Character Diaries

[𝐊𝐀𝐓 ᴀᴋᴀ 𝓡𝓮𝓭 𝓥𝓲𝓹𝓮𝓻]

Character Diaries are a more private side to your RP.

They can offer amazing OOC insight to others on how your character is really thinking, and feeling about things, as well as helping YOU their player get into their minds on a deeper level.

As with real life diaries, people write them for any number of reasons. The same reasons would reflect on your character's reason for keeping one as well. Here are 5 good ones. (The fifth being more for you as the player instead of for the character.)

• It can help them stay organized.
  
  When they write down their activities of the day in diary form, they get a clearer picture of how they're spending their time, as well as an objective record of their daily activities. Most people waste more time than they know, and having a written record can make them more aware of wasted time and opportunities. By keeping a diary documenting what they do each day, they can review their activities and make changes if they find they're not accomplishing their goals.
  
  
• It can make them more disciplined.
  
  Setting aside some time each day to write in their diary will help them develop focus and discipline. Instead of spending twenty minutes staring at the silly people running back and forth, they'll be doing a structured activity that requires thought and focus. This kind of focus, once developed, can help to bring success in other areas of their life. The discipline of keeping a diary can help to motivate them to accomplish more in all areas of their life.
  
  
• It's a stress reliever.
  
  Keeping a diary allows them to express their innermost thoughts, which can be an excellent way to relieve stress. If they don't feel comfortable discussing their problems with another person, they can always express them in a diary. Writing down their worries and concerns is a magnificent catharsis. Once time is set aside to write in their diary each day, they'll begin to look forward to it as a welcome break from the hassles of the day.
  
  {As the player, it may give you insight into your own character. It may become like you are sitting there listening to them. Some of the things 'they' say may come as a surprise to you.}
  
  
• It's a way to keep memories alive
  
  Most people keep memories alive by keeping photograph albums. While a picture really does speak a thousand words, they can't tell the whole story. Keeping a diary will allow your character to describe in detail important memories and experiences they don't want to forget. Instead of struggling to remember names and details, they can always look them up in their diary. A diary can become their own personal history book.
  
  {And not to mention it's a GREAT tool to have for the player. To look back on how your character has grown and changed. Things they have experienced, times that were special to them. Names of those that you may have forgotten about that your character never should.}
  
  
• It can make you a better writer
  
  Writing a diary for your character is an excellent way to improve your writing skills and may even help overcome writer's block. If you do any form of creative or nonfiction writing, and you find yourself grasping for words and thoughts, spend a few minutes free-associating by writing in your character's diary. This will help to get your words and thoughts flowing again. By keeping a diary for your character regularly, you may be able to avoid writer's block entirely.
  
  There are tonnes of great stories just waiting to be written based on just a single diary entry.

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You can start a character diary HERE if you are not a member of the guild. Just title it <Character's name here>'s Diary, and feel free to write in it whenever you./they wish. All entries would be considered IC, and as such, NO ONE may use any information read there in an IC capacity.

Writing a character's diary would also be a great way to be active on the forum, and not 'have' to be active in an open RP thread. Some people are shy to start one, or nervous to keep active in one with other people. A diary could prove as a great one on one.

By no means are Character Diaries mandatory, but i can promise they can become well worth the time and effort put into them on so many levels.

When it comes to adding a 'date' to your entries... There is no need, really.  A great quote from @sylverdubs covers it well.

Don’t constrain yourself with a day. The facts of the diary are what’s important.

If you need a time frame, mention something like “it’s been a few days since my last entry”.

Even then, it’s obvious that diary entries are in sequence. I’ve never used dates in diary entries, and it never confused anyone. If you need to write a date, continue with the one you’ve already started using. I’m fairly certain most readers will skim the date, understanding that entries are in sequence, and then proceed to reading the entry itself, which is vastly more interesting.

Just go for it.

Guest post regarding dates and diaries.