To Post or Not to Post, and Where? And Other Pitfalls to Avoid in International Fake Journal Month

New participants frequently struggle with the issue of whether to post their fake journal publicly or to keep a private fake journal.

I encourage all first time participants to consider how they can best serve their creative process.

If the issues they want to confront in their fake journal are intensely private, or simply intense, I think it is best for them to not post their journal entries in their inaugural year. Instead I suggest they keep a private document through the month and after April decide what if any of it will be publicly displayed. (Perhaps only a portion with a wrap-up which they could supply to me to be posted here. See “Wrap-ups” in the category list.)

In this way new participants avoid dealing with a barrage of questions that range from the “I’m confused, what are you doing this month?” to the “You know, you really SHOULD have done X differently, and Y doesn’t make sense in the construction you’ve created.” From the well-meaning to the snide, comments can derail the creator if he isn’t firmly fixed on a goal or a course of action.

If this is your first time going through the process I recommend that you consider this approach. The most important thing about your participation in this project is that you work with and protect your creative process.

If you have consideredthis and decided that you are going to go ahead with public posting read thispost from last year about getting on the participants’ blog roll list for thisyear.

Past participants can still write to me via email immediately and provide me with a link for the participants’ list.

The only thing that is changing for new participants is that you can write to me as soon as you have 6 entries completed (which for most people will mean they will write to me the morning of April 7). The email should come to me at rozjournalrat at gmail dot com and the subject line must read "Participants List."

Please be patient if you do not see your name go up on the blog roll immediately. IFJM is something that I do for fun. Work and eldercare often keep me away from the computer for long stretches and my first duty when returning to the computer is work. If you don’t see your name on the participants’ list in 4 days, then I recommend that you write to me again checking that you have used the right subject line. (It’s how I locate appropriate messages in the stream of mail we all get these days.) I also tend to do things in “blocks.” So if I get one notice from someone but am pressed for time I will often wait until I have 3 or 4 people to add to the list at the same time—time management rules here.

Another question I get about posting publicly is whether or not you need a dedicated blog for IFJM.

The simple answer is no.

But of course it’s more complex than that.

Most participants create a dedicated blog because they like to separate their IJFM entries from their regular work, their regular blog posts, the eyes of their clients or friends and family who wouldn’t understand the IFJM entries, or the project in general.

Our friends and family certainly don’t need to know everything we do. And our clients probably shouldn’t.

Separating your IFJM work onto a dedicated IFJM blog also prevents the possibility of confusing people you know and eliminates the “helpful” comments received from people who aren’t involved in IFJM.

Participants setting up a dedicated IFJM blog insulate themselves from well-meaning “negative” comments or sarcastic comments from passive aggressive types such as “Gee I see you have a lot of time on your hands.” (To which of course the only possible reply is, “Yes I manage m y time very well, thank you. Sorry you don’t.”)

The reasons to create a dedicated IFJM blog are countless and individual. I recommend you stop and consider your unique situation.

If you go ahead with incorporating your IFJM entries into your regular blog post stream be sure to devise a way to link them through tagging and grouping available on your platform. In the link provided in the participants’ list you will only have that FIRST POST’S link. Once readers are on your blog they must immediately see how to navigate and discover your other IJFM post or they will become frustrated and leave.

That defeats the point of public posting—especially when you are frustrating the one definitely interested group of readers.

Another possible way to deal with confusion when posting on a regular blog is to group all your week’s IFJM output into one weekly post. Perhaps each Friday you compile a post giving all your previous week’s entries, or every Sunday. Whatever works for you. This will enable readers to see more of your IFJM work quickly and easily, and the continuity of your IFJM posts and journal will not be constantly interrupted by other posts.

I’ve found in the past that people without dedicated blogs have more frustrating interaction with their regular blog readers about the project and that is not helpful but intrusive to the creative process.

Make it as easy as possible for those who want to find your IFJM entries to do so. Going through a lot of unrelated posts is something you think might be fun for them and maybe you would like feedback on your other work, but in reality the fake journal people are often only interested in your fake stuff during April (they can return another time) and will skip most of the other posts. They are busy and have to get back to their own fakery. (In the past several years several participants have asked that I make dedicated blogs mandatory and these are just some of the reasons they have expressed.)

Also, think hard about what your topic and parameters in your fake journal are going to be. Will it be something you can post in a general purpose blog or a general purpose art blog?

Blogger and Word Press are two entities that offer free blogs if you decide to go with a dedicated IFJM blog. You can then link your fake journal blog to your original blog with an opening and closing post.

In the past some participants have used Flickr to post their fake journal entries. Personally I find Flickr difficult to use, navigate around, and just get to where I want to go and have a sense of flow. Because of that I am always frustrated when trying to view entries posted there, and frankly give up at the first frustration.

I have feedback from others that I am not alone in this. If you post on Flickr because it is easiest for you to do so, that’s great. Keep  your posting process as simple as possible for YOU, so that you will be able to spend your time working on your project. But remember to make it as easy as possible for people who are trying to view your Flickr entries.

This year we have a new way to post entries. There is now a Facebook Group for International Fake Journal Month. 

Currently this is a public group and you can contact me at the group to get admitted. Past participants have suggested that this group become a private group once the month starts. This will enable new participants to post “publicly” to a public who knows what they are doing and can be encouraging. Whether you post there or not you are encouraged to join us there in IFJM-related conversations (though we probably will be all busy working on our journals?).

Go forward whichever way works best for you—because the focus should remain on the creation of the fake journal and NOTHING should get in the way of that—do what is easiest.

And speaking of making it easy—I have written numerous times in tips, tips on fake journaling, and book selection (to name just a couple categories) that you need to consider how easy it will be to scan or photography your  fake journal if you intend to post it (or digitally archive it). If you keep your journal size to a size that will fit open on your scanner so that you can scan a page spread in its entirety you’ll have one scan, not two which need joining in Photoshop. Believe me this time adds up and takes away from time you could be working in your journal.

(Take a moment to look through the category list for tips on media, paper, book selection as well as writing tips. There is also a blog search engine. This stuff is all there for you to look over. It's there to help you strategize some of these issues so that you can have a more effortless and creativity focused experience.)

Last year I deliberately went with an oversized page: 22 x 30 inches. I made this choice because that was what was necessary for the character. But I knew going into that year that I would not try to post entries daily. I knew I would only photograph a couple images as I went along. Most of the images would not be seen until the end of the month “show” where they were all up up on a wall. At that point I had a professional photographer shoot gigapans of the fake show. These images allow the viewer to zoom in on the details to a higher degree than even a quality scan allows.

EVERY CHOICE you make for your fake journal will impact the ease with which the project runs and finishes. The easier the housekeeping aspects of your project remain the less frustrating your month will be.

With that in mind take a moment to consider the media you have selected for use this month. Is it something that will be easily scanned or photographed? For example graphite works are notoriously difficult to photograph (believe me I always groan when given graphite work to use in my work projects).  With most scanners graphite work is a bit easier to handle, but even then there are some pitfalls requiring extra handling so that the impact of your work comes through. Consider such constraints as you move forward with your choices for International Fake Journal Month.

It is my goal in sharing this project and encouraging people to participate that the focus stays always on the creation of their work and the value this exercise can return to them at the end of the project.

Let’s have a great April! 

Time to Start Thinking about Your 2015 Fake Journal

It’s time to start thinking about International Fake Journal Month. Yes, April is still more than a month away, but it’s time to keep your eyes open and antennae twitching for possibilities.

For the past few days, when I have a moment or two, I have been gathering the commercially bound journals I have on hand. While I usually bind my own books, the past two years a shoulder injury has prevented that and I’ve been using more and more commercially bound journals, while completing physical therapy so I can return to binding. Typically I complete my fake journal in a commercial bound journal because that’s the first and most obvious difference I can draw from reality to fake—but now that might not be the case. So along with a few commercially bound journals like the types found in this post from 2012.

I am pulling a few small journals that I hand bound several years ago, off the shelves as well.

Once the small selection has been laid out on the table I’ll start thinking about what medium I might want to devote 30 days to.  I’ll ask myself what my subject matter might be, what I might enjoy creating with that medium, how I might seek out that subject matter, which of the books seems most friendly to these emerging plans, and then I’ll walk away from the table to think it all over.

If I get it in my mind that I want to work in gouache, I probably wouldn’t pick a book with paper I know is unsuitable for gouache. I love a challenge, but I also want to have some fun.

I also usually like to select a topic that I know will hold my interest for the entire month of April, and be doable—so detailed 9 x 12 inch portraits of people, that’s too much a time commitment. Value studies of fruits and vegetables I can set up on the table and execute in 15 minutes, doable.

For the first example I have to round up 30 people to sketch, or enough people that I can keep asking them to sit for me long enough that I can do a detailed portrait of them. That’s easily a 2 to 3 hour a day undertaking I wouldn’t impose on friends or myself.

Last year, because I wanted to make goofy people sketches, I requested animated photos from readers. I worked from photos, creating loose images that were all done very quickly (and the model didn’t have to sit for the portrait). But I prefer working from life so there were drawbacks to that solution. It did however give me ample time to work with acrylic inks and brush pens in a large scale (22 x 30 inches) during the month.

Since I’m just starting to paint again after a long hiatus (due to the same shoulder injury that limited my binding) there is something appealing about working in gouache for the entire month. Then even if I work with pen and ink all day, at least once a day the paints will come out.

Another consideration for me is whether or not my character will be mobile. If she (and 90 percent of the time I keep with a female character) is then I have to work out what sort of medium would be easily transportable and enjoyable and where she might take that medium, e.g., to the zoo, but not an art museum perhaps.

But I’ll wait to think on that until I’ve found the book. I have a sense that this year the answer lies in finding the book. Some years my character comes to me as soon as I pick a medium.

I would suggest that you start thinking about options and approaches yourself. Start taking stock of what books and supplies you have on hand. I think the project works best if you spend zero money on it—so use what you have on hand and push your creative response to those materials and see who pops up as a character and what theme or thread comes to the surface.

If you’re looking at books and supplies you have on hand and a character isn’t coming to you within two weeks of casual thought about this close you’re eyes and pick a book.

Then walk around for a week thinking about the media you can use in that book, on the paper it contains. Is that something you want to work with for 30 days?

Next think of a subject matter. By now it’s only about a week away and something is beginning to percolate. Once it does, take a moment to write a couple things down about your character—name, sex, habitat, likes, dislikes, that sort of thing. You can even make a list of friends’ names and a little bit about them if you want. REMEMBER once you start working you’ll be jumping right in and you won’t be explaining backstory because in the REAL course of events if I’m going to write about my friend Tom I don’t need to write all about him and how I met him and what he does and what he looks like when I mention him in April. I already know all that. Now I can certainly get at some of that information if it’s important to my character, for instance if she wants to indicate that he doesn’t look well she will describe how he looks different from NORMAL, but no more.

Think about those natural limitations to the journaling process as you move along. You can either just go merrily along or you can take a moment, before you start, to write a couple things down about your character so you don’t forget that her best friend is named Tom and start calling him Bill at the end of the month…

You decide.

But whatever you decide it’s time to start deciding.

I hope you’ll all take a moment to consider joining in this year.

See the links at the top of the blog for an explanation of what a Fake journal is and what International Fake Journal Month is. Check out the Tips category for tips on keeping such a journal (though I’ve given you some good tips for starting in this post there are many more tips on the blog from past years).

As we approach April check back here to learn how to get on the participants list.

If you’re still on the fence check out “Thinking aboutParticipating in International Fake Journal Month?”

Remember this: Your fake journal doesn’t have to be elaborate—in fact it works better if it isn’t. Engineer a project that you can execute in a few minutes each day, a character you can get into with a minimum of fuss. Then you’ll be on your way.

Explanations in a Month of No Explanations—A Little Bit about How I Settled on Materials and Approach in 2014

Above: 22 x 30 inch sheet of mystery paper with a variety of tests on it. Far left brush pen with light gouache washes; top, acrylic ink and acrylic heavy body paint; center brush pen; bottom center various ink pens (all bleed THROUGH); far right Montana Marker sketch and background. Click on the image to view an enlargement.

Even though this year's theme is "No Explanations" I feel as founder and organizer of International Fake Journal Month I really need to write a little bit each year about my process—the selection of materials, the definition of a character, my goals. I do this so that people new to the process can see an example of how they might proceed and avoid some hassles and pitfalls. As I write in my posts covering tips on all these topics, there is always more than one way to do each of these things. My hope is that as you read about my process something might click in your brain and your own process will take off.

That said I want to share this year's round about approach to my fake journal. Typically I'll think of a character, or I will decide on the media I want to use and then select an appropriate journal to work in with that media. Either the character or the media will start to inform me as to the why, the more I think about them both. (And I try to do a little thinking about the project every week in March.)

This year my fake journal "plans" came about because I couldn't walk past a paper deal—250 sheets of mystery paper from the Magnani Mill for $50. (And no, there isn't any more of this paper which didn't even have a name.)

I wasn't looking for a paper deal. I was just at my favorite art supply store (Wet Paint in St. Paul) and I asked if there was anything interesting in the papers because I had been unable to visit the store much since the beginning of 2014—I had been shooting and editing videos for my online class in Semester One at Sketchbook Skool (which starts today by the way if you haven't heard about this before—six weeks, six teachers, all for $99).

When I asked to see different papers I was hoping to find a great paper for my in-person classes—something that will take mixed media but be inexpensive so that the students can make a good-sized book without paying too much for class supplies. (I like to introduce a good but inexpensive option in class and then provide information for other paper choices for when students make their next book.)

Left: The ink tests and first face sketch. Click on the image to view an enlargement.

I was shown a sheet of this mystery paper that was sent by mistake and now being sold at a discount. Nothing was known about the paper, but when I touched it it seemed obvious to me that it had some good qualities, and that it was a heavyweight printmaking paper. I asked if I could test one of the sheets and went home with the top scuffed sheet (red pencil marks already on it) to do so.

I immediately tested a bunch of pens and was disappointed to see that all of them bled through the paper in varying degrees. This meant the paper wasn't suitable (even if it tore and folded well) for a class on making a mixed media journal, or even an ink-only journal). I like to get students to use a variety of media so this was out.

But something in the way the paper took the brush pen made me think, I can still use this paper for sketching. I did the math and realized that for 20 cents a sheet I couldn't find a paper of this quality and size for sketching, even if I just used it all up in life drawing it was a great bargain.

The pen drags on this paper and the paper soaks up a bit much of the ink as you move along—I actually have to sketch more slowly or the brush gets too dry to continue and I outrun the ink flow. But it felt good on the paper and I liked the quality of the lines.

Next I used washes on the portrait—wet and dry-ish washes of gouache—just to see how the paper holds up.

Left: Back of the sheet, showing the extreme buckling of the sheet when painted upon, as wells as various levels of ink bleeding through. I also did some ink marks on this side of the sheet to determine if it had a better surface on one side or the other. Click on the image to view an enlargement.

Not well at all as evidenced by the back of the sheet.

I knew I couldn't use the paper for a class, but I had been thinking about working large for IFJM 2014. I asked myself if I could work all month without color. (I hadn't been able to work much in color for the past 3 months as excessive computer work worsened my shoulder injury and made holding a brush and dipping a brush into paint or water difficult.)

Left: An "upside down" view of the test sheet. Click on the image to view an enlargement.

I decided that it would be fun to do one large 22 x 30 inch journal sheet a day in April even if I could only work in black ink. (I've since found that working with Montana Markers in limited areas doesn't cause the paper to deform much at all, and I also have stamp ink and collage papers I can use for color.)

That would leave me with 218 sheets (after another test sheet with markers and such) after IFJM 2014 ended and that would all be good paper for life drawing. So I called Wet Paint up and bought the paper.

And that's why I'm sitting here writing about how I'm doing a fake journal on loose sheets that are 22 x 30 inches and impossible to scan (there's a curved edge all round).

Left: Close up view of the finch at the "bottom" of one of the long sides of the sheet. I sketched with a brush using orange acrylic ink and then used some very dry brush heavy bodied acrylics—violet. I wanted to see if the acrylic ink and paint deformed the paper as much as the larger amounts of water used in the gouache. It didn't, but it deformed it enough that I didn't want to use it all month. I did decide that if I wanted to do paintings on this paper after the 2014 IFJM I could always gesso the paper and then paint on that. For 20 cents a sheet there's a lot I can do with this paper. Click on the image to view an enlargement.

I have absolutely no idea how I'm going to post these journal pages yet. I'm thinking of how to set up a really large copy stand. I may just make a video with me flipping through them because when you look at the photos I've taken so far (3 days into IFJM) the images don't look BIG when presented digitally full frame, without a frame of reference!

We'll see. For now I'm just concentrating on getting through the month—which brings me to my second bit of explanation, now that you know the surface and materials I'm using…

Left: My second test sheet was made on March 31. I was anxious to find some way to bring color to the project and also trying to decide how my character might write on the pages. This meant I needed to experiment with the different pens and inks I had. Also, because my test sketches proved to me that the paper really sucked the ink out of my brush pens I tested working with black acrylic ink and a Sumi brush—however while that would work for quick scribbled text I found the brush too floppy and broad for sketching details (face in the center) and abandoned it immediately. I still may use a brush of some sort and bottled ink, we'll see as the project goes along. For now I've got more brush pens on hold for when I'm well enough to drive over and fetch them. I have a couple here that should last long enough. Click on the image to view an enlargement.

I made a foolish slip on Tuesday, I mentioned something key about my REAL life on my first journal page. Normally this isn't a big deal because you expect that there can be some overlap. For instance, I'm not trying to work in a different style, my goal for IFJM 2014 is very simple—work large, don't worry about any sort of narrative—just record whatever happens or is thought about in the few minutes I have to work;  and because of the paper, work mostly in black and white. I also wanted to think more about composition this month and was actually reading a book by a Disney instructor, it's in the other room I'll get that reference some other time, it's doesn't really matter because my desire to read one of its 32 chapters a day for April came to nothing because I caught a cold.

That's right, a lousy, crummy, crappy spring cold. And that's what I mentioned the first day on the first page.

It's a "mistake" in my mind to do that because the journal has the potential then be all about the cold and more about me than I want—because I want to distance myself from the chararcter. Also some of the things I thought the character might do during the month are now totally off the table because she can't go out and about and people aren't likely to visit her and be exposed to her germs.

So I dug myself a bit of a hole.

And I pouted, until I realized that there were new episodes of "George Gently" available on Acorn TV. Now that's cheering. (If you aren't aware of my TV viewing habits go here.)

I also knew that I've dug myself out of worse holes in the past and will continue to do so. But I mention it now so that you might be prevented from making the same mistake.

In the first few days of IFJM as your character starts to speak to you just pause for a moment and make sure that you're listening to your character and not some snotty, snippy version of yourself. Is what you're about to write down on the page really from your character? Or is it from you, you with a cold, or you upset over something that happened that day at work, or you miffed about something your significant other said at breakfast? (That never happens right? I don't eat breakfast with Dick so I wouldn't know.)

My advice to you is just pause for a moment and think, if he/she says that then what does that mean? And just sit there for 5 minutes and think it through. What does it mean for the next 30 days?

Now sometimes what happens is we realize that the project we were all set to do is not actually the project that NEEDS to be done, and we are happily off and running in a new direction.

Or we may realize we have to shift our plans slightly.

Or we realize it has no impact at all.

But don't let a momentary lapse of concentration put you into a deep hole, unless of course you relish that sort of thing. (I think I must.)

Keep focused on the goals you stated to yourself before you started the project (goals about which media you wanted to use, or style you wanted to work in, or what you wanted your character to explore). Then if something comes up that pushes you away from those goals take a moment and think through whether that's a good thing or not. If not don't be pushed; if it is go ahead.

So there you have a little background about my project this year, if somewhat filtered through my cold-addled head. As usual I'll post again off and on through the month and at the end of the month I'll post a wrap up. (And if I haven't been posting these oversized journal pages by then I'll find some way to film them.)

Additional Notes on IFJM 2014

No More Selfies Needed
Thank you to everyone who sent in images for me to use as reference photos for my project. I have enough images, and live folks, to sketch from so please don't send any more images. Thank you for making the effort. Folks who sent in selfies really did a great job.

Signing Up on the Participants List
If you are publicly posting your pages on a dedicated blog (or on your main blog with tagging or some other convention so it's easily separated and spotted by a visitor) or your Flickr page please send me a link when you have 8 entries and I'll add you to this year's participants list which will be in the side column of the blog. The wait for 8 pages is so that there is something there for visitors to view. If you've participated before in IFJM you can write to me right away as I know you've been through the project and will keep at it and already have a posting regime set up. (Remind me in your email when you send a link, which year, or  years, you participated in. I know I've corresponded with many of you a lot over the years but sometimes I don't recognize the names.)

I hope everything is going well with all of you and that you are two (or three if you've had time to work on it today) entries into your journal. Keep it up. Keep focusing on your goal.

Using Your Fake Journal to Fight Creative Blocks

I've been getting a lot of private notes recently from people who are interested in using IFJM as a tool to fight creative blocks. The blocks all vary and are individually tailored (of course, that's how it works), but several are "blocks to keeping a journal." And keeping a fake journal can be used to clear that block in a variety of ways. I wrote about a few of those ways in a note on my other blog to a reader who asked about this publicly on Roz Wound Up, and I think my note might be useful to some folks reading this blog.

Keep in mind that in order to get your April experience going you will need to do a little bit of work in the next couple of days to prepare—you'll need to sit with your REAL journal and ask yourself a few questions so that you can avoid the same issues in your fake set up.

Here's my advice:

IFJM can be a great tool for fighting blockage, for really looking at the cause and finding ways to work around it in your life. 

Be sure to find a way to really limit the time involvement you require each day for your fake journal so that working in the journal doesn't become yet another instigator of blockage, e.g., "I don't have time for the fake journal I really have to do such and such." 

Find something that you can do in 15 minutes or less. 

Think about a character who always puts art or observation first. Imagine what it's like to have a regular appointment for that 15 minutes, or set up situations for the month where you will have outings or instances where you will have 15 minutes at odd times to sketch and journal. 

I would also suggest you keep you supplies to a minimum so you aren't side-tracked with thinking "which medium will I use today?"—picking one medium to use for the whole month and to explore with is something totally doable in 15 minutes a day. 

Also think of what it is you want to say and do in your REAL journal and then ask yourself why you don't do that. (This is best done before IFJM begins. Set an appointment to write, or also do it in small bursts of time as thoughts come to you during the day—just write down what pops into your head and look at it all at the end of the day.) 

Next think about a character who 1. either doesn't want to do those things in his/her journal so you'll do the exact opposite of what YOU would do during the month in his or her journal, or 2. someone who does those things and what does that person's life look like? All of that will help you get into the character for 15 minutes a day. 

And lastly realize that your character is going to have a totally different dialogue with his/her internal critic because he/she isn't blocked. What is that dialog like? That character won't write or journal about that because it is just a fact of life, so you might, when you think of this (maybe before you go to bed at night) take a few minutes to write in your REAL journal about that.  

Remember habit building happens in 28 days. It's more important to get something done in the habit building time than to create something great! First you have to get the habit in place. That's another reason IFJM and fake journals are a good way to start a journaling habit—because you are doing something daily for 30 days. (Remember you don't run a record marathon your first day of training, you may only run around the block. If you're using IFJM to break a creative block on journaling focus on running around the block each day, the rest will come later after you have the habit.)

Also keep in mind that life happens. If you're using IFJM to combat a tendency not to journal and already have a habit of avoiding or putting off journaling when life happens you'll need to work harder to avoid that habit during IFJM and find ways to meet that 15 minutes a day you've set for yourself. That will be difficult for most people in this situation.

And it will feel UNCOMFORTABLE, because breaking a habit (here the habit of avoidance) is an uncomfortable process. Habits (either good or bad) feel good and comfortable to our minds and our bodies because they are habits (ask anyone who's ever tried to change his life in the smallest way). But if we persevere in the breaking of bad habits, by creating new habits, we have much to gain. It's worth a bit of discomfort.

If your blockage is not about journaling but instead is about using one particular medium or one technique more the equation is a bit simpler—you simply substitute that medium or technique into the time you already spend journaling, just for the month. This doesn't mean you won't do any regular journaling, but you may find you do less of that in April. Any habit change is going to take some accommodation and adjustment in the rest of our life.

Again, it might feel uncomfortable to use the different medium you elect to stick with, or it might be difficult to start at the beginning with a new technique. You are still breaking out of your comfort zone and your internal critic is going to jump out and let you have it.

All your character latitude to deal with the internal critic in his or her own way—you might learn some new techniques you can bring back to your real life.

Remember too to be kind to yourself. If you miss a day don't beat yourself up. Just make sure you work first thing the next morning, or set a watch alarm for a time later in the day and keep that appointment regardless of how you feel at the time. It's "just do it" time. Get into your character's mode. Remember too that your character doesn't have blockage, doesn't have a reason to stop so you can be assured that the next day he/she won't even see today's miss as a blip on the grand continuum of life. That's where you want to put your focus too, on that continuum.

One more thing. However wonderful it may be to share your work with others as you go through this journey, and however much you count on people's support when you share your work, if you are working on a block of any sort it may be best not to share your work during April.

I tell my journaling students this about their regular journaling work all the time when I have multi-session classes where we work on good journaling habits. It's fine to share work within the confines of the class where everyone is working on the same plan and developing good boundaries, positive "critique" methods, and understands what the goals are. But in the general world, and even in your own family there will be people who just don't "get" what you're up to.

Would you rather spend all of April not just explaining to those people that you want to journal more and why that is, but why you're using IFJM to find a way to do it? Or would you rather get down and busy at actually changing something?

Why risk a stray comment from someone who actually might even mean well—a comment which could derail you?

If it's time to do serious work and you don't already have good boundaries and techniques for dealing with your internal critic the best time to share your fake journal is in MAY,  AFTER IFJM is over.

Why? Because then no comments can derail you. You're already finished with the project. And you hold it in your hand. You know exactly what it took for you to do it. You may never be able to explain to anyone what it took, or how you even did it, but you don't have to. You just need to know that you did it. And that's the gift you give yourself for getting through the month.

Besides, this year it's "NO Explanations" remember?!

So think about those considerations to as you set up your plan for IFJM 2014. Good luck.

Gearing Up to Participate in International Fake Journal Month 2014

It may seem early to write about IFJM 2014, but recently I have received several emails from people who want to get started now, or who want to be sure to participate in 2014 but aren't sure how to go about it. To help them, and any others in similar circumstances, I've created this post. It will sit at the top of the blog until I begin regular pre-celebration posts sometime around February or early March 2014.

Starting a Fake Journal Immediately

If you want to start keeping a fake journal now, by all means go ahead. A fake journal can be kept at any time of the year. I do suggest that you set a time limitation so that you can intensely focus on your project. A month is a good scheme. Two weeks would be a minimum to achieve a reasonable effect and result. This will also give you a trial run to see how this activity fits in your regular life with your current journaling habit, work and family obligations, etc.

Whenever you start I strongly recommend that you read the posts I've listed below in "Recommended Reading."

Participating in the 2014 IFJM Celebration

All you have to do is start keeping a fake journal in April 2014 (which is the next celebration). Then after you've got 4 or 5 pages posted you can send me a link at rozjournalrat@gmail.com. 

I'll check out the link and add you to the list of the 2014 participants. The list will appear in the side column of the blog. (You can see past years' participants in lists there now.)

The link you send to me should be EITHER

1. A link to the dedicated fake journal blog you set up—some people like to keep their fake journal separate from other blogs/and posts.

OR

2. A link to the FIRST blog post that is about your 2014 fake journal if you post about your fake journal on your regular blog. (You can get a direct link to that post by clicking on the title of that post in your browser. That post will then come up as a single entity and your browser address line will then be dedicate to that post, eg., 

http://officialinternationalfakejournalblog.blogspot.com/2013/05/the-video-flip-through-of-my-2013-fake.html

goes to a specific post on my blog, the post about the video flip through. This would be the type of link you would need to send.

http://officialinternationalfakejournalblog.blogspot.com/

goes to the blog in general and shows the latest post. If you send a link like this I will NOT be able to use it, and won't be able to add you to the list. I get a ton of mail about IFJM every year. Emails which require me to go to a site and SEARCH for a first entry or any entry are ignored by me because of time crunch in my life.

OR

3.  If you use Flickr you can send me a DIRECT link to your first posting there. I DO NOT RECOMMEND this because in the past people have had trouble navigating Flickr links and finding the "string" of postings, but you can suit yourself.

I think it works best when someone creates a blog dedicated to fake journaling for their posts so that people going to the provided link can quickly read through the fake journaling posts, starting with the first entry and working their way through the progress. This causes the least amount of reader frustration and ensures that more people will stick with and follow your fake journal and not give up in frustration. 

But if you post on a regular blog where most of your posts for April are fake-journal related and there is only one or two non-fake journal month blog posts people have to sift through, that can also work well. (Be sure to create a category on your regular blog that is for IFJM 2014 so readers can quickly find all related posts.)

Blogspot allows you to have multiple free blogs so it isn't difficult to set up a free blog there dedicated to fake journaling should you wish to do so. There are other free platforms as well.

Note: You can also participate in IFJM 2014 "privately." To do so you simply keep a fake journal without posting anywhere. For many people this is the best option because it allows them to feel the most free from "prying eyes," and allows them to fully inhabit the character who is creating the journal. 

If you participate privately but would like to receive a button you'll need to send me jpgs of 5 page spreads from throughout the month. (You can blacken out or fuzz up any personal details you wish on the jpgs. The purpose of receiving these dated entries is to demonstrate your participation over the month, because only participants can receive buttons. I will not post your entries anywhere. You will not be added to the list of participants because your participation is private.) You will also need to include a check to cover the package and posting costs of sending the button out to you. (If you are local, you can also just show me your fake journal in person at some event we both attend, such as a sketch out. But let me know in advance so I can bring a button.)

Recommended Reading

I typically start posting messages on preparing for fake journal month and choosing a book etc. sometime at the end of February or in March. You can get a jump on things by reading old posts like these which cover vital information:

Find out what IFJM is here.

Read about the difference between faux, fake, and historical journals here.

You can use the category cloud in the side column of this blog to find:

Tips 

Tips On Fake Journaling (I inadvertently had two categories so you'll have to scan both):

"Creative Play" is a very important topic covered in the categories list.

"Thoughts on the process" is also a critically important part of fake journaling. Doing a self-debriefing  at the end of April is an essential component. So if you read about debriefing in the process section of posts you'll have a heads up of how to creatively think about the process over time.

Some Words of Advice

I strongly recommend that you avoid creating a fake journal that is kept by/created by an animal or inanimate object.

I get a lot of mail about this. It really is a difficult thing to pull off. Think about this. If you are writing a first person (and journals are in first person) journal by an animal how does that animal write or draw in that journal?

The same is true of an inanimate object.

The purpose of IFJM is for the participants to inhabit another character/personality for a month. This allows the participant freedom to explore other art media and modes of expression not typical or usually employed. IFJM gives you a free pass to create in expressive ways you may deny yourself already.

If you set up your conditions so that the journal is by an animal or an inanimate object you are cutting yourself off from the most valuable aspects of the project.

If you are set on exploring life as an animal or inanimate object I recommend that you create a project to do that privately, or through other creative online projects like writing a novel in a month.

I want you to have the best experience possible in IFJM and that means I want you to stretch creatively in thought and through the media you use. Animals and inanimate objects do not lend themselves to first person visual journaling.

I also strongly recommend that you avoid creating a fake HISTORICAL journal. We all lead very busy lives. In order for real benefit to come from fake journaling you need to participate daily (or almost every day) in a concentrated period of time. This allows you to stay in character and focus on what your character is doing, how she lives, how he works creatively, etc. Fake Historical journals require a TON of research for facts, figures, dates, etc. You need to know the customs of the time about which you're writing. You need to know the style of dress, the objects that would be present, the vocabulary that they would use, the speech/writing patterns they would employ, the art materials that person would have access to. 

Social status in historical fake journals will also limit your character's scope of expression. If you're writing about a maid's desire to paint in the 1860s she isn't going to have much access to paper, tools, or media; and she will have no spare time—they literally worked from dawn to a very late bedtime.

People get so caught up in doing research to get things right that they lose out on having time to actually execute their fake journal. Anachronisms invariably creep in, diluting the effect, and creating a jarring disconnect in the mind of the readers if you post publicly. 

If you are intent on writing a fake historical journal I urge you to work on that project through other online programs, again, such as writing a novel in a month. You are essentially attempting to write an historical fiction in the first person, in diary/journal form, so it's a much better fit for one of those projects.

Focus instead on a project that is manageable and doable within the constraints of your own life's obligations. A project which focuses on someone living now. Set up what the character's life is like with a few notes to yourself on his or her occupation, habits, hobbies, skills. From that list let the character evolve and begin to speak with you. You can have them deal with issues that matter to you—these may be artistic as in learning to use a new medium, or personal, as in dealing with juggling time constraints between work and family. Look at these factors not from your perspective, but from the character's perspective given the other constraints of that character's life. In that way you'll begin to get at some issues you find relate to your own creative process—your fear of failure, your internal critic, your aversion to or adherence to risk, your pride, your timidity, etc. Your character can allow you to explore what it's like to be different for an entire month. 

Promoting International Fake Journal Month

If you would like to promote International Fake Journal Month on YOUR CURRENT Blog you can do so by following the instructions listed in this post I've linked here.

Please note that there is no longer a contest/drawing for promotion. That was in 2011. However the post I've linked to will give you detailed instructions on how to add the official IFJM button onto your blog in its margin column. Please note that the image of the blue and white dog on a pink background with a caption "APRIL IS INTERNATIONAL FAKE JOURNAL MONTH" is found, as the instructions state, on my Roz Wound Up blog (in the margin), below the category list and pages list. That button is the only button image to be used for promoting IFJM on your blog.

The 2014 Button and Contests

I design a button each year for the celebration of IFJM. Each button contains the years' tag line. The design of the button is announced in February or March. 

Buttons cost practically nothing for me to have made, but they do cost something to ship. As the participation has grown over the years I'm no longer able to absorb postage costs for sending out buttons. Each year I post a postage cost which is the cost of the package and postage (the button is free). Participants can send a check for that amount and receive a button. (Local participants can receive a button without mailing costs simply by meeting me at the MCBA Visual Journal Collective or any sketch outing that I happen to attend—if you let me know in advance to bring you a button.)

Some years, depending on my own time constraints, I run contests related to IFJM. These are typically drawings, and the rules for getting into the drawing vary. If there is to be a contest in 2014 details will be released in March 2014.

I hope this post helps you gear up for IFJM 2014. I look forward to hearing from you all in April 2014.