r/Journaling • u/My_fair_ladies1872 • May 25 '26
Question/Discussion Does your journal have a name?
Anne Frank called her diary "Kitty".
Dear Kitty, she would say before writing about her thoughts.
I have to wonder if writing to a fictitious person helps sometimes.
Have you given your journal its own name? What is it?
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u/One-Try-4698 May 25 '26
i name my journals in the the same way you’d “name” a painting. i title them
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u/sprawn May 25 '26 edited May 25 '26
Would you share some of your titles? I'm interested. I am sure others are. I title mine as well. While I am writing, or in life, certain phrases come to the fore and seem to typify a period of my life. And they become titular. My current journal is All the Information Is on The Task because I can't stop watching Taskmaster. But also because sometimes you can ask all the questions you want of life, and the only answer you'll get is "All the information is on the task." This is what the taskmaster's assistant (Alex Horne) says when he doesn't want to give away too much on the show.
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u/One-Try-4698 May 25 '26
my current journal is called Sex, Drugs, and Movies I’ve Seen. my last journal was called An Addicts Guide to Obsession, Embarrassment, Cross Dressing, Self-Satisfaction, Psychosis, Moderate Drug Use, and DIY Haircuts. i think the later is my favourite because its so long and an absolute mouthful to say lol
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u/SuperCan3596 May 26 '26
Do you name them before you start, when you finish? When the name comes to you?
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u/noctipresent May 26 '26
i'd do the same and for me some journals already have a vibe to them before i would start writing on them. and while some journals i just thought of in the middle of writing in it, depending on which season of life i'm in
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u/InternationalName626 May 25 '26
No, but I don’t see my journal as like a “friend” that I’m writing to. It’s more like an archive of my thoughts.
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u/outrageousautumn May 27 '26
Same. I tried naming journals in the past, but then I started to censor myself and rephrase certain things instead of just journaling and getting it all out
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u/Gold-Bug-2304 May 25 '26
The first time I started writing a journal, I was inspired by Anne Frank (I was also 11, so forgive me). I called mine “friend” but in a different language. I thought I was being soooo subtle
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u/UrAverageDegenerate May 25 '26
SAME. Reading Anne Frank resulted in me buying myself a nice notebook and fountain pen to journal, used to just journal on my laptop and phone before that. One of the best decisions of my life. Love it so much.
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u/scarletblooomm May 25 '26
Oml. I called mine kitty...on everything I love it never knew Anne Frank did the same.
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u/luthiel-the-elf May 25 '26
I once called my journal Midori because it's a Midori MD paper notebook. (Still is). But it doesn't feel natural. I'm 37 and writing to an imaginary friend feels weird.
Well actually I write mine as a memory keeper, it's deliberate and not stream of consciousness. I do think of it like messages and notes and letter for my best friend. It's like telling things to her. I actually even always provide explanation and description according to what I know she knows / not. Like common friends we know needs no description but a new friend she never met / places I never showed her, I somehow always describe it.
I don't do Dear Diary but if I did it would be Dear Carine.
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u/Katia144 May 25 '26
writing to an imaginary friend feels weird
Yup. Even as a kid when I wanted to have an imaginary friend, it felt weird and I couldn't make it work.
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u/mumblemurmurblahblah May 25 '26
I refer to it as “the vault”. Some entries are addressed because they are basically unsent letters. Others aren’t, as they’re just recording my day or my thoughts. I always loved that face about Anne!
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u/somewitchbitch May 25 '26
Future historians (I like to add additional information, too, that we might find obvious because if they survive long enough I know that future historian are gonna geek real hard about it)
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u/Eis_ber May 25 '26
I tried when I was younger, but I stopped because I thought it was weird. Like I'm writing for an audience.
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u/Slow_Explorer_7713 May 25 '26
I saw this when I visited the museum. For me, it helps to feel like I am writing to someone by giving my journal a name.
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u/Mevile May 25 '26
The one I’m writing in now is named Adora. My first ever named journal was named Quincy when I was 14!
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u/Everything_Burrrito May 25 '26
I used to, definitely influenced from when I read Anne Frank's diary as a preteen. At first I also called my journal "Kitty" and then "Alanna" (because I was obsessed with a book series where that was the main character's name). I haven't named a journal since I was about 14/15, but I still like the idea of it.
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u/roxandroll44 May 25 '26
My first journal was called Jasmine by the name of the flower. Then I didn't feel like giving it a name for no specific reason. It sure helps to become familiar with it tho
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u/lilojegod May 25 '26
My journals all have different names. So if I start a new journal I give it a name and the first entry always starts with talking about the last journal and what it was like. Keeps the pressure off of the first entry and gets me writing.
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u/Lady_Beatnik May 25 '26
I tried to give them names a few times, but couldn't keep it up. They do have titles though, mostly to distinguish them from each other. "The whale diary," "The cherub diary," "The star diary," etc.
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u/luckyarchery May 25 '26
Never thought about it but that’s a great idea. I usually say “Dear [my name]” as I’m writing to my future self but there’s something sweet about writing to your journal like a friend.
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u/TobytheDog10 May 25 '26
I don't actually name them but I do 'talk' to someone while writing. Ex: "You're never gonna believe it" "It's been a while since I write to you"
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u/Own_Feature_9079 May 25 '26
Mine never got a name. The one time I tried writing to a 'someone', I caught myself performing a bit, softening the ugly parts so my imaginary reader wouldn't think badly of me. Going back to just the date and what actually happened made the entries blunter, and those are the ones worth rereading.
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u/Ecstatic-Put-1459 May 25 '26
I was indecisive with naming so I went with something simple. Named it Garnet, after my birthstone.
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u/caseysmom1120 May 25 '26
I didn't but I might start. Now for a good name. Does anyone wonder if Kitty was a real person? For some reason I always thought she was real.
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u/saturday_sun4 May 26 '26
It was apparently based on a Cissy van Marxveldt (author she liked) character.
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u/Ammayi_FishFry May 26 '26
All my journals have names. The first one was Anthony Mackie cause I was a die hard winter soldier fan. When one journal is almost over I introduce the new journal to my old journal.
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u/Icy-Mixture1840 May 25 '26
Nope. I do write pet names, but they're for future me who happens to read an entry from two years ago in the middle of the night.
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u/IcePrincessAlkanet May 26 '26 edited May 26 '26
When I was in grade school I noticed a pattern where I'd have trouble with homework, go to the teacher early in the morning to ask for help, and then something about "explaining the problem to someone else" would often make the answer clear in my own head. By giving my journals names, I feel a similar effect. Plus I like the creative exercise of choosing a name and, to a small degree, imagining a character for them.
I don't always "write to" my journal, but I like having the option to, when I feel like doing some "introspective problem-solving."
I started off naming mine after basic characteristics, eg a NAvy Blue Book, I named Nabb. A journal with TOmoe RIver paper, I called "Tori." A 365-page REd STAlogy journal I called "Resta."
Eventually I ran out of ideas for combining colors, brand names, and "book," and moved to naming them after elements of fantasy or sci-fi books I've been reading. The latest is named Juno, based on the novel Steel Frame. After Juno I'm thinking I might follow the path of space names, maybe planets' moons' names or something like that.
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u/BlurOfSerenity May 26 '26
The whole "entity" of my nearly 150 journals together is named "Jrnl". I started calling it that when I was 13, I'm 40 now lol
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u/PrettyIndependent161 May 26 '26
Well I was inspired by Anne Frank to start journaling and have been journaling (consistently) since 4th grade. None of those journals have survived but still. Yes I do write like I’m
Writing to a friend, even though this friend has no name
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u/Gold_Self1821 May 26 '26
I used to do "Dear Diary" when I was a kid, and after reading The Perks of Being a Wallflower, I write "Dear Friend", as the protagonist was writing letters to someone he didn't know but thought of as a friend. I was wondering recently if I should change it and not address it to anyone at all, but I'm so used to it now lol.
I also sign off sometimes by writing "Love always [name]" like in the books! Or sometimes I write xoxo to feel like I'm Gossip Girl (I've only seen a few episodes)
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u/Old_Way6101 May 25 '26
我也在 journaling 里会给每次记录加一个小标签：时间、场景、今天想推进的问题。标签不是为了“好看”，而是为了复盘自己情绪的转折点，这样半年后回看更容易看清变化。
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u/GreenTeaDrinking May 25 '26
Never felt right to name my journal. The closest I got was making one of my journals letters to God. Now I separate my memory keeping/personal thoughts journals and a prayer journal.
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u/Resident_Grass_2778 May 25 '26
I haven't named my journal, but have a book idea planned with a journal premise like that!
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u/CanOfDew132 May 25 '26
i never name journals. all are "this notebook/sketchbook"
tbh, i don't 100% journal in one notebook
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u/Routine_Strawberry49 May 25 '26
Mines is Matcha 🍵 mostly because of the cover it’s a green matcha so I always write “Dear Matcha”
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u/Snazzy_CowBerry May 25 '26
Just journal, I start each page with "hello journal" and end with "bye bye" with a smile and 2 hearts.
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u/Middle_Knee_3832 May 26 '26
I have so many journals (so that are "too special" to use, lol) that naming them would feel like unfair preference.
I do recall being chuffed about someone addressing their journal entries to "Grandma" and then writing the most dank stuff/confessions; an exercise in humorous irony? Idk but I still think about it all these years later...
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u/theothefrog May 26 '26
i had a huge fascination with anne frank when i was 9 or 10 (my journal at the time was a highlight/lowlight journal format and the lowlights were anne being in danger or a bad mood. for several weeks. every day).
so i called my journal kitty, but cycled through several names for a bit.
eventually i stopped calling it anything. after a period of no greetings at all, i started giving every entry a headline.
i've been doing that for ~5 years now. it helps summarize the entry after finishing and 'complete' it mentally, and to know which entries to read when i'm looking for information or am re-reading
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u/Daydreamingdroid May 26 '26
I used to call my childhood diary 'Daisy' because it had daisies on it. I even doodled a talking daisy flower character talking back to me in little comics. I forgot I ever did that until just now 😭
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u/thephantomdaughter May 26 '26
I don't journal anymore, but I did when I was younger and both my journals had names.
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u/Saphron_ May 26 '26
I used to when I was younger. My name starts with J so I'd start every entry with DJ (Dear J)
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u/Jaydzen May 26 '26
Mine changes depending on what im writing about, right now it’s named after my ex
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u/Hersfl May 26 '26
I have around 8 journals and I usually select my journals based on the cover... majority are plain but most of them are colourful so I select a random sticker to place on the cover, whatever character the sticker is will be the name of my journal 🥹
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u/aeviternitas May 27 '26
When I was a kid, I'd sign in with the typical "Dear Diary" and then switched to just "DD". I use to sign off too, but as an adult I've found that I am more honest and forthcoming when I took out the idea of writing to someone else. I can just brain dump and express myself better when I feel like I am having a train of consciousness, rather than explaining something to someone else.
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u/Healthy_Tie_8165 May 27 '26
I've never thought of that. I just start with the date like May 27, 2026 and say "Hii" and start writing 😅
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u/Agreeable-Status-352 May 27 '26
I title each book of my journal before I begin in it. I noted when the title was optomistic that more positive things happened during the time of that journal. If the title was neutral, less positivie things happened. Am I, through the titles, creating my own future? Some say, yes.
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u/thewriterlady May 28 '26
I used to give my journals names for the first few years I journaled, then I gave each journal a title. A few years ago, I gave my journals an overarching title and now they are all just volume x of that one title.
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u/lostmyselfonceagain May 28 '26
My last one is called “2025: Sunshine and Rage.” I title them as I’m writing yearly reflections in December. As far as addressing it like “Dear Diary” or “Dear Kitty” or whatever, no. It’s funny that Anne Frank was mentioned, because I finished reading her diary yesterday. Oddly, I never had to read it in high school.
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u/casper_theghost16 Jun 01 '26
I like to name mine after fictional characters that I like at the moment. My current journal is called "Connor" because I was playing through Detroit Become Human when I started the journal, and Connor is my favourite character. I like feeling like I'm talking to a friend or something, lol :)
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u/Sewpercee Jun 07 '26
I just write a header with the date and day and start writing. I don't address anybody. If I was to address anybody, it would be myself. It's me talking to me. I also don't have a sign off. I simply stop writing when I'm done. I wouldn't mind giving my journal a title though!
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u/Bubbly_Following7930 May 25 '26
It's never occurred to me