Recording One Bit Of Minutiae Is An Entry

From The Pen's Nib: Edition 87

Oct 13, 2025

Topic: Journaling Challenges and Journaling Inspiration

As I read Sarah Gristwood’s Secret Voices: A Year of Women’s Diaries, I realize that many diarists struggle with daily entries, even if their profession is writing.

“I realize that a diary should be written up daily even if the day is without particular events and there seems little of note worth recording. No day is really without interest, being filled with thought, memories, plans, moments of particular hope and occasional moments of depression. Every day is lived in the present, but also vicariously in the past and one can write a novel of 100,000 words covering just one hour of a human life. But it seems too egotistical to spend the last hours of every day contemplating the minutiae of unrecoverable moments.” P.D. James, September 24, 1997

I find it comforting to know that I’m not alone when I’m challenged by my daily habit. It’s a challenge that comes and goes, but never completely goes away. Journalers at all levels of experience are challenged at times.

Have you struggled with daily journaling like I have?

Even when you have a solid habit of sitting daily with pen in hand, the challenge of putting words to paper may not elude you. Where do you start? What do you write? Should I write this again? It doesn’t matter what lies ahead in your day or what transpired over the course of the day.

Sometimes you must trust the process. The process begins with starting. You may need to find your daily inspiration in the briefest of moments.

In P.D. James’ diary entry, she acknowledges that so much of our day appears to be of “little note worth recording,” however, each day is filled with interest. She lists five possible beginnings for an entry. Only one is needed as a start.

We are never without thought, even if it’s simply what you're thinking in the moment. Today, I started with my thoughts on trying a new brand of journal. I’m wondering how the pages will respond to writing with a fountain pen.
Memories can be sparked by a person, place, or thing. I wrote today about how it would be my father’s 95th birthday. I have such fond memories of celebrating his 90th.

The rough weather didn't dampen my father's birthday celebration. Photos by S.G.S. Abel

You don’t have to be a planner to have plans. How did your plans for the day work out? What’s one thing you are planning tomorrow? It’s my granddaughter’s 4th birthday this week. I listed what in needed to take to a celebration dinner.
Most days, I have moments of hope. It may be the desire to complete a newsletter draft or the opportunity to get in a long walk.
No one is immune to moments of depression. For me, it’s most often what I call being in a funk. I recognize it in myself when I’m not successful in my effort to change.

We shouldn’t expect to write about all of these in one journal setting. However, it only takes one to begin a journal entry. Write a sentence or two about one moment, then see what follows. Whether you write more or not, you have written a journal entry.

You may be surprised at what small moment inspires an entry. You may also be surprised at what other thoughts emerge and how much that small moment inspires you to write.

We each must determine for ourselves what is worth noting, and it all starts with one minutiae of an unrecoverable moment.

Takeaways:

Journaling daily can be a challenge because we often struggle to recognize moments of worth.
A sentence about any small moment of your day is an entry.
One small moment can surprise you by inspiring you to write more.

If you journal, try this prompt:

Challenge yourself to write about one small moment from today that you consider unworthy of noting and see where it leads you.

Do you have a strategy to employ when you struggle with what to write in your effort to write daily? Leave a comment and let me know.

From The Pen's Nib: A Commonplace Book on Journaling

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