If your journal writing stops and sputters for any reason whatsoever, here is an excellent tactic that you can use. No matter whether you’re an old hand or brand new to journal writing, here is how you can make your journal time rip-roaring. All you need is an understanding of this powerful facet of the Space, Place and Pace Tactic and you’ll be jotting along like a writing tempest in next to no time. This tactic is especially important if you’re struggling to get up and going but works well for even long time diarists.
Janet was NOT amused!
Janet was having a difficult time writing in her journal. As her children were getting older their demands on her time had not lessened and had in some ways become more intrusive. Naps were no longer a part of the routine for her twin eight year old girls and her six year old son was at a clingy stage in his life. The quiet place she had carved out at the desk in her bedroom no longer provided the soothing atmosphere she desired for writing in her journal. Children intruded. School work intruded. Life intruded.
Janet was appalled as day after day, page after page went unrecorded. She watched in distress as her journal writing desires plummeted. From interesting comments concerning her children and her life, from skill building journal tactics, from emotion regulation and commotion control her journal had become an unfinished book crying out for attention.
The reason for this fiasco was simple. In her eagerness to establish a “perfect spot” for her journal Janet was caught in a trap.
Goodbye Disaster, Hello Journal
Rather than drowning in her own tears, Janet found the Space, Place and Pace Tactic. When her twins asked if they could have an afternoon at the park Janet agreed and decided to take her journal along.
If Janet had any doubts about the power and immediacy of the Space, Place and Pace Tactic they were put to rest that day. The joy of recording the adventures of her children on the playground as she sat on the grass in the shade of a tree gave her insight into the effectiveness of journal flexibility in the form of the Space, Place and Pace Tactic.
The Power Of Using the Space, Place and Pace Tactic For Immediate Results
This exciting journal tactic, is a sure-fire way to get new thoughts, ideas and entries racing to the pages. Yet many journal writers never use this tactic. When faced with changing lifestyles or drooping journal entries some journal writers give up. Instead they need to rely on the Space, Place and Pace Tactic. Find a different place, a different time, a different setting for using your journal. Like Janet, you may go to the park. Or you might choose to sit by the lake, on your porch, in your car, at the mall, in a motel or a mountain cabin, in the basement, in your child’s room, in your closet. The list is endless. The main point is to shake things up, go somewhere colorful or special, somewhere that diverges from your normal setting. Try writing at an unusual time of the day. Go out alone for lunch or stay up late and choose a place in your garden. Slow your pace. Write one sentence then take time to think and reflect. Write another sentence then look around. Write another sentence and note the scents which surround you. Write another sentence then listen, really listen to the sounds. Note the different objects which your body touches — the velvet chair, the wet grass, the table’s edge. Now you are using the power of the Space, Place and Pace Tactic.
Why You Shouldn’t Ignore Your 5 Senses When Finding the Right Space, Place and Pace
When asked what my favorite music is I’m sometimes tempted to say, “Silence.” And, many journal writing experts espouse the idea of a quiet time and location for journal writing. But . . . But sometimes solitude is not what the soul or the journal desires.
Can’t You Just Hear This?
- mild waves lapping at the shore
- a few birds twittering at the window
- classical music playing in the background
- children playing nearby on a playground
- wind whistling through the trees
- worship music playing in near proximity
- street sounds with trucks, horns and all
- fireworks
- a bit of rock-a-billy on the stereo
Do You Smell That?
- real pine trees (not that overpowering cleaning stuff!)
- scented oil or a scented candle
- baby powder
- pumpkin pie
- burning logs
- strawberry bubble bath
- garlic bread just as it browns
- rose garden in bloom
- fish market
Now, That Tastes Good!
In the list below you may find some tasty items which will go well with your journal. There is no reason you shouldn’t bring along a drink or a savory treat as you spend time with your journal. No one has to beg me to eat a piece of chocolate as I mull over my day in the pages of my journal. Yes, you may enjoy your sense of taste as you journal. But, don’t get confused. The dinner table is for conversations with family and friends. Your conversations with your journal come later – or earlier. 
- water
- juice
- milk
- tea
- coffee
- soft drinks
- wine
- cookies
- finger sandwich
- crackers
- cheese
- mints or candies
You Ain’t Seen Nothing Yet
Of course good lighting is a paramount consideration when writing in your journal. But, there is so much more for you to see.
- photos of loved ones
- a fruit bowl
- excellent books you’ve read
- your Bible
- a good magazine article
- lovely art
- a statue
- the forest
- a lake
Look around for good subject matter for your journal.
Oh, That Feels Wonderful!
The texture of your journal exterior, its pages, even the edges should be a place you want to touch. The feel and composition of your pen, or other writing instrument should be so wonderful you are loath to put them down. Here are some more considerations as you decide what feels right when using your journal.
- padded chair
- wooden chair
- rocking chair
- swing
- pile of leaves
- bench
- hay bale
- car seat
- bed
- sofa
- table top
- lap board
- floor
- grass
- sand
Does Your Journal Writing Strategy Include the Space, Place and Pace Tactic?
Use your journal to list a few of the places you would like to be when writing in your journal. Mention what you expect to hear, smell, taste, see and feel.
Have you already experienced a different or unusual place where you wrote in your journal? Please use the comment section below to tell us about it. We love to hear about your journaling experiences.
