Keeping a Daybook
March 20, 2018

Merchants sometimes keep a daybook--a book in which they record transactions as
they happen, so they can be transferred to the formal account books later. For
almost a year now, I've been keeping the literary equivalent. Each day, I note
the weather, important events, and even mundane items such as whether I worked
out that day. It's been a rewarding practice in many ways. For example, I can
tell you that on December 22, 2017, it was cloudy and unusually warm (in the mid
50s), that I walked for 45 minutes on the treadmill at the gym, and that in the
evening I went down to DC to have dinner with my wife.

But my daybook is more than a simple diary, because I also use it to record
ideas for stories and articles and essays, to capture snippets of conversations
overheard, and to ask myself questions about plot points and characters.
Philosophical thoughts are written down. Habits are built through keeping track
of my daily progress toward my goals. It's single place where I can capture
information on many different topics on the fly as the day goes on. Some people
use apps on their phone, I use a black, hardbound notebook.

I can't say whether one method--digital or analog--is better than the other. But
I can say that the act of keeping a daybook has been beneficial. It might be
something to consider in your own writing life.

The end of graduate school is rapidly approaching, and I hope to be soon
re-vamping this website. As the new pages go up, please let me know what you
think of them.

(c) 2018 by Andrew Gudgel 
email: contact [at] andrewgudgel.com