Journal Sample

Below is a sample of a journal entry which is not satisfactory because it is merely an outline of a day's activities--it is a laundry list:

• September 7

• page 1

Not such a good start today.  Tom woke up early and turned off the alarm.  I overslept and got to class 15 minutes late.  Then there was a quiz in math, and I hadn't finished reading the chapter.  At lunch I saw Jennifer and asked her to go with me to the concert next week . She said yes.  That improved my day.  Mom called tonight.  She wants me to come home this weekend. I guess I will--I can see everybody and get my laundry done!

The above entry is only a retelling of events. With some reflection and thought, however, the writer could use the activities as the basis for a much better entry, one that is more reflective or introspective, that tells more about the writer than the events. Read the following entry and reflect on why it is a better entry.

• September 7

• page 1

Not such a good start today.  Tom woke up early and turned off the alarm--again!--making me late for my 8:00 o'clock class.  This is the third time he has done this in two weeks.  I don't know how to handle this situation.  I've asked Tom not to shut off the alarm before I wake up, but he forgets.  My first day on campus, I wasn't sure how I would get along with a roommate I'd never seen before, especially one from the northeast!  But we're getting along great, so I don't want any hassle.  I'll mention the alarm again, but I'm not going to let a thing like this cause trouble.  I'll buy a second clock instead.

I saw Jennifer at lunch.  She's going to the concert with me next week.  After I talked with her, my whole day seemed better.   She's someone else I met only a few weeks ago, but it seems I've known her much longer.  Maybe this could be something special. I kind of hope so.

Mom called tonight.  She wants me to come home for the weekend.  She didn't say it, but it sounded like she and Dad and Andy really miss me.  It's funny. I worried a lot before I left home that I would miss my parents and my brother, but I didn't think that they might miss me.  I guess I was so busy thinking about myself that I didn't think how they would feel.

Adapted from Glenn C. Rogers and Judy R. Rogers, Variations: A Rhetoric and Reader for College Writing.  Copyright 1991 by Wadsworth, Inc.  No part of this material my be reproduced in any form or by any means without the prior written permission of the authors and the publisher, Wadsworth Publishing Company, Belmont, CA.