What’s the Difference Between a Journal & a Diary?

"From my own research it seems both words, at their origin; mean simply a written daily record. So, in my opinion I feel it’s open for the user to decide. I like the way journal sounds, but it doesn’t bother me if people ask if I keep a diary. I’d be happy to call what I do either, because to me it’s more about what I actually write than what I call it.

I can call this process many different things, but I do know it works for me. The act of sitting down to note my mood, my surroundings, my day, my anger or joy, my failings and successes, helps me make sense of my life...."

Heather Goldsmith
Visit her blog. "A Creative Journal"

Image: Lost in Scotland @ Notebookism/FLICKR

Comments

[Chris Meisenzahl]

Hard to say imho. My Moleskine probably jump back and forth over the line several times/week depending on what I'm writing. ;-)

[Joseph Miklojcik]

For me, "journal" connotes a public record, while "diary" indicates something more private.

[Matt]

I Know there is no difference but Diary incites more curiosity by outsiders while Journal sounds boring and elicits no special interest. I myself only keep records in a notebook but they are more accounts of "compositional derring do" and would bore anyone else half to death. But they are in the old journalentry format that my teachers used to teach in class for Creative Writing projects. They all ended up sounding like Dracula but thats ockay.

[Heather]

Hey, thanks for mentioning my entry. ;-)

[Chad Sobodash]

Journals are for men, diaries are for women. It's a masculinity (spelling?) issue. My best friend decided to call his personal notebook a "journal" because it didn't sound as prissy as a "diary." This was in the third grade, mind you. I'm sure this is an underlying reason for the synonym's existance.

[ronin]

Could be that this is a language usage thing, that is, British English versus American English. I grew up in Australia and India, where the language is very influenced by the Queen's English. There we used the word 'diary" to denote a record of our daily activity, thoughts, whereas, the word Journal meant, say, a literary magazine of say, a scientific journal.
We talked about writing in our diaries, I learnt to say Journal or journalling only when I moved to the USA to attend college.
Just my opinion........ :):)