Stop struggling and ENJOY journaling...
As you flip through your albums, are there pages that are done…except for that blank spot you left for journaling? Not sure what to put there? Do you notice lots of pages of decorated photos with no story to go with it because you just didn’t know what to write? If you are like most of us, you struggle with journaling on your layouts. Improve your journaling (and your albums) by digging deeper for the personal story.
First, decide who your audience is. Do you want this layout to include a personal letter from you to your subject? Is there a photo of your niece with “that look” that just sums up who she is? Do you want to tell her how she has such a sweet little face and no one would know from just looking at her how big of a tom boy she really is? Would you rather tell the story of the day so anyone who picks up the page will know what was going on?
Next, stop giving the obvious details from the photos. We can all see that it is Jake’s first birthday party and he had an Elmo cake. Tell the hidden story. What don’t we see? Why did you pick an Elmo cake? Is it his favorite toy? What thoughts or emotions did you have during the party? Did you look at your baby and realize he is growing up too quickly? Did you have to fight back tears when he blew out the candle or were you too busy laughing at the handfuls of cake he was smearing in his hair? What do you want to remember from this day?
Annual events like birthdays and holidays are especially difficult for journaling. Try telling what made this one special or different from the others. Where was it held? What are you most thankful for? Was anyone special there? Was anyone missing? What has changed in your life since last year? Those thoughts and emotions are the things that make your page interesting.
Just like you practice the placement of the items on your layout before you break out the adhesive to stick everything down, practice your journaling. Make a rough draft and get all of your thoughts on paper. Don’t expect your first draft to be the perfect finished product. You will have to revise and rearrange the thoughts to determine which are most important to fit your page and which ones truly tell your story.
Once your thoughts are on paper, look at what you can do to make it more interesting for the reader. Use vivid details that paint a picture for your audience. Instead of saying, “You grabbed handfuls of your cake before we could stop you” try writing “Your chubby little hands were too quick for us to stop you before you snatched two fistfuls of cake and started smearing it into your hair .” The vivid detail helps your readers visualize the event and draws them in.
Take this introspective look. Ask yourself questions that trigger the memory you want to share. Paint the picture for your readers. Then you can write the personal stories that transform your pages into a true family heirloom.
