Revisiting Old Journals Tag

It’s my birthday today and I’m going to talk about that in a post next week, but today I’m celebrating with some of my closest friends! For now, enjoy this tag!

When Melissa tagged me for this it actually brought up a lot of old memories. I used to carry that green journal around all the time then I’d archive stuff in that big black binder. I’d wear out the binders I kept my notes inside to the point of breaking and then I’d have to get new ones. One time I left my binder on the top of my dad’s truck then he drove off to go somewhere and it actually slid off onto the side of the road. I was so devastated that I couldn’t find it, but they discovered it soggy and wet in a ditch (that’s why some of these pages are water-stained), but I was so overjoyed to have it back and because I wrote in pencil most of the writing is okay.

On the downside, I carried around this old ratty journal (the green one) so much that I got made fun of for it, friends and family saying it looked stupid. Because I was a shy teenager I didn’t have the gumption to stick up for myself and say, “Screw you. I like it and so what if you think it’s stupid?” so I got embarrassed and abandoned it.

Then I started writing down all of my ideas on the computer instead of carrying around a journal, so I don’t carry journals anymore and I feel like it’s partially from being made fun of about it. I write down ideas on my phone which I then transfer to my computer, which works for me, but I don’t have that enamored feeling whenever I see a journal like a lot of writers do.

So yeah that got real.

All of this is to say I haven’t looked at these journals in years. They’re not dated but I found a program from a play in one that’s from 2009, so I’m assuming these notes are 2009 and older. So yeah this is a little difficult for me because it’s digging up that part of my life, but I’ve got to face that part of my life sometime right?

Les Rules:
#1 — Thank whoever tagged you, then link to him/her and the creator (Melissa Gravitis).
#2 — Go through your old journals (writing or otherwise), and share something from them: from world-building to sketches, to random quotes, to an entry, to short snippets of writing! And if you feel like it needs explaining, go for it!
#3 — Tag at least 5 other bloggers.
#4 — Feel free to use the header image!

#5 — Have fun!

The Green Binder:

I drew a lot of maps and kept them in this binder. This map isn’t even valid anymore in my story world, but I sure did put a lot of effort into it.

I used to write outside a lot. The brown splotch is dirt. But I’ve always loved fantasy creatures and I used to write down as many as I could find (I didn’t use the internet too much as a teen).

I also liked unusual weapons a lot (still do). These were some I wrote down that I found in a video game my cousin was playing.

This is a map I drew for my Subsapien series, which is actually still valid. This is a map of the lab that Bryce grew up in.

This was supposed to be a spiel at the beginning of the Subsapien books that Matt said.

I’ve always loved griffins and this is my sad attempt at drawing one. XD

This is a phoenix. I’ve always loved those too.

Another map from my fantasy world that’s no longer valid.

The Black Binder:

I didn’t even read through all this. I just took a picture to show you guys how chaotic my notetaking used to be. XD

I handwrote a chapter or so of a book and this is an excerpt.

I used to want to write a series of children’s books called the Helen the Hedgehog. They were kind of a cross between Aesop’s Fables and The Tale of Annabelle Hedgehog by Stephen R. Lawhead.

I have no idea why I wrote this, but this is some weird short story about animals and yarrow flowers. XD

I used to want to write a superhero story and these were the characters.

The Purple Journal:

My cousin gave me this journal in I want to say 2011 and this is all I wrote in it.

Les Nominees:
1.) Christine @ Musings of an Elf
2.) Sara @ Sara Letourneau’s Website and Blog
3.) Anna Haber @ The Story Scientist
4.) E.E. Rawls @ E.E. Rawls Writes
5.) Keturah Lamb @ Keturah’s Corner