Dialing In To Daily Diary

Since man first put charcoal to cave wall, he's been writing down his daily thoughts. And my, how times have changed with all of our electronic means to accomplishing the same thing.

Why, you can look at Facebook or Twitter as forms of a diary. Or you've got the blog, something you can write to yourself or to just a few friends or to the whole world.

Dona Potratz (left) of Tama, Iowa,  (see today's Ramblin' column in The Gazette) has been keeping a diary since she was 9 years old and had an emergency appendectomy. Since Dona is soon to turn 80, that means she's been keeping her daily journal for more than 70 years. She never thought it would last this long, but it seems one of her three children or some other relatives gives her a new journal each year so she keeps writing.

Wow. You'd have to do a lot of transcribing to get that many years of information into an electronic medium. But, I bet there are some folks out there who've been doing it for quite a while, maybe 20 years or so? If you're one of them and from Eastern Iowa, I'd love to hear from you and receive a link to your writings.

In the meantime, here are some tips to keep in mind if you're already keeping a daily diary or plan to start one:

• Keep it neat so other people can read it -- or so you can still read it in 20 years.
• Keep it interesting. Even starting out with something like "You'd never guess what happened to me" can give it some pizzaz.
• Try to write at least something every day, even if it's only transcribing a recipe or talking about the weather.
• Give your diary a name instead of writing "Dear Diary." Maybe something like, "Howdy Fred" or "Good Day George."
• Make sure you put a date on each entry. You can also put the time you write if you'd like.
• Add some doodles or illustrations if it makes you feel better.
• Add something about your dreams -- how you wish the day had gone or what you hope will happen tomorrow and where you see yourself in five years as a result of what happened today.
• Say "Good Night" or sign off in some way to signify you're done for the day.