I’m your host, Kelly Morgan — indie author, indie publisher, and host of The Author’s Mic™ — and today we’re talking about one of my favorite forms of self-care: journaling.

Not aesthetic journaling. Not “perfect notebook, perfect pen, perfect handwriting” journaling. 

I’m talking about the kind of journaling that is messy, honest, real, and sometimes written while you’re half-asleep with crumbs on the page.

Especially for indie authors and authors of color, self-care isn’t optional. This work is emotional. It’s vulnerable. It’s public and private all at once. And journaling is one of the simplest, most powerful ways to protect your mind and your creativity at the same time.

Want to hear the full conversation? Watch the episode on YouTube:
https://youtu.be/VpENsu2657A

What Journaling Really Is (and What It’s Not)

To me, journaling is not about being fancy.

Journaling is simply: You telling the truth on paper for a few minutes a day.

That’s it.

If you keep a journal—even if it’s just a few lines here and there—you are an author. You’re literally authoring your story in real time.

• Your sentences don’t have to be pretty.
• Your grammar doesn’t have to be perfect.
• You don’t need a theme, a hook, or a hashtag.

This is not school and it is definitely not a place for the algorithm. This is your space.

Why Journaling Matters for Self-Care

Life gets loud. Our brains get crowded. The to-do list, the word count, the sales numbers, the notifications—it adds up.

Journaling gives your brain a place to land.

When you journal regularly, it can:

• Slow your thoughts down so you are not just spinning all day.
• Quiet the noise long enough for honest thoughts to come through.
• Help you see patterns: what drains you, what restores you, what keeps repeating.

On the hard days, journaling is like a pressure valve. You can dump every ugly, tired, frustrated thought on the page and let it breathe somewhere that isn’t your body.

On the good days, journaling becomes a gratitude reel — a record of the joy, the small wins, and the moments that felt like proof you’re on the right path.

Those pages become evidence. A snapshot of who you were and how you’ve grown, even when your numbers and metrics don’t show it yet.

“I’m Not a Writer” (Yes, You Are)

If you’re thinking: “I’m not a writer, I don’t journal.” Let me push back on that gently.

You don’t need:

• Perfect spelling
• Correct grammar
• Deep metaphors
• A beautiful notebook and fountain pen

You just need the truth.

• Write how you talk.
• Use slang.
• Use half-sentences.

If it sounds like you, it’s right.

Every time you journal—even if it’s one sentence—you win. Because you showed up for yourself.

How Journaling Helps You as an Author

Journaling doesn’t just support your heart. It also supports your work.

For indie authors, journaling can:

• Catch ideas before they evaporate.
• Become a safe place to test a line, explore a scene, or argue with your inner critic.
• Help you figure out what a character really wants or what you’re afraid to say out loud in your book.
• Give you space to plan your next move – that one pitch you’re going to send, that one bookstore you’re going to call, that one paragraph you need to fix.

If you’re blocked, journaling lets you write around the block.

You can literally journal about the block:

• What am I afraid of?
• What am I avoiding?
• What am I assuming will happen if I finish this chapter?

Sometimes the “stuckness” isn’t about the craft; it’s about the feelings underneath it. Journaling helps you get to those.

Simple Journaling Prompts to Get Started

If you’re thinking:

“Okay, Kelly, this all sounds great. But how do I actually start?”

Give yourself two minutes. Set a timer.
Then write answers to a few of these:

• Right now, I feel: ______
• Today, I would feel successful if I: ______
• One thing I’m grateful for is: ______

Those three alone are journaling.

If your brain has a little more energy, try a few of these:

• If I weren’t scared, I would: ______
• The part of my day that actually mattered was: ______
• What I need but haven’t asked for is: ______
• A small win I almost skipped celebrating was: ______
• One reader I’m writing for today is: ______

You don’t have to answer them all. Pick one. Pick three. Rotate them. The point is to check in with yourself, not perform for someone else.

Journaling, Memory, and the Details That Make Great Stories

One of the most beautiful side effects of journaling is how it wakes up your memory.

A single journal entry can spark:

• The sound of rain on your childhood porch
• The smell of your grandmother’s kitchen
• The exact shade of a sunset you saw once and never forgot

Those small details are what make stories feel real.

Journaling trains your brain to notice them. It teaches you to pay attention to the textures of your life, which later become the textures of your writing.

Let Your Journal Hold Your Boundaries

Journaling isn’t just for feelings. It’s also for boundaries.

If you’re an indie author staying up late posting, replying, refreshing, and obsessing over engagement, your nervous system is doing overtime.

Let your journal hold the “no.”

You can write things like:

• My office hours are: 6–9 p.m. only.
• DMs get answered on: Fridays.
• I do not check my stats after: 8 p.m.

When it lives on paper, it’s easier to live it out in real life.

Your journal can become a contract between your future self and your present self.

When Journaling Isn’t Helping

Journaling should not become another way to beat yourself up.

If you notice that journaling is:

• Making you more anxious
• Turning into a loop of stress and self-criticism
• Feeling like homework you’re failing

Then simplify.

Try this for five minutes:

• Only write about what supported you that day.
  A glass of water
  A walk
  A text from a friend
  A sentence you liked in your own writing

Or list:

• Ten things I don’t need draining my energy this week.

Name them. Let the page hold them so your body doesn’t have to.

Privacy, Safety, and Honest Pages

For journaling to work, you have to feel safe telling the truth.

If you’re worried someone will read your journal:

• Use a password-protected notes app on your phone.
• Keep your physical journal in a locked drawer or bag.
• Or write what you need to say and then tear the page out and store it somewhere private.

Safety supports honesty.
And honesty is the entire point.

Build a Journaling Habit That Fits Your Life

You don’t need an elaborate ritual to be “a real journaler.”

Tie journaling to something you already do:

• While you drink your morning coffee
• During your lunch break
• In the car before you go inside
• Right before bed

Keep the bar low so you can actually keep the habit.

Some days might be three lines.

Some days might be two pages.

Both count.

Journaling is how we hear ourselves. It’s proof that we’re showing up in our own lives — whether we’re writing a full-length novel or just trying to make sense of what happened this week.

Put the date at the top of the page.
Tell the truth about what happened.
That’s journaling.

And yes — it can help you heal.

Listen to the Episode: Journaling as Self-Care

If you want to hear this conversation in my own voice, you can catch the full episode of The Author’s Mic™ here:

Watch or listen on YouTube:
https://youtu.be/VpENsu2657A 

Want to Share Your Story on The Author’s Mic™?

If you’re a creative, indie author, poet, or storyteller and you’d like to share this platform with me, I’d love to hear from you.

Be a guest on The Author’s Mic™:
https://brightheadedpublishing.com (click the “Be a Guest on Author’ s Mic” tab)

And if you’re just starting your writing journey and don’t know where to begin, grab my free 44-page guide:

“So You Wanna Write a Book – A Real-Talk Guide to Getting It Done Without Losing Your Mind”
https://brightheadedpublishing.com 

Your words matter. And journaling might be the first place you finally start believing that.

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