Practice, practice, practice . . .
To be or not to be . . . The question is . . . can I become an effective journal writer? I have had many opportunities to write in a technical fashion. However, now I need to be able to write in a more entertaining way. Practice, practice, practice. Most people don't realize that most things do not come easy to anyone. Even those who have undisputed talent have risen to the top of their game because of hard work and a dedication to become the best at what they do. All we see is that they make it look so very easy. What we do not see is the long hours of work that they had to put in to make it appear effortless.
Karl Horeis and Claude Larson express confusion as Zeb Polly (center) explains something on the computer.
So, this is what I have to do in order to learn and become good at writing journals: Practice, practice, practice. Today in orientation, we were given several helpful pointers on creating an effective journal entry. We were given a list of prompts to write about, topics to discuss and those to avoid, tips on how to consider wording or presentation of information, and a discussion on aspects of good and poor journal entries.
Here, then, is my plan of action. I'm writing this, my first of many journal entries, tonight. Tomorrow, I'll write another. The next day, I'll write another, and continue this pattern. While I know it's unrealistic to expect to be successful right away (both in regularity and quality) the only way I will become successful is to: practice, practice, practice!
Let's make a promise to each other right now. I promise that I'll continue writing my journal entries, and you promise that you'll pick something you want to do well. Together, we'll practice, practice, practice!
By the way, you can check the weather here in Fairbanks! current conditions