“A woman who writes feels too much.”
-Anne Sexton

This quote from poet Anne Sexton got me thinking about how a lot of my friends always scold me when I write things down in my journal. I worry that people will find it and I’m constantly hiding it in various places. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard “That’s why I tell you, Kate…don’t write stuff down!”

Well, this is for those friends (I love you all to death). I’ve been keeping a journal since the second grade. It’s not necessarily so other people can see it, but it’s for my own benefit. I can’t tell you how therapeutic sitting down to actually handwrite something is. It helps clear my thoughts and it most definitely helps me make decisions. I can’t tell you how many of my relationship decisions were based on what I’d written out in my journals.

Not to mention, the happenings in my journals could make for a novel or memoir someday. Who knows? The possibilities are endless. When Harriet the Spy came out in 1996, when I was about Harriet’s age in the movie, I identified with her like you wouldn’t believe. It was great seeing my beloved book played out onscreen. The scene where Harriet tells Ole Golly that the reason she keeps her spy notebook is to remember everything and know everything; yeah, that’s me. Golly said something to Harriet after that that stuck with me throughout my writing career. She says “You realize Harriet, that knowing everything won’t do you a bit of good unless you use it to put beauty in this world.” That’s my number one goal with writing. To make this world a better place somehow.

So next time my friends question why I write everything down, I’ll just say hey, it’s a writer thing.