Journaling and stories

Write down what you won't remember in ten years' time, because the photo already shows what it looked like. Journaling is the writing you add to your photos, and it doesn't have to be long or beautiful.

These questions will get you started:

• Who is in it and what were you doing?
• Where and when was it?
• Why did you take this particular photo?
• What did someone say, what could you smell or hear?
• How did you feel at that moment?

Pick one or two and write it the way you'd tell a friend. Small details, like a joke or the food, are what make the story come alive later on.

Read also: What to write next to your photos: journaling in your scrapbook

Start small: a date and three sentences about your day are enough for your first page. Spelling, grammar and neatness don't matter. The book is yours.

Choose a notebook you like, but not one so precious that you're afraid to start in it. Set a regular moment, for example after dinner or before bed, and leave the book and a pen somewhere you'll see them. If you can't think of anything, use a writing question such as 'What was the best moment today?'. After a few weeks you'll naturally find out which format suits you.

A fineliner with pigment ink is the safest choice: it's waterproof, hardly fades and doesn't smudge once it's dry. A well-known example is the Sakura Pigma Micron, but other brands make good pigment fineliners too.

• On dark paper, a white gel pen works well, such as the Uni-ball Signo or the Gelly Roll.
• Gel pens need a moment to dry, so don't run your hand over them straight away.
• A ballpoint pen sometimes smudges on smooth paper and can press through onto photos.

Above all, choose a pen that feels comfortable in your hand and test it on a scrap of your paper first.

Read also: Which pen to use in your scrapbook and journal

Yes, go ahead and use it, because for whoever reads the album later, your handwriting is often the most precious part of the page. Your children and grandchildren will recognise you in it, and a typed font can't do that.

If you'd still like it to look a bit calmer, this helps:

• Write on a separate card or strip. If it goes wrong, you can start again without ruining your page.
• Draw thin pencil lines and rub them out after writing.
• Write more slowly and a little smaller than you're used to.

If you really don't want to write by hand, you can also type your text and print it out.

Read also: What to write next to your photos: journaling in your scrapbook

Make it so small that you can always manage it, for example one sentence a day or three short bullet points. People who aim for a full page every day usually give up after a few weeks.

• Choose a regular moment and link it to something you already do.
• Leave your book and pen where you can see them.
• If daily doesn't work, write a weekly round-up instead.
• Keep your diary separate from your planner, so it doesn't turn into a to-do list.
• If you skip days, just carry on with today.

Let decorating be an extra. The writing is what you'll read back later.

Read also: How to keep up your journal beyond the first few weeks

Write down one ordinary detail, because it's exactly those everyday things you'll most enjoy reading back later. What you ate, the weather, a song you kept hearing or something your child said: in a few years, that's precisely the life you'll have forgotten.

Other ideas:

• a quote or a sentence that moved you
• one thing you're grateful for
• what you'd like to do differently tomorrow
• a little doodle or a receipt

It's also fine to leave an empty day empty. A diary isn't an obligation.

Read also: How to keep up your journal beyond the first few weeks

Prompts are short writing questions that help you along when you don't know where to start. You pick one and answer it in a few sentences next to your photo or in your journal.

Examples:

• What do I want to remember about this day in ten years' time?
• What does an ordinary morning look like in our house?
• What's my favourite spot at home right now, and why?
• What would I tell my younger self about this?

Keep a list at the back of your book or on your phone. That way you'll always have a question to hand when you get stuck.

Read also: What to write next to your photos: journaling in your scrapbook

Either works, but most scrappers make the page first and leave a space for the text. While you build the page, put a blank card or piece of paper where the journaling will go, so that space doesn't quietly fill up with decorations.

If you have a long story, write a rough draft of your text first. Then you'll know how much space you need and can design the page around it. That saves you having to cram everything into a corner afterwards.

Read also: How to build a scrapbook layout step by step

As long as the story needs. A short line is just as good as a whole page. A caption with who, what, where and when is already worth a lot, and one sentence is always better than nothing.

If you want to say more, tell the why as well: what the moment meant or how you felt. Long texts fit perfectly well on a page. Write smaller, use an extra card or give a day a whole spread. On social media you often see short little phrases, but that says nothing about how it should be done.

Read also: What to write next to your photos: journaling in your scrapbook

Create extra writing space that folds open or pulls out, or shorten your text. For example:

• a small envelope with a written-out letter inside
• a flap that covers part of the page
• a label or tag that you slip into a pocket
• a card behind a photo that you can slide out
• an extra page or the back of the page

Shortening works too: read your text back and cut whatever the photo already shows. If you write a rough draft of your text first from now on, you can allow for the space while you design.

Read also: Envelopes, flaps and hidden journaling

No. Just start again with today and only catch up on what you really want to keep. People who try to fill in all the missed weeks first often never get any further.

If you'd still like to record something from the missed period, make one catch-up page with a list of highlights, a few photos or a card. Notes on your phone or sticky notes help too: jot down a few keywords when you don't have time and write them up later. An album or journal doesn't have to be in strict order.

Read also: Behind on your album: do you have to scrap in order?

Write more slowly; that makes the biggest difference. Practising for a few minutes every day helps as well.

• Pick a handwriting style you like and copy it every day for a week.
• Use a pen with a bit of resistance, such as a fineliner, rather than a smooth ballpoint.
• Draw pencil lines so your letters stay the same height.
• Sit relaxed and don't grip your pen too tightly.
• Practise on scrap paper before you write on your page.

The goal is legible, not perfect. Handwriting that's your own and a bit wonky is absolutely fine.

Cover up the mistake or make it part of the page. Throwing it away usually isn't necessary.

• Stick a card, label or piece of paper over it and write again.
• Put a sticker or a strip of washi tape on it.
• Use correction tape for a small word.
• Cross out the word and carry on writing. That's part of a diary.

Try not to tear a page out of a bound book. The matching page on the other side often comes loose too. If you write on a separate card from now on, you can simply grab a new one when you make a mistake.

Read also: How to fix a mistake on your scrapbook page

First make a mind map on a scrap of paper. Write the subject or title in a circle in the middle and put loose words, dates, names and memories around it. Connect the things that belong together with lines.

Neatness and full sentences aren't needed. Abbreviations and keywords are actually handy. Then see which thread is strongest and write your text about that. If you want to use the mind map itself on your page, you can scan it or stick it on as a background.

Read also: What to write next to your photos: journaling in your scrapbook

Write the full name down at least once, along with the relationship and the year. To you, 'Grandma' is clear, but in fifty years' time no one will know which grandma you meant.

• At the front of the album, put a list of first names, surnames and how everyone is related.
• Under group photos, write the names from left to right.
• On the back of loose photos, note the name and date with a soft pencil or a photo-safe pen. Don't press hard.

Mention the place too. That helps later when tracing family and places.

Read also: How to make a family album with old photos and documents

The first person is the most common and feels the most personal, like a letter or diary. If you're making the album for others, for example for your children or as a family album, the third person can be clearer.

You can also mix them: write your story in the first person and add the full names in a short caption. A lovely variation is a letter to someone in the photo, such as 'Dear Sem, you were three when…'. Choose one form per album, so it reads more calmly.

Use thicker paper and a pen with less wet ink. With show-through you can see the writing from the back; with bleed-through the ink actually comes through.

• Paper from about 90 gsm usually shows through less, but it varies by type of paper.
• Fineliners and gel pens bleed through less easily than thick markers or a fountain pen with lots of ink.
• Alcohol markers go through almost any ordinary paper.
• Test your pen on the last page of your book first.

If it still shows through, stick a card or piece of paper on the back.

Read also: How to choose a notebook that ink won't bleed through

Yes, you can, and for long stories it's often handy. Type your text, choose a legible font and print on sturdy, acid-free paper. Then cut it into strips or cards and stick them on your page.

Bear in mind: inkjet ink can run if it gets wet; laser prints are a bit more durable. Feel free to combine them: a typed story with a handwritten date or title. That way you also keep something of your own handwriting.

Read also: Hybrid scrapbooking: print digitally, finish on paper

Hide your text behind or underneath something on the page. This is called hidden journaling. The page stays beautiful and your story isn't there for anyone to pick up.

• Write on a card that you slide behind a photo.
• Put a folded letter in a small envelope.
• Make a flap that has to be folded open.
• Seal the envelope if it really is just for you or for later.

If it's very personal, consider keeping a separate notebook alongside your album.

Read also: Envelopes, flaps and hidden journaling

Write in the language you think in. Then your text sounds most like you. Many scrappers choose English because the supplies and examples are in English, but that's no reason to do it yourself.

Think about who will read it later, too. If your family is bilingual, you can mix languages or add a short translation. Dialect or typical expressions are perfectly welcome. They're exactly what makes it feel familiar.

At the very least, note the date and where it came from. Without those details, you won't remember later why you kept it.

• For a cutting: the name of the newspaper or magazine and the date it was published.
• For a ticket: who you went with and what you thought of it.
• For a receipt: what you bought and why it was special.

One or two sentences underneath or next to it is enough. The thin thermal paper of receipts often fades. So write important details down separately, or make a copy or take a photo of it.

Read also: How to keep tickets, receipts and newspaper clippings in your album

Choose a few set questions and answer them briefly, ideally as a list. For example:

• the best moments of the year
• something difficult and what you learned from it
• favourite books, music or places
• a few numbers, such as how many times you moved house or went on holiday
• what you're taking with you into next year

Choosing photos is easier if you mark your favourites on your phone throughout the year. Then you won't have to wade through thousands of photos in December.