Last week we looked at two examples of why people get into online journal writing, and today we'll explore a few more. Of course this is not a complete list, but it can give you a general idea of "the why."

If you write for one of these reasons -- if any of the examples last week or this week resemble your motive -- perhaps exploring that can help writing in your journal easier in the future. Or, perhaps your reasons are not represented here. Exploring that for yourself can become a journal entry too.

Some more reasons.

To Practice the Craft:

I like to think there's a frustrated writer in all of us. For me, punctuation and spelling come easily. Always has, ever since I can remember. However, sentence structure and thought organization? That's a little tougher for me at times. And I still have trouble remembering the difference between it's and its or when to put the i before the e. Then of course there's typos. How does one curtail those through proofreading?

For other people, spelling is tough, or grammar in general. Or when to capitalize a word. Or maybe someone is very familiar with the established way we're supposed to write, but they want to experiment with variations. Maybe they purposefully want to break all the rules they can and see if they can still get a point across. Still others may hope to someday make a living as a writer.

Daily writing in a journal forces one to learn the craft, whether they want to or not. It brings out both the best and the worst in our ability to convey thought. It's tedious at times but it's also one hell of an adventure.

Because Nobody's Listening:

Don't laugh. Some people do it for this reason, and I think perhaps this is the most serious reason that exists in journaling.

It's most often seen when the person is writing anonymously. Sometimes they don't want the people around them to know what's really going on in their heads. And sometimes they wish the people closest to them did know, but they're not able to get through to them. Maybe it's apathy. Maybe the ones they think are closest to them really aren't, and they need to talk about it.

Whatever it is, it gnaws at them from the inside. They have something to say, but they are also afraid someone they know will read it.

They may even not care who sees it. They just need to get it out.

"I Write, Therefore I Am":

There's just something about it. It's cathartic. Only if you're a journaler could you really understand. Writing your mind out. Pouring it on the virtual page. It's a release. It's a journey through one's own mind.

It's quite amazing actually. Sometimes I look around at the people who filter in and out of my life. They may know everyone's birthdays. They may know that Joe walks with a limp because of a skiing accident four years ago and Gladys is secretly dating three other men... and a woman. They may know everything there is to know about other people, but they really don't know themselves. Journaling allows one to experience oneself in a quite unusual and incomparable way.

Did I miss your "why"? Tell me about it and maybe I'll add it in a future entry.

Just contemplating your motives for writing an online journal can help you write an entry. And your answer will no doubt change over time, so rethinking your "why" periodically can become a regular exercise for you as you venture forth through your life, and your mind's response to it.