I know writing a diary is typically something looked down upon, or something your grandma tells you to do and you just roll your eyes. I know that, and yet I chose to set my new years resolution of 2015 to write a diary most days (one of the only ones that have ever lasted for more than two days). It's something I do quite often now, and I really enjoy it. It's like my own personal therapist, where I can write about absolutely anything I want without worrying about hurting someone's feelings. It's a place where I can say absolutely anything I want about something and not worry about being judged.

Just a note - Is it just me or is the font I've written in above very similar to that of Claude Monet on the cover? I had no idea that he and Taylor Swift had such similar handwriting!

Seeing as I've been writing consistently for a few months now, and am currently on my third diary, I figured I could call myself a senior diary-writer (lol). Therefore, I decided to use my position to share some tips and tricks with you, in case you'd like to start journaling.

This is by far my favourite one. It's from Paperblanks!

1. What I consider the most important tip probably sounds stupid, but it's to buy a nice diary. A really, really nice one. This one is at least very important to me, and I take great care in looking for a new one. I figure it this way: If I'm going to pour my heart and soul into this object (although not literally, like Ginny did in the Chamber of Secrets), I want it to be an object that I can look at and be proud of. For the few months each of these diaries are in use they're like extensions of my brain, and having a really pretty one keeps me motivated to write. I'd recommend ones from Paperblanks, but TkMaxx do really good ones too.
2. My second tip is what everyone advises you to do when starting something new, and that is to make it a habit. I'm not saying every day, but at least once a week have a habit that after dinner before you go to bed, you write. It makes it easier to do if you're not used to it.
3. Slightly opposite to point #2, but you don't have to write down everything. You don't have to catch up on weeks worth of happenings if you haven't been writing during that time. To me, that would make me put it off even more, because having to write so much at once seems daunting to me.
4. Just write. Seems simple, and it really is, so don't put so much pressure on yourself. Just write about what you had for breakfast, or why you and your friend got in a fight. Anything you want there, belongs in your diary.
5. This is something that took me a long time to get used to, and that is to make sure I'm writing to myself. It seems obvious, of course I'm writing to myself! But no, I noticed that in the beginning I was writing more like what I would want someone else to read, which doesn't help at all. What's the point in that? So just make sure you're writing to the you who's here right now, not the one twenty years from now.