My Story Journal Experiment

Lessons in the cumulate power of practice

On January 1, 2021, I opened a brand new journal, picked up a favorite pen, and wrote a simple anecdote about my first Zoom New Year’s Eve party the night before.

This was the first step in a prolonged experiment: What would happen if I wrote a story or anecdote every single day for a year?

I’m on my second journal now, and not planning to stop. The task takes anywhere from 10 to 30 minutes, depending on how absorbed I become. It’s a welcome daily practice.

This experiment focuses on the first, fundamental skill of storytelling-identifying the story. I have always struggled with pulling ideas for stories out of thin air, so I embarked on this journal project to see if I could improve.

Now, halfway through the year, I want to share the results with you.

The Ground Rules

My self-imposed rules for this experiment are simple:

1. Write one story or anecdote per day. Length doesn’t matter.
2. No polishing or crafting.
3. Write the stories by hand in a journal, so I won’t be tempted to polish them or switch to writing a blog post instead of a story.