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I kept a journal for ten years. I didn’t set any strict rules for myself regarding when and how much to write, but I usually filled a large blank book per month.

The biggest problem people have when keeping a journal is what to write in it. I loved to write about conversations overheard in restaurants—made for really good fodder for fiction. I loved to recount interesting parties I attended; loved to profile the odd people I met in even odder places.

Journals are also helpful for ruminating on difficult problems. The one thing you don’t want to do is exclusively use your journal for complaining. Once you get into that habit, you will eventually become bored with your own journal—not good.

I stopped keeping a journal four years ago when I had less time to devote to the process. I also found myself complaining more than I was creating, and I wanted to use my limited time towards my other writing projects.

One more thing—get the good hardbound journals; a pen that doesn’t make your hand cramp; and feel free to decorate the covers with ridiculous and happy art. You’ll find yourself returning to the page more if the tools are appealing.

Writing is not easy. It is not theraputic, as some people want to believe. If you want to write, what you need to do is sit down someplace quiet and do it for at least two to six hours every day.

Secondly, you need to find mentors who can help you refine your ideas and your words—no novel was published based on a first draft. And finally, you need to be able to accept criticism gracefully, filter through it, and figure out, for yourself, what is required to write the best possible novel/memoir/short story.

All writing is rewriting. Writing isn’t a romantic or financially rewarding career, but it is fulfilling.