A devilishly simple – and potentially revolutionary – writing tip for 2024

OK, I’m joining the despised (well I despise them, anyway) ranks of “this ONE writing tip will change EVERYTHING” brigade that marches smugly through January.

But this one actually might.  It’s this: write one line a day.

That’s all.

“But… what one line should I write?”

This writing tip is specifically to do with journaling – or to give it its proper name, diary-keeping.

Diary-keeping is something many of us find difficult to do for different reasons: one of which is getting into the right headspace to write down our innermost thoughts and feelings.  Another is the need some people feel to be a ‘perfect’ diarist; if you don’t write an entry every day, you’ve failed.

That’s why writing one line a day is an ideal entry-point.  Anyone can find a few moments to sum up their day in a single sentence, and it won’t take up too much space in your mind.

“Is it really worth writing just one line, though?”

There’s something about short, snappy writing that makes it memorable (think popular advertising slogans, or your favourite line from a book or film).

I’ve been keeping a diary since I was eight years old.  Reading them back, I’m always surprised by how it isn’t the long entries that stand out, but the random doodles and sentences I scribbled just to fill otherwise glaringly blank pages.

Those sentences take me right back to where I was and how I felt at that time, in much the same evocative way a familiar scent does; or when a song you haven’t heard in ages plays on the radio.

(As a teenager I used to grade my days from A-E too, which also help me remember just how good or bad they were!)

In short, writing a line will help you cut through the events of that day, as you sum up what was really important about it.  Later on, reading those lines back will help you understand more about who you were, and maybe offer some clues about who you want to become.

They might even spark something special, like a book or a story idea further down the line… though I don’t recommend having this goal in mind specifically.

For now, just write.

All you need to get started is a notebook and pen.

If you insist on creating a certain sense of occasion, you could also buy a dedicated ‘one line a day’ journal (like these ones).

Personally, I prefer a simple notebook because you can date each entry you make.  So if you miss a few days, weeks, or months – which is perfectly normal – you’ll just pick up where you left off, without running the gauntlet of blank pages.

So there you go: that’s my writing tip for 2024.  Enjoy.

Oh – and I haven’t forgotten that I need to write the follow-up for “how to write a useful and entertaining review”, just in case you were waiting on the edge of your seat for it (and I know you were).

It’s coming next week, so sit tight.