Have you done this? I've done this.

Let's say you are at a neat restaurant and having a great time with friends. You and the gang go to a couple of other places and some really exciting things happen. Maybe not life-changing events... just cute little vignettes in your life that you'd like to capture and save for posterity.

Okay. Most of the time it's a good thing you don't have a camera crew tailing behind you, because the average day is rather predictable. Sometimes though, you just wish you could hit "instant replay" and experience the day.

Let's say this is one of those days.

Finally, you get home, you're exhausted from the fun evening, but you're still too wired to go straight to bed, so you get on your computer and decide to update your online journal.

And your mind just draws a blank. Or it's all mixed up in your head and you don't know where to start.

Ways to Track the Day

An online diary or journal is often a series of notes to yourself. Whether you are writing for an audience or just for your own edification, each day's entry is like a personal time capsule. You can go back and glance at it and go, "Yeah, I remember that!" Or, "Gee! What was I thinking?"

Sometimes you don't need help. You'll always remember that moment. Most times, though, memories fade. You need something to take you back so you can capture it in your journal.

Sometimes you just need to plan ahead. If you're going out with friends, remember to collect something from that place that you can use as focus when you get back to your computer. If you went to see a band, catch one of the flyers or pick up a souvenir while you're there.

I'm not saying spend $25 on a T-shirt, though. Find something that has the name of the place and the band, maybe the address of the place. Something that has information on it which you can use later to flesh out your journal entry. If you have a scanner, you might want to scan it into your computer and include it in the entry.

If you can, a more complete record is needed. Granted, some people will be uncomfortable if you carry a tape recorder with you, but you can at least try it. Or better, just bring a notepad and pen with you and jot down random notes through the day. (The Diarist.Net webmaster keeps a tiny Post-It pad in his wallet for this very purpose.)

It doesn't have to be pretty handwriting; just legible enough for you to read later. Not complete sentences, either. Just a few words that will trigger better memories.

Eventually, you should get into the habit of keeping a small notepad and pen with you all the time. Later, when you're in front of the computer, you'll have something to focus on, which can help you recall that moment when your brain's a little fogged from the day's events.

And if that doesn't help you fight writer's block, come back here next week and we'll try something else.