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I'm guilty of penning some of the most boring and uninspiring scrapbooking journaling that won't even excite my doggy. I had doled out my fair share of unembellished journaling with the usual Who, What, Where, When and Why a little far too often for my own comfort.

Doesn't this simple, straight-forward writing style of 5 Ws I've adopted reminds you of the no nonsense writing of a current affairs journalist? Does it begin to sound a little like a plain, boring main entree of dory fish fillet with no sauce, no side dish and no dressing to give the dish a bit of "make-up"?

Then why did I do that?

Because it's easy. Because it's nearly a no-brainer except that I have to dig deep into the well of my memories and spit out the facts to keep the recording straight. Except that I'm scrapbooking journaling without my heart too.

Sure, straight reporting style with 5Ws does get the job done and making sure that all the important grounds are covered. It almost ensures that my future generations will know "exactly" what's up with each photo.

But wait a minute... does this style capture what matters most in my life? Does it reveal to others the stories I hold so dearly in my heart? Does it bring out the different sides of me that others rarely have the chance to know?

What about you? Did you intentionally or unconsciously leave out the most cherished stories of your life in your scrapbooks? Have you neglected to squeeze in the juiciest bits of your life into those pages?

Does your scrapbooking journaling speak to you as you flipped through your albums? Or is something vaguely missing from those pages? Is that missing something jumping out at you now?

If something is bothering you at this point, perhaps you've been committing the same boo-boo as me. I've not been scrapbooking journaling from my heart. Have you?

Let's just say that though there's nothing wrong with scrapbooking journaling with plain descriptions using the 5Ws approach, but is there a way that we can journal better?

Yes, of course there's a way. In fact there's a couple of tips to help you journal better. But the first step involves giving yourself the permission to break away from conventional journaling approach.

The moment you permit yourself to journal from your heart instead of sticking to rules, your journaling will start to speak to you and others.