Thread: Should I hand write or type my dream journal?

OK: So when I first joined the forum, two months ago or a little more, I started my dream journal by typing it onto my ipod and then uploading it onto here. However I have heard that it is better, because it's more personal and more dedicated, to write a dream journal in an actual notebook because there's more to the process.

Is there any truth in this? Is there any difference, really?

I handwrite my DJ. Then after i have ten dreams i typed them onto DV

I keep some paper and a pen at my bedside. If I wake up in the middle of the night, I jot down enough notes so that I'll be able to type up the dream in further detail on DV.

The difference is the amount of time it takes to write relative to typing. If you have a habit of explaining in great detail and happen to type 5 times as fast as you can write, you might want to stick to typing. Others just find it meaningful to handwrite them.

Originally Posted by Invader

The difference is the amount of time it takes to write relative to typing. If you have a habit of explaining in great detail and happen to type 5 times as fast as you can write, you might want to stick to typing. Others just find it meaningful to handwrite them.

Time's definitely a factor. You don't want to spend too long writing a dream down, because you might forget what came next.

Doesn't matter really, other than time, do you type or write faster?

I type so much faster. Thanks for the answers guys. I was just misled, I guess, into buying into the "if you hand write something it has more meaning". Back to my ipod, thankfully.

I've been told the same but I now know it all depends on how much effort you give it. I haven't been giving much if at all lately.

I have a zoom H2 recoeding device ZOOM H-2 - U.K. International Cyberstore by my bed so I don´t need to bother with pen and paper in the middle of the night. I also write it all down In a notebook but I prefer to do that when I´m actually awake

studies say that writing down is better then typing because you are both seeing and doing at the same time and it helps your brain to comprehend what you are writing and therefore you will retain the information for a longer period of time. I learned that in a study skills class, but since we are working on dream recall for our quest for lucidity so I figure it would be the same. I don't know though for sure, I am still new to LD'ing, thats just my opinion

I dislike handwriting it for a few reasons. I don't want anyone coming across a written note and reading something potentially embarrassing. I don't want to fuss around with finding the pen, turning on enough light, getting the pen to write (has to be right side up). Though I did once buy a "Space Pen" that can write upside down, but never really made much use of it. Most successful for me was when I had an old Atari XE set up with a little TV and a very dim light over the keyboard, so all I had to do was reach over to a plug strip and switch it on and it was set up to auto boot into TextPro. I even tried to set it back up recently but I can't find the real-time clock cartridge and can't remember how to use TextPro!
I'm probably going to purchase a little netbook...

I like making jotnotes in a notebook (which I keep beside my bed) because there's less to the process. I'm more likely to get distracted if I try to type it up right away, what with email and chat and internet. Once I've scratched out a few bullet points I'm not in any danger of forgetting the dream, so I'll go ahead and type it up.

I record my dreams on my iPhone via a voice recording app.
I feel it allows me to interpret feeling a lot better because when I listen to it later on, I can hear any and all emotion in my voice.

I think the voice recorder might be the best idea. You can get super simple and cheap units that only do voice recording and are key-chain size intended for a shopping list memo. I have one I should put it by the bed and learn to use it in the dark. The only problem is I hate the sound of my own voice!
As for the computer, I also just type out a few "bullet points" - objects, maybe a vague description of a dream character, maybe a sentence or two about actions. Then some evening when I had time I might flesh out two or three of my notes.

I use a notebook because I don't have a computer where I live now, but I definitely do find it more personal, and I enjoy having a full compilation of my notes and thoughts with me, in chronological order, available anywhere and anytime. I can take it anywhere with me. It does take more time though, especially since I grew up with a computer, not with pen and paper, but I feel that I definitely put more effort into it when I write with the pencil, though I do find it takes much more dedication to do this, and to take the effort, to do as other say: get up at 4:30 and write down dreams that quickly fade, turn on the light, stumble to find the pencil, etc. However, I feel that this makes sense really - LDing is a dedicated process, that requires time and effort, and when I write down my dreams I'm doing so very conciously, while on the computer I kind of turn off my brain, words are wasted, it's easy to just write a lot and say very little. When you write things down it takes more time but more quality is put into each word, so when I read things I've written [when legible lol] it takes me back very vividly to the scene, since I was focusing so hard on the most direct pathway to the images and memory.

Plus, you can sketch and be creative in a physical DJ, which I really like to do

I live in a dorm and have a lofted bed so what I did was took my notebook and put a string through the metal binding and then tied it to the middle of the string and the on the other end I made a loop and put the loop over the corner of my bed. I then took one of the ends and duct taped a pen cap to it so I can pull the pen off when I need it, that was I always have my notebook and a pen right by my head.

Whichever way is more comfortable to you. You can always record them on paper and then type up the ones you want to share

I've been recording dreams for about 4 years now. What I do is leave paper and pen next to my bed, and if I feel like I may forget what I dreamed, I write down bullet points, just enough to enable me to type it out in full detail. I prefer typing them, because it moves so much faster, and so many times I've noticed that while typing the dream, I remember more of it, and I type so quickly that I can get to that "new" part I just remembered fast. If I hand wrote it all, I might remember a part, but have to stop writing to make a note about where to insert this new piece of information in the dream because it may not present itself for a while. I think the only advantage to hand writing is the more artistic feeling you get seeing your own dreams in your own writing in your own journal.

Originally Posted by MaxCrowne

I've been recording dreams for about 4 years now. What I do is leave paper and pen next to my bed, and if I feel like I may forget what I dreamed, I write down bullet points, just enough to enable me to type it out in full detail. I prefer typing them, because it moves so much faster, and so many times I've noticed that while typing the dream, I remember more of it, and I type so quickly that I can get to that "new" part I just remembered fast. If I hand wrote it all, I might remember a part, but have to stop writing to make a note about where to insert this new piece of information in the dream because it may not present itself for a while. I think the only advantage to hand writing is the more artistic feeling you get seeing your own dreams in your own writing in your own journal.

That's what I do. I jot notes down beside my bed in the middle of the night, and when I have enough detail to remember the rest of the dream I go back to sleep. Then I type them up later.

Edit: just noticed I already posted in this thread.