Letter journaling: try writing your diary as a letter
If you don’t know what to write in your journal, or get stuck after a couple of lines about breakfast and waking up, try writing the entry as a letter. Imagine you’re talking to someone you know.
You don’t need a different app, and you don’t have to send anything. Open Apple Notes, Day One, or whichever journal app you already use, and start an entry. A paper notebook works too.
Instead of asking “What happened today that’s worth recording?”, try “How would I tell them about this?” You’re still writing about your life, just finding a different way to begin.
How to start letter journaling: think about who you’d tell
It could be a friend you’re comfortable talking to, or your future self. You don’t need a formal greeting or a particular letter format. Just have someone in mind.
Say you heard an old favourite song today. Talking to a friend, you might start with: “I was out for lunch today, and they played that song we used to listen to.” That might remind you of meals together or walks home from school.
You can follow those thoughts in a journal too. When you’re talking to someone familiar, you don’t need to explain every bit of background or cover the day from waking up to bedtime. Start with whatever you want to tell them.
If you’re writing to your future self, you could talk about what’s keeping you busy and leave a question you can answer later. For more ideas, see what to write in a letter to your future self.
If you forget you’re “writing a letter” halfway through and it becomes an ordinary journal entry, that’s fine. This is a way to get started, not a format you have to follow to the end.
Turn a list of events into a letter
Here are two sample ways to write about the same small event:
Just the events: I took the bus home from work today. Traffic was bad, and I got home half an hour late.
As if talking to a friend: Got stuck in traffic on the way home again. I was annoyed at first, then sat looking out of the window and noticed that little shop has a new sign. Do you remember it? We used to buy snacks there together. I’d almost forgotten about that.
The second version adds a detail that caught your attention and a memory it brought up. Try asking, “What else would I tell them?” You don’t need to add a reflection to everything that happened today.
The first version is fine too. If it records what you wanted to remember, stop there. Writing as a letter is something to try when you want to say more but aren’t sure how to continue.
A few simple ways to get started
If you want to give this a try, here are a few easy entry points:
1. Jot down a single detail you noticed
Don’t worry about summarizing your whole day. Just grab one small thing you saw, heard, or found interesting:
Example:
When I went out for noodles at lunch, an old song played that I hadn’t heard in years. I couldn’t remember the title, but when the bowl was brought out, I suddenly remembered eating at street stalls with friends back in school.
2. Turn advice into a simple question
When writing journals, it’s easy to start giving ourselves lectures, like “I need to wake up earlier” or “I shouldn’t procrastinate next week.” Telling yourself what to do gets boring quickly. Try asking a casual question instead:
Example:
Instead of: “I hope I manage my time better in the future and stop rushing at the last minute.”
Try: “When you re-read this note later, are you finally done working overtime on weekends?”
3. Write down little things you haven’t sorted out yet
You don’t need to wait until everything is figured out before writing it down. Things you’re still weighing or just unsure about can be fun to record too:
Example:
I moved the plant pots on the balcony this afternoon. I thought putting them near the window would get more light, but now they feel a bit in the way. I’ll leave them like this for a couple of days and shift them back if they start annoying me next week.
A simple example
(The following is an example entry, not the author’s personal experience.)
To a friend I haven’t caught up with lately:
How was your weekend? I meant to finish those two books on my desk, but spent most of the time sitting on the balcony, scrolling on my phone, and clearing out a drawer. By evening, it felt like I hadn’t done much. I did finally get through that art book, though. Some of the street scenes reminded me of the road we used to walk home from school. We took it every day and barely thought about it. Now I’d quite like to go back.
Write however works best for you
Personal journaling doesn’t require good prose, minimum word counts, or rigid guidelines. You can type out a long note late at night, or jot down two or three lines during a lunch break.
If you still can’t think of something to start with, browse these 24 journal prompts. Pick one you have something to say about, then answer as if you were chatting. You can stop after that paragraph or follow whatever comes to mind next.
I make Inks and enjoy recording things as letters myself. But to try this approach, the notes app, journal app, or notebook you already have is enough.