing it, and from the story Dracula (so far, anyway) that it's a great way for us to process our thoughts and feelings, and to put things into perspective. Say for instance you've had an argument with your spouse or your partner, you may go write down the entire event on what occurred and what was said, and it may enlighten you on (if you are truly honest and complete in your writing) what the issue was, why it got out of hand, and what was unnecessarily said and made into a large deal than it initially had to be. This in itself is a form of meditation. The term meditation has two meanings, according to Merriam-Webster:

1: a discourse intended to express its author's reflections or to guide others in contemplation

2: the act or process of meditating

Personally, I feel as though journal writing falls into both of these categories of definition. In it's simplest form, it is a discourse intended to express one's reflections. However, it is also an act of meditating, as meditation is a process in which causes you to practice intentional focus in order to grow better awareness in one's self as well as in one's surroundings, something I am finding that journaling does extraordinarily well. And, being a Christian Buddhist, meditation is something that is extremely important in my life, and so, I am finding that this form of meditation is extremely useful and would highly recommend it. Not to mention the fact that I'm starting to truly think that diaries are for honesty (you can be completely honest about your thoughts and your feelings, with no worry for judgement), which later helps us be far more honest with others, as we learn to be honest with ourselves, and so, this activity also becomes a form of practising honesty with one's self.

It helps me practice my writing abilities.

Something I also love is how Mina explains it to be an exercise book. I too have found that this is very much so. It gives me the ability to practice my writing and to practice my personal self-awareness to myself and my surroundings. In terms of writing, it is allowing me space to unintentionally and unapologetically write whatever the hell I want, without the worry of being judged, tested, or intruded upon. In other words, I don't have to write something beautifully poetic, I can just be honest, thoughtful, which is another form of writing. I remember in several of my creative writing classes, being told that, by practising different writing styles one can better understand, and perfect their own style, and I am definitely agreeing with that statement. Furthermore, it's helping me get into a habit of regularly writing, which seems to be helping get into a state of flow, readying me to write my blog posts, my video scripts, and my novels, which is another great habit which helps improve our writing skills.

You don't need to write every day.

As Mina said in her statement at the top of this article, "a sort of journal I can write in whenever I feel inclined." Obviously, you don't have to write everything and anything that ever happens. If you have a boring day I don't think you'll really need to write about it, unless your writing about the feelings you had during that boring day and why it was so boring, I doubt it would really come of any purpose (other than getting the feelings off your chest, which is always good). But, a journal shouldn't be one of those things that you should feel bad about if you skip a day, it should be one of those things that you do for pure enjoyment, as a reminder, as an aid, as a lesson to your future self. Obviously, record your thoughts and feelings as much as possible, but you don't have to write everything, and you definitely don't have to write it always. Even your future self would get bored of reading a diary back if all that was written was a full paragraph stating how you spent your entire day playing Minecraft and drinking pineapple juice (which is actually something I did spend an entire day doing recently, but, you didn't need to know that, and that's the point.) For example, yesterday, nothing really happened throughout the day that inclined me towards writing an entry in my journal, that was until about midnight when my pet rabbit had an accident, fell and hurt himself, reacted really strangely to the fall and then spent the next hour behaving extremely strangely. This event caused me to want to write extensively on exactly what happened and how he was behaving as an important note for later on in case a vet visit was necessary or in case a similar situation occurs later on in life.

It's intriguing to know that one day when I'm gone someone may find it and find it invigorating.

For the shorter note, I have to make on the topic which I have touched on before, is my sense of intrigue in the reason as to one day having my journals found by some long lost relatives, or future gene sharing being, and having them learn all about me, and the hopes that my journals will hopefully be able to bring those people wisdom which I would be unable to share with them personally. And not to mention that I hope it entertains them also, as Dr Seward wrote in his journal - "I was so absorbed in that wonderful diary of Jonathan Harker and that other of his wife that I let the time run on without thinking."

Furthermore, my partner and I frequently binge-watch the entire first season of Gentleman Jack, a historical drama, based on a Victorian day lesbian and the troubles and issues she faced. It is all based on a true story, from her private journals, and it was made into an amazing and hilarious show broadcasted on the BBC no less, giving insight into what life was like back then for homosexuals, which is extremely informative and eye-opening. Now, I'm not saying that I hope my journals get turned into a TV series, not at all. But, I am expressing the immense power that a journal can have, and the way in can touch somebody's life. Which is why, I like the idea of someone much later on, within my family, find my journals and have the freedom to attain as much enjoyment or enlightenment from.

In conclusion, I am finding that writing my journal is bringing with it a lot of benefits, benefits that are coinciding with things within Bram Stoker's Dracula, which I think means are general benefits that can come upon anyone who tries to keep a regular journal. Therefore, I highly suggest you try journaling for yourself, in order to learn more about yourself, to become more aware of your environment and surroundings, to develop a habit of writing and thereby improving your writing abilities, and in order to, potentially, one day help others in similar situations to your own. Thank you, Stoker.