Journaling Idea: 48 Hours Of Truth

Prepare to have your mind blown.

As writers, I’m sure we all carry around our journals, in which we jot down ideas, record our day, doodle, and brainstorm. There is an endless deluge of journal writing tips online, and for the most part they drive me crazy with how prosaic and superficial they are. They are designed to get people to write, but they really don’t consider how to get us to write well.

That’s where my new weekly journaling ideas come in. These aren’t your run-of-the-mill suggestions, asking you to think back to what you wanted to be in third grade or how the color green makes you feel. They are designed to push you out of your comfort zone.

It’s stunt journaling, the Jack Ass of journaling if you will. Because there’s nothing that will make things interesting like a sense of danger (Except possibly sexual tension, which when you think about it, is also about the potential for danger).

This week’s Journaling Suggestion:

Don’t Lie For The Next 48 Hours.

Not a single lie. 100% Unvarnished truth. To your boss. To your spouse. To your dying loved one*. When your teacher asks you how your paper is coming along, you say that you haven’t started yet. When your best friend asks what you think of his new shirt, you say it makes the bald spot on the back of his head stand out more.

*If you have a loved one who is dying, maybe you should wait a few days before you start this exercise. In fact, it’s actually a bit heartless that you’re online right now instead of at their bedside. Turn off your computer right now and get to the hospital. Jerk.

Why do this? I want you to really pay attention to your interactions in the next 48 hours. What kind of uncomfortable situations will you get into because you didn’t hold back. What pleasant surprises would you have missed out on if you had told a face-saving white lie? Write down your experiences over the next 48 hours, and when you’re done, start thinking about how you can turn the most interesting encounters into dramatic incidences in your writing.

Truth can play an interesting role in narrative. When the truth comes out at the wrong time, it can create tension. When the audience knows the protagonist is lying, it creates tension. Conversely, when we know the protagonist SHOULD be telling a lie, it also creates tension. There is a fundamental tension between the truth and a lie.

This exercise is all about exploring that tension. Good writing should be both exciting and uncomfortable, and that’s what this exercise will do (as long as you don’t decide to hole up in your writing cave in order to avoid having to interact with anyone for the next 48 hours. Get out there and live dangerously!)

Mind blown. *Drops the mic and walks offstage*

Check out Decater's new novel, available now at Amazon. Plus, don't forget his earlier books: Ahab's Adventures in Wonderland and Picasso Painted Dinosaurs.