After reading through my diary last night, I started talking about it on Twitter. What followed on was a really interesting conversation with people across the world about how they keep diaries and what they put in them. I decided to keep all of the tweets on Storify and have posted them below.
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Do you keep a diary?
I started reading through old diary entries of min, then I took to Twitter to see if people keep diaries in our digital age..
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Here’s a blog I wrote about diary writing last year mattkeil.com/2012/09/the-im…@JennaC_09 How long have you been keeping a diary? Do you put pictures in it?@MattKeil So far it’s been 4 yrs! No, but I think one day I might start doing that!
@MattKeil I did, but then I lost it…@MattKeil I’ve journaled on and off for years. I use it more to set intentions and/or sort through emotions and situations.@MattKeil kept diary as a child. Nowadays, keep only for appts, reminders. S’pose digital photos have taken over, tho’ I do enjoy writing.The idea of social media being a form of diary then came up…@MattKeil a date/appt diary but not a what I did today diary. I use FB for that. -
@MattKeil @JenniferLamboll I don’t use Facebook anymore, & no to Twitter being a diary for me
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@MattKeil I’ve started a couple blogs recently, but do more private entries than anything, since I want the freedom to express w/o judgment
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Sometimes a diary can be good for emotional stuff too…
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@MattKeil Probably, it’s a really great outlet if one doesn’t have someone to tell personal things to, so that’s nice 🙂
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@MattKeil @iliveformusic97 likewise for me and why I continue! I would be a mess I think if I didn’t have an outlet…a private one
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The next question… Would you ever show someone your diary?
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Then came a tricky question…
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Here’s some more responses about keeping a diary…
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@MattKeil I keep no diary as I am void of emotion.
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@MattKeil I’ve stopped having a diary since a teen but when I need to express feelings I write poetry no one except me can understand!
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. @LauryAnnne That’s wonderful. Poetic encryption!
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@MattKeil no way. A diary should be personal. The reason I dont have a diary is because im scared someone will find it and read it haha
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Valid point from @sadieisasleep – is keeping a diary risky? Should we limit what we say in case someone reads it?
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@MattKeil @sadieisasleep Absolutely, whatever medium one decides to keep account of everything is frightening. Even more so will orgs spying
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@MattKeil Interesting- being careful can stifle creativity >
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@MattKeil Musicians & artists in the 70’s took massive risks with looks, behaviour. song content & look what was achieved! lol
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@MattKeil Absolutely! Even if it’s private, if you’re really being honest, you have to face feelings you may not like or understand.
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Dear diary… Man, 83, shows off Britain’s biggest personal journal which he’s been writing for 66 years (and it’s eight times the size of War and Peace)
Dorset man’s four million word labour of love on display for the first time John Gadd first started writing his epic tome back in 1947 The huge chronicle of life in Fontmell Magna contains 33,000 images Mr Gadd’s diary has settled many a dispute between him and wife Barbara By Stuart Woledge PUBLISHED: 08:09 EST, 9 August 2013 | UPDATED: 12:47 EST, 9 August 2013 Move over Samuel Pepys, a new diarist has emerged on the scene whose epic work makes the great chronicler of the 17th century’s look like hastily scribbled musings on a post-it note. -
@MattKeil I’ve always enjoyed seeing travel diaries with watercolours. I would have loved to be that skilled and to make my own!
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And a few kind words about the choice of conversation…
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Thanks to everyone for taking part in this little Twitter chat. Some really interesting thoughts and hopefully some of you are inspired to keep writing a diary when you can.
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Matt Keil 