Tag: journaling

Nice Thick Journals

Published on by Christine GabriélleLeave a comment

You know, I was really excited about creating these journals. Like, really excited. Mostly because I haven’t been able to find large journals lately, and I knew if I wanted one, someone else would want one as well. However, my efforts at releasing them are feeling lackluster. I feel like I’ve been talking about them so much, but then I’m like, “oh, wait, I haven’t told anybody where they can buy them!”

So, here I am… telling you where you can buy them! [rolls eyes in self-shame]

Hear me now, these aren’t your average 80-page low-content journals. These journals are nice, thick, heavy, hardcover journals. Each containing 300+ useable pages. I wouldn’t create anything for you that I wouldn’t use myself. I’ve been the person who bought a $15 “book ” on Amazon only for it to show up in an envelope and appear to be more of a pamphlet (this thing was literally 70-80 pages. I was hot.). I didn’t return it, though, because I should’ve been paying attention to the details before I bought it.

Anyway, my point is there was actual passion and effort put into these journals—they weren’t just thrown together. And while these may be the only stationery products I have for a while, this is just the beginning of what I want to create.

Okay, about the journals…

The Growing Tree Journal (which is what I should’ve titled it on KDP in the first place [face palm]) is a 300+ page lined hardcover journal for general journaling.

As the pages go by, you’ll see some growth—in the images, but also (hopefully) in yourself. The Growing Tree Journal is great for people who have lots of thoughts to get out at the end of the day (or whenever the need arises). The unprompted and undated lined pages allow for your thoughts to flow freely for as long as you need.

Purchase the Growing Tree Journal

The Daily Reflection Journal contains an introduction as well as 366 prompted journal pages—one for every day (including an extra for leap year). This hardcover daily journal is undated, so you can begin your journaling whenever you like, and it will still carry you through a year.

There are 4 prompts on each page to use as an evening reflection. There is also a mid-year reflection section with some additional questions. The Daily Reflection Journal is especially useful for those who want to journal but don’t know what to write.

Purchase the Daily Reflection Journal

What’s better than choosing one journal? Choosing both! That’s what I do. I use a daily prompted journal as well as an unprompted lined journal. Most days I only use the prompted journal, but there are many times I need to elaborate on my thoughts or process an interaction, and I can only do that through free writing in my lined journal.

Both of the journals are available to purchase on Amazon. You can find the links to both journals as well as my collection of essays and short stories at ninentwopress.com.

And if you do grab one (or both) of these journals, I would love to hear how you like them. I intend to make more journal sets in the future, and if I can make them better, that’s exactly what I want to do.

Thanks (as always) for being on this journey with me.

-Christine Gabriélle

What Did I Write This Month?

Published on by Christine GabriélleLeave a comment

8 blog posts (including this one)

11 journal entries

1 million words worth of work-related cover letters, applications, emails, texts, and notes

1/2 of a short story

and a sprinkling of texts to friends and family so they know I’m still alive.

This month has been a bit of a challenge mentally, which is ironic because it’s Mental Health Awareness Month. I am well, though, and I’m incredibly grateful for that.

Our 7 year-old Cichlid died Sunday, and the sight of his dead fish body laying in the corner of the tank shocked me. I wasn’t expecting it, and I am very affected by the sight of dead things that I once knew. My body has a visceral reaction to seeing dead pets, and seeing Gulp like that made my stomach clench so tight that I turned away and couldn’t move for about five minutes. Thankfully, someone else was home to bury the body, and I was able to move through the rest of my day unaffected.

I’m still not able to eat indoors at a restaurant, but I gave BurgerIm another try, and their Impossible burger made with the toppings from the grilled chicken sandwich (California toppings, I think) is delicious. Also, surprisingly, their garlic parm chicken wings are really good.

Clearly, I’m rambling today. I have to work in the office while our house is being inspected, and I really just don’t like working in the office anymore. Working from home has me spoiled, but I’m grateful that I have the option to work part of my day in the office while things are being done at the house that I can’t be present for.

I’m still reading Everything Inside. Slowly. I’ve got 8 or 9 days left of my 21-day OverDrive rental, so I’ll probably have to renew it. The days as a whole go by so fast, even though, a lot of the time, they drag on individually.

I have this vision of myself sitting by a pool, drinking a wine slushy. I don’t have a pool, but I know where to get stuff to make the slushy. I have a feeling my summer is going to consist of quite a few of them. Am I looking forward to summer? I mean, it’s Florida, so not quite, but also… it’s summer, so kind of. We’ll see how (if) this summer compares to the last one… I’m still not out in these streets, regardless of what yall’s governor says.

Again, I’m rambling. I don’t do it often here, but sometimes a little shaking is beneficial.

Happy reading, happy writing, and stay hydrated my friends!

♥

Journaling is Writing

Published on by Christine GabriélleLeave a comment

I’m a strong advocate for journaling. It’s a great way to relive stress, flesh out thoughts, and memorialize events in our lives. I often use journaling to vent my frustrations and to really understand what I’m thinking. There are times when I can’t fully work through what I’m feeling until I write things down. Strangers on the internet often advise that writers should write every day no matter if it is a full story, part of a story, a scene, a list of imagery, setting descriptions… whatever.

There are many days when journaling is the only writing I get done. It may not have anything to do with my creative writing process, but translating thoughts and ideas onto paper, in any form, is what writing is about. Journaling keeps our writing muscles active, literally and figuratively, but there are times when even my journaling isn’t great. Some days I can only manage a sentence or two, but at least I wrote something.

I did a daily journaling challenge a couple years ago. Every day, for the entire year, I journaled… even if I felt like I didn’t have anything to say. The days when I felt the most wordless, were often the days I was holding a lot in, so journaling forced me to express those thoughts and feelings in writing. I’m always afraid to be one hundred percent honest in my journaling, however. I still feel like somebody is going to pick up my journal and read something I don’t want them to know, so I do censor myself to an extent when I reflect or vent. I’m trying to break out of that fear, though, because I know that being completely honest with myself, especially in journaling, is the best way to release stress and find solutions to anything I may be struggling with.

I love giving journals as gifts, especially when I know the person does not have a journaling routine yet. I truly believe that journaling is a healing practice. I have a journal now that I love. I got it from Target a couple of years ago. It’s big (over 300 pages), and has a stiff cloth cover. I’m almost to the end of it so I have been looking for a new one, but I can’t find anything comparable to the one I have. I wish I’d gotten two of them the first time. I’ve never used the same type of journal twice because I always ended up finding something better the next time I needed one. This time is the exception, though. This time has me thinking about designing my own.

Designing my own journal would be amazing, but it’s been a challenge finding the right manufacturer to produce the kind of journal I want with a reasonable price point. Some of the really nice places have a minimum order requirement that would fill my entire closet. Though I have thought about designing journals similar to the one I use currently to sell, I need to have one for myself first to make sure it’s worth selling.

If anybody out there knows where I can get a good, thick, cloth-covered journal for a decent price, or where I can get one made, let me know. And if I ever decide to design and sell NINE & TWO branded journals, I’ll let you know.

♥