But also…if someone is writing a diary…they can write it however they like without feeling like they’re not doing it right. The fun of personal writing is to be free in what you write. Lie if you want, but the first comment about journaling felt a little too targeted at people simply living. I write a diary to remember, not to embellish and create memories that didn’t happen.
Diaries expected to be published: sure, do what you want to get as many eyes on your work as possible.
Diaries to be kept private: embellish if you like, but don’t feel as if you have to in order to be creative. You can write a diary creatively without lying. Do what YOU want to do, not what other people think you SHOULD do.
No hate to this post itself, it was beautifully written, but simply this is what came into my head as I read it! I might have COMPLETELY missed the mark too which if so, please feel free to tell me and I’ll happily delete my criticism haha. All the best xx
I totally see where you’re coming from, and I love that you engage so thoughtfully with this! But I’d argue that even the most “truthful” diary isn’t just a neutral record. it’s shaped by selection, framing, and the way memory itself works. Every diary, private or public, still constructs a narrative, even if unintentionally. It’s less about lying and more about the fact that memory is already a kind of storytelling. Whether we embellish or not, we’re always shaping what we write. But obviously that's just my take hahah thank you for your comment and take on this! :)
Ooohh I see where you're coming from and it's certainly an interesting take! I half agree I would say, especially in regards to the post itself, as maybe it is embellished unintentionally, but that's the key word here: intention. I think an issue arises if you're purposefully embellishing your personal diary (meaning, a diary meant for no eyes other than yourself) because at that point it isn't a diary but a fictional account of your life - which is fine, but then you start to confuse memories. Memory is a very fragile thing, and by interspersing untruthfulness, you're losing your life to a fantasy. BUT, intentionally, I bet it's a rather interesting thing to look into. To reread your own diary and wonder where you've perhaps mistaken something for another. I get what you mean though, and find it so interesting that we all see the world differently. (It's the cliche of the optical illusion where you see a beautiful woman, and I see a rabbit in the same image).
I think there is a danger in it becoming an icky game in narcissism. Main character syndrome / vanity is one of the worst qualities, and continuing to perform in your own diary (that is most likely private) is egregious.
Exactly. Writers like Anaïs are obsessive curators, so why not curate your memories too? When you revisit your old diary entries years from now, the facts won’t matter as much as being able to recall the feelings, anyway. We diary to record the memories; they’ll naturally conform to the select perspective of what we wish to see and hold on to. This is the beauty of writing. It’s never really true.
What I really couldn’t understand is that you’re saying that journals is when we exhale our words and write some realistic thoughts but dairies is when we create thoughts ? Isn’t it like writing a Novel or a book ? Writing diaries ?
No this is so real. Absolutely beautifully put. Also, why can it not be possible that our realities in their totality are comprised of experience (which you point out is just as subject to distortion anyway?) as much as they are saturated with desire, daydream, and unreality? We have such a mechanistic understanding of diary and it’s so limiting and cuts us off from so much of what makes us breathing, sentient beings, experiences, fantasies, dreams, re-rememberances and all
I guess it depends on what exactly a diary is for. There's no rules, and that's brilliant. Most of us know journalling as a form of catharsis and release, to get out the deep and dark truths inside, put them down on paper, and prevent it from being bottled up inside ourselves. It's a functional tool as routine as brushing your teeth in he morning. But I also love this take, it adds a whole other artistry to the writing form and would be fascinating to read.
I think the only risk (as has been the case with me) is that when journalling tiptoes the line between routine and literature, we mightn feel afraid to even begin from fear of it not being perfect. The truth is ugly and flawed - who'd want to write that? - I think if you can separate the two, and do both well so they both serve individual purposes then that's the ideal.
But I see the appeal: the private rehearsal, the secret rewrite, the thrill of telling the truth with just enough embellishment to keep it interesting.
Contradiction, as Nin knew, isn’t a flaw—it’s a signature.
Maybe that’s all I’m after: a place to flirt with my own boundaries, and call it art.
I could not agree more. The act of writing is the act of art. Every writer is an artist. We shift with our moods, we change with every word, every fragment we decide to add or leave out. The nuances we decide to display, the ones we hide and even the ones we decide to edit or colour in different auras. It's not just portraying our day. It's writing about (essentially) us. And even if it is an idealized version of us, what is so wrong with that? Some may even call it manifestation. And isn't that what life is about? Isn't life about shaping our own identity? Swimming with whatever tide clashes into us and transports us to shores that are unknown to us? We shape and create our own identities. That's how we evolve and grow into the version of ourselves that we can bear to see in mirrors.
But also…if someone is writing a diary…they can write it however they like without feeling like they’re not doing it right. The fun of personal writing is to be free in what you write. Lie if you want, but the first comment about journaling felt a little too targeted at people simply living. I write a diary to remember, not to embellish and create memories that didn’t happen.
Diaries expected to be published: sure, do what you want to get as many eyes on your work as possible.
Diaries to be kept private: embellish if you like, but don’t feel as if you have to in order to be creative. You can write a diary creatively without lying. Do what YOU want to do, not what other people think you SHOULD do.
No hate to this post itself, it was beautifully written, but simply this is what came into my head as I read it! I might have COMPLETELY missed the mark too which if so, please feel free to tell me and I’ll happily delete my criticism haha. All the best xx
I totally see where you’re coming from, and I love that you engage so thoughtfully with this! But I’d argue that even the most “truthful” diary isn’t just a neutral record. it’s shaped by selection, framing, and the way memory itself works. Every diary, private or public, still constructs a narrative, even if unintentionally. It’s less about lying and more about the fact that memory is already a kind of storytelling. Whether we embellish or not, we’re always shaping what we write. But obviously that's just my take hahah thank you for your comment and take on this! :)
Ooohh I see where you're coming from and it's certainly an interesting take! I half agree I would say, especially in regards to the post itself, as maybe it is embellished unintentionally, but that's the key word here: intention. I think an issue arises if you're purposefully embellishing your personal diary (meaning, a diary meant for no eyes other than yourself) because at that point it isn't a diary but a fictional account of your life - which is fine, but then you start to confuse memories. Memory is a very fragile thing, and by interspersing untruthfulness, you're losing your life to a fantasy. BUT, intentionally, I bet it's a rather interesting thing to look into. To reread your own diary and wonder where you've perhaps mistaken something for another. I get what you mean though, and find it so interesting that we all see the world differently. (It's the cliche of the optical illusion where you see a beautiful woman, and I see a rabbit in the same image).
I think there is a danger in it becoming an icky game in narcissism. Main character syndrome / vanity is one of the worst qualities, and continuing to perform in your own diary (that is most likely private) is egregious.
Loved this endlessly
There’s something so iconic about this - blur the story, keep your readers guessing!
Exactly. Writers like Anaïs are obsessive curators, so why not curate your memories too? When you revisit your old diary entries years from now, the facts won’t matter as much as being able to recall the feelings, anyway. We diary to record the memories; they’ll naturally conform to the select perspective of what we wish to see and hold on to. This is the beauty of writing. It’s never really true.
What I really couldn’t understand is that you’re saying that journals is when we exhale our words and write some realistic thoughts but dairies is when we create thoughts ? Isn’t it like writing a Novel or a book ? Writing diaries ?
The kind of validation I didn’t know I needed
This!!! (So good)
diaries are performative just by their nature alone, i really liked this piece! thanks for writing it.
As someone who has not read anais, to the pain of so many who have asked - this is the single reason I intend to change that immediately.
No this is so real. Absolutely beautifully put. Also, why can it not be possible that our realities in their totality are comprised of experience (which you point out is just as subject to distortion anyway?) as much as they are saturated with desire, daydream, and unreality? We have such a mechanistic understanding of diary and it’s so limiting and cuts us off from so much of what makes us breathing, sentient beings, experiences, fantasies, dreams, re-rememberances and all
now i no longer feel bad about making up or altering lies about events i write in my diary
I guess it depends on what exactly a diary is for. There's no rules, and that's brilliant. Most of us know journalling as a form of catharsis and release, to get out the deep and dark truths inside, put them down on paper, and prevent it from being bottled up inside ourselves. It's a functional tool as routine as brushing your teeth in he morning. But I also love this take, it adds a whole other artistry to the writing form and would be fascinating to read.
I think the only risk (as has been the case with me) is that when journalling tiptoes the line between routine and literature, we mightn feel afraid to even begin from fear of it not being perfect. The truth is ugly and flawed - who'd want to write that? - I think if you can separate the two, and do both well so they both serve individual purposes then that's the ideal.
I’ve never kept a diary—not really.
But I see the appeal: the private rehearsal, the secret rewrite, the thrill of telling the truth with just enough embellishment to keep it interesting.
Contradiction, as Nin knew, isn’t a flaw—it’s a signature.
Maybe that’s all I’m after: a place to flirt with my own boundaries, and call it art.
I could not agree more. The act of writing is the act of art. Every writer is an artist. We shift with our moods, we change with every word, every fragment we decide to add or leave out. The nuances we decide to display, the ones we hide and even the ones we decide to edit or colour in different auras. It's not just portraying our day. It's writing about (essentially) us. And even if it is an idealized version of us, what is so wrong with that? Some may even call it manifestation. And isn't that what life is about? Isn't life about shaping our own identity? Swimming with whatever tide clashes into us and transports us to shores that are unknown to us? We shape and create our own identities. That's how we evolve and grow into the version of ourselves that we can bear to see in mirrors.
Ohhhh I love this so much !!