Why do you keep a diary/journal?

I started keeping a journal when I was eleven and, at age 32, I'm still writing. I threw away all my journals from age eleven to age eighteen (it was a large collection because I wrote FREQUENTLY) and I regret doing that SO much. This stifled my writing until I was twenty-two. I've kept all the journals from then on, though, and have filled about eleven large hardback journals. I'm working in a spiral bound notebook for the first time since I was in highschool and it's bringing back so many fond writing memories.

My journal's online..and it started as just a fanciful thing. It was rather silly, what I recorded in it, nothing terribly important. But as time began to fly by I began to need it. It was once my only safe outlet of expression, a kind of therupy to get me through the days. Nowadays I keep it partly to let only a select few know what's happening in my life. Oh, other people on the internet can view it -- I've more than twnety people subscribed to it and I can get up to a thousand views per day..but it's simply something to read for everyone else. Often there's stuff in there which only means stuff for me and the friends who know it exists. It's still therupy, it's still something I wouldn't be better off without. I like recording the daily happenings. Mundane and not..though I usually feel less comfortable about the un-mundane stuff..it does usually get recorded. Plus..I think easiest there. The thoughts in my head flow more smoothly than if I'd simply try to describe them to a living person. *smiles* I dunno, it makes me think about the what if's of after I'm dust lol. Like.."What if someone takes the care to study that journal, research into the life I lived..and decided to make a proper recording of it: a book." Just one of them things I guess.

Up until I was 18, I kept a diary most of the time. I too wanted to pass them on to my kids and grandkids, so they would learn from my mistakes and also my joys. I find I cann't write about it as well as I'd like, so when I do want to record something for a diary, I like to do a tape recorded diary. I haven't done that in a long time either, but when I do, I feel like I'm expressing myself better.

I too, been keeping diary since high school but too bad, I don't know where did I place it since I left home for about 8 years ago and getting my college degree. As of now, I've just updates my journal when I have a time.

Ive been keeping a diary since i was in first year highschool,so that's almost 9 years ago. It helps a lot because you can vent out problems and experiences in it whenever you don't feel like sharing to other people. And the second reason as to why I keep a diary is because when i get old, it could help me look back and reminisce about the things that ive done and experience during my early years.. :p

I wish that I had done the same now, it would be lovely to read about all my wonderful memories. But I am writing a journal now of my memories, and hope to leave them for my grandchildren and great grandchildren. Being of the age when most start getting interested in GENEOLOGY, I thought how wonderful it would be to find a letter or diary/journal left to me by my Grand parents, so that I would get to know them more, and how their lives were, etc., So yes I would try and bequeath these wonderful links with the past for your children and childrens children. Nice one!

i keep my diary to write things that come to my mind and i cannot share them with anyone else... also to keep a track of all the importent incidents in my life.. as my memory is not very good in this matter.. :)

Wow permit me to say you are one of the best record keepers in the world. I like keeping records cos it will be of great help in the future whenever am in need of it. Thanks