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Mary Amato's first notebook, started at the age of seven
When I was seven years old, my family and I went on a cross-country car trip, and my mother gave me this notebook and suggested that I write down what I see on the journey. Although I was nervous about writing and afraid that I would make mistakes, I wrote entries and dictated some entries for her to write down. I loved reading it over and over later.
At the age of eight, I received my first “real” diary from Santa Claus. At first I was afraid to write in it because it looked so pretty, but I did write often.
Mary Amatos' diary from ages eight to nine
At the age of ten, my mother died. I didn’t write for a full year. Then, my writing changed. I found a little blank book that a plumbing store was giving away and in it I poured out my emotions. –Mary Amato
Mary Amato's notebook at age eleven
This is one of my first diaries. I have kept a diary on and off since the age of seven.
A diary is a place to write down your own life experiences. Keeping a diary can be rewarding, even if you’re not interested in becoming a writer. If you speak to its pages with honesty and emotion, it becomes the most amazing keepsake possible: a record of your life.
Writing in a diary is:
- Comforting—a safe place to write down your questions, fears, and thoughts.
- Clarifying—it helps you to figure out how you feel or what is happening.
- Permanent—a record of your thoughts and experiences.
- Good “Exercise” for Expression—the more you write down how you feel, the better you will become at expressing your emotions.
I wrote The Naked Mole-Rat Letters as a series of diary entries and e-mail letters.
There is no right or wrong way to keep a diary. Here are some tips:
- Choose a small, thin notebook so that you have the satisfaction of filling it up more easily. A big, thick book can be frustrating for many writers.
- Write whenever you want. Don’t feel pressured to write everyday.
- Write in your own voice. Don’t worry about the words. Write as if you’re talking. Don’t try to be too fancy or wise.
- Dictate—if you find it hard to get your thoughts or ideas down, ask someone else to write for you. Make sure they use your words.
- Write for yourself—you don’t have to show anyone your journal.
- Write for someone else—sometimes it helps to imagine someone reading it in the future, like your own child.
- Try a “collaborative” journal with a friend or family member—pass a notebook back and forth, each taking turns adding to it.
- Remember to write the date. In the future you’ll want to know how old you were when writing.
Copyright © 2008 by Mary Amato. Permission granted to copy for educational use.