Hey you!
Welcome Black to Oh, Write! How’s your life? I hope things are going well in your world.
As for me, the sun’s been giving me a lil’ extra serotonin boost. I’m out here taking walks for fun and drinking up alllll that sunlight.
But, on the day I’m writing this intro it’s currently 23 degrees outside. Didn’t the calendar say that spring started like last week? Somebody lied.
Anyway—I hope you enjoy issue #32 boo! Nia out!
Writer’s Log #19
The first journal I remember having was palm-sized, its cover plastered with a black and white kitten in a myriad of adorable poses. Its most appealing feature was a silver lock and key that kept it closed and away from prying eyes. Privacy, even the illusion of it, excited me at 8 years old.
Back then, my journal entries were a drama-free documentation of my daily life: video games I rented from Blockbuster, TV shows I watched on Nickelodeon, adventures I had with my childhood best friend. I’d often address my journal as if it were a close friend, ending my entries with “See ya!”.
As I started middle school and my emotions matured, my relationship with my journal did the same. We talked less about video games and more about how I felt—about everything: being bullied, growing apart from my childhood friends, crushes.
The words I wrote in my journal were words I told no one. I had grown more reserved with age, unclear of how to deal with puberty and the changes that came with it. I dealt with it all by writing: in my journal and online. It always felt good to get it out, whatever it was at that moment.
Almost twenty years later, journaling has served a deeper purpose than documentation—often being a lifeline. But, I long to bring the practice back to its low-stakes roots.
My current journal has a leather cover, bordered with a gold trim. It’s discolored, giving an appearance of age that stems far beyond my years. I bought it in March 2021. It was a replacement for a similar journal I received as a gift at 12-years-old. I wrote in it for 13 years, on and off.
While as a child I wrote in my journal daily, now I only write a few times a month—during a good month. I journal when my emotions are at their peak, writing whatever’s on my mind, crudity be damned.
The words I write in my journal are words I tell no one. But, I’m far more comfortable with expressing myself than I was when I was a kid.
I’ll establish boundaries with a quickness. I’ll cut people off. I’ll cuss a motherfucker out. But, there are still parts of my life I want to discuss without having to tell them to an actual human being. So, I turn to the OG: my journal.
My thoughts often feel like a constantly growing knot, with each thought piling onto another, until the knot is so big that I can’t even remember where it all began. Journaling is unraveling the knot.
I feel lighter afterwards. Freer. Less likely to smack someone across the mouth. But, I don’t want my relationship with my journal to just be one where I’m constantly screaming expletives in its face.
I want journaling to be a daily practice, like it was when I was a child. I want to divulge every detail, even details I don’t think are interesting. It may not be interesting now, at 26, but it’ll probably blow my mind at 36, 46, and 56.
I see the effects now, reading the entries I wrote at 8 years old and smiling from ear to ear. I fall into a sea of gratitude, happy that I was able to make it to 26 and have the ability to reminisce.
Turning Red is One of the Best Pixar Movies of All Time, Don’t Argue With Me, Argue With Yo’ Momma
Ya girl has recently completed her 100 Albums in 2022 challenge! Can I get a whoop whoop! My 100th album was Latto’s 777—bangers on bangers on bangers.
I been needed some new baddie music y’all. Latto delivered.
Also, I recently watched Turning Red on Disney +. It was such a fantastic movie. As a girl of the 2000s, the movie was lowkey made for me. I felt connected with its main character, Mei, in so many ways. I’ve never related to any movie like I related to Turning Red.
Turning Red is the movie I wish I had when I was coming up. I completely balled at the ending, like cuddling my pillow, screaming, tears on my T-shirt kind of crying. That’s when you know it’s real.
But, it is a Pixar movie, and I don’t think there’s a Pixar movie I watched where I didn’t cry at some point—maybe Cars 2?
I’m also obsessed with the movie’s music, including the tracks from its fictional 2000s boy band 4*TOWN. The music is so quintessentially 2000s bubblegum pop. I love it.
Back in My Bag, And It’s a Cute Ass Bag
I’ve written about 12 poems since I decided to get back into poetry the last issue. It feels good to get back into my poet bag—my deep, deep, black velvet poet bag. *readjusts beret*
I did come across a possible idea for Camp NaNoWriMo next month…
…that I’ve been workshopping a bit, but I’m also open to just doing whatever else comes to me.
But, it’s cool what dope stuff’ll spring up in your mind when you just give yourself space to create, without fear or deadline.
Here’s a Question For You
I’m a big champion of documenting your life. I’ve always loved to journal, as I mentioned in this issue’s writer’s log. But, there are many different ways of immortalizing your memories, like photography or scrapbooking.
How do you document your life? Share your fave activities with your girl! If you don’t often do it, what way of documenting are you most interested in? Some fun examples I’ve seen are bullet journaling, art journaling, the 1 Second Everyday app, and the 365 Project.
Leave me a comment below OR send me an email at our fancy, schmancy new digital mailbox: ohwrite1@gmail.com.
Conclusion
Thank you so much for reading Oh, Write!
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Love,
Nia