@gingerw- I really gave it a try growing up but always felt that what I had to say was either stupid or not important. But after I had an unfortunate run of cancers I decided that I had to write down my journey, not only for my own sake but so that I could reach out to others. So what did I do? Journal in a notebook or a pretty book? Oh, no! Not me. I went for the big guns and with my son's help started a blog about Lung Cancer. It helped me so much to try and get through a very, very bad spell with PTSD. It led me to Mayo Connect and then to be a mentor. Writing to me, journaling is writing down your journey. Our journeys aren't smooth and hunky-dory so we shouldn't expect our writing to be. And as @boogie related hers were in all sorts of different places. The drafts for my writing are all over the place, on different types of paper with all sorts of corrections on them.

Since my blog has stayed dormant for a few months I believe that it's time to wake it up. I'm like you, I love to write with pen and paper, and I like to hold a book in my hands. There's something that texture does for my mind, it warms my heart and soothes my mind. Writing my journey has helped me discover things about myself and about my cancer that I actually surprised with. By actually writing it down it makes it more personal. There is no keyboard from me to stretch my arms to type- no gap. It's personal.

I have to have my son change the photo but here's my blog if you wish to read it. I hope that you like it.
https://my20yearscancer.com/