We are living strange, and perhaps unprecedented times, which has prompted some formal efforts to document the moment.
Both the Atlanta History Center and Georgia Historical Society are leading attempts to chronicle this moment in history, but it can also be an opportunity to document it for yourself.
Whether or not you've previously been a journal keeper, now could be a good time to start.
"It's incredibly useful both for us personally and on a historical level to keep a daily record of what goes on around us during difficult times," author Ruth Franklin told the New York Times.
Here are some tips on keeping a journal:
Find the right tools: The Cut suggests in an article, "A Total Beginner's Guide to Keeping a Journal," finding the right medium for you. Whether you'll write digitally or with pen and paper, make sure you find the best combo for you.
Don't fret too much about making it perfect: Author Tara-Nicholle Nelson, told The Cut, "Your brain does not work in flow mode and edit mode at the same time, so if you're trying to make the writing good or to edit it as you put it on the page, you will be pinching off the flow at the same time."
“Write bullet point lists, meander, write nonsense and the like, only then will your nervous system realize it is being allowed to truly down-regulate and relax. And then you’ll find yourself having all sorts of insights and fun and flow in your daily writing,” Nelson told The Cut.
Remember you have something to say: Even if you don't consider yourself a writer, your point of view has value. Don't worry about writing for an audience.
"We have to convince ourselves that we're writing something that perhaps other people want or need to read," University of Virginia history professor Herbert Braun told the New York Times.
“When we write these words, they don’t have to be great. They don’t have to be perfect. We don’t even have to write a complete sentence at first,” he said.
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