The Personal Article

In this post, I present an experimental concept. The personal article. This is an article meant only for your eyes (and possibly the eyes of a few close ones), and not for sharing with the world. The personal article is based on the following ideas:

• You put in the same effort that you would in writing a regular article.
• You write about something you don’t want to share with the world. 

Different From a Journal Entry

The obvious question: How is the personal article different from a journal entry? 

A journal entry is a free flow of words, to capture thoughts. While some journal entries are based on answering specific questions, and there are a variety of journaling techniques, a journal entry is really not an article.

In the personal article, you go through the same process as writing a regular article. The exact process varies from one writer to another, of course. You write the first draft, edit it into a second draft, use spell checkers and grammar editors, the whole shebang. 

For Your Eyes Only

The personal article is precisely that – personal. It is meant for your eyes alone. The world does not get to see it. Here are some possible topics that are ideal for a personal article:

• Capturing memories. You are chronicling memories on paper. This serves the same purpose that a photograph does, but in a medium that is natural to you – words.
• Reflection. You are performing mananam of ideas that you came across. In an organised manner. 
• Self-analysis. The personal article is an excellent medium for reflecting on your thoughts, tendencies, actions … And to identify areas to correct, and outline strategies for correction.
• Fleshing out ideas. You have ideas that are still in a raw stage. Writing about them here gives you an idea to explore them further. If this goes well, you may get a regular article out of this.

Great for Practice

Serious writers are encouraged to write every day.

Among all advice given to newer writers, there is one common theme: Write consistently. More specifically, write a fixed number of words every day – 1000 is the popular number.

On some days, the brain cooperates and words flow effortlessly. On other days, your brain asks you if “the” is an English word or not. On the latter sort of days, the personal article gives you a playground to maintain your consistent writing practice. You get words on paper since there isn’t anything “real” at stake.

In other words, the personal article gives you a psychological advantage. 

A Psychological Advantage

One reason that cripples writers is fear. Fear of rejection. Fear that the world will laugh at their article.

This fear makes writers procrastinate putting pen on paper. And if they don’t show up to write, they can’t improve their writing. 

The personal advantage has the psychological advantage that nobody will read it. The writer can write confidently, with the comfort that nobody will show up. Since the usual processes are followed, you get the desired practice.

Intangible Rewards

Writing on a public platform has tangible advantages. Your article gets noticed. You get noticed. You get feedback. You get paid. The personal article will forego all these advantages.

Writing a personal article is its own reward, so to speak. The rewards are intangible.

• You capture memories that are personal.
• You practice writing without fear of rejection.
• The personal article is really its own reward, in some sense.

Caveats

The personal article is an experimental idea. Which should be taken with grains of salt. Here are some areas of caution concerning the personal article:

• This should be used on occasion. You still want to put your main idea out to the world. You spread your ideas and get feedback at the same time.
• You should follow the same processes as you would with a regular article. Write a second draft, edit it thoroughly, and so on. Remember that one of the goals is to get better at writing, which demands rigor.

The next time you feel stuck, or want to do some self-analysis, or just want to capture a memory, try writing a personal article.

Image Credit: Glenn Carstens-Peters from Unsplash