Is a journaling partner, or a co-writer, a useful thing?
Do you have a journaling partner? Have you ever had one? By ‘journaling partner’ I don’t necessarily mean someone who takes turns writing in a shared creative or working journal, although writers have had success with this type of journaling, too. Most journaling partners I know use their computers and e-mail to create electronic journal entries beneficial to them both.
A friend and I carry on such an informal process. She is a wonderful writer and writing coach. Our journaling is regular, although certainly not daily; we throw back and forth ideas for projects that we are, or would like to be, working on together. We brainstorm. We give each other leads for our individual projects. When one of us finds something – a book or an online site – which the other would enjoy or find helpful a quick journal entry is sent.
Ours is a very informal ‘journaling’ approach. We each keep our own separate daily working journals. This informal e-mail approach works well for us, but it might not work for other writers. A journaling partner might not work in any form for some writers.
Our co-journaling does not cross over into co-writing.For any projects that we do work on together, writing tasks are clearly defined. This works for us.
Read more about the benefits of creating an illustrated journal.
