One of the questions I am asked most frequently about the process of writing is which is most important: the writing or the publishing? It’s a good question, but like everything else associated with the practice of writing, it’s not an easy one to answer.

When we look at the process of writing, we can first break it into five simple, yet recursive, steps: prewriting, drafting, revising, editing, and publishing.

In recent years, some writing initiatives, such as the 6+1 Traits concept, bring greater depth and meaning behind each step of the writing process. Those who apply this strategy toward writing are mindful of ideas, organization, voice, word choice, sentence fluency, and conventions. The “+1” represents publishing in some format. When you lay the traits over the process, you begin to get a pretty exhaustive approach to writing with intent, and often with success in connecting with your intended audience.

So when I’m asked whether writing or publishing is more important, it’s not an easy answer; both are so interconnected with each other. Even if we rephrase the question and ask, “Which is more important: Process or Product?” we are left with two very generic categories that cannot be separated.

My answer, invariably, ends up turning some heads.

“Neither,” I offer. What I think is most important is what happens before we start writing for an audience, and certainly before we consider publishing for an audience beyond ourselves.”

When they ask me to explain, all I need to do is reach into my ripped and well-traveled book bag and pull out two, three, maybe even four books of various sizes, colors, and even textures. Within each book, the pages might differ as well: lined or unlined, heavy or light stock, glossy or coarse.

These are my Daybooks, my journals, my greatest investment in my writing, and my greatest investment in defining with authenticity who I am as an individual.

I have been journaling since I was in 7th grade, when I started playing around with various essay formats on defining, of all things, love. When I would open my cheap spiralbound books bought at Woolworth’s for a few dimes, I felt an immediate rush of trust in this process of journaling for an audience of one — myself. I would jot down notes about my daily observations, my feelings about my experiences, and my philosophic ponderings about life and our existence. Even at the young age of 12, I allowed myself to tell the “Watcher at the Gates” guarding my thoughts to be gone. When it came to writing in my Daybook, there were no inhibitions, no rules, no exceptions. Just me and the page; that’s all that mattered.

Today, nearly 40 years later, I am still journaling as furiously as I did in my younger days. I now have many different journals dedicated to specific writing projects and purposes: some are for in-process novels, others are for Christian or spiritual reflections, and even more are are for my “Morning Pages” (a huge shout out to Julie Cameron for her inspiration in The Artist’s Way and other creativity books).

Most recently, I have started using specific Daybooks for art journals, which has been therapeutic in an entirely different way.

In every case, though, journaling/Daybooking has enabled me to invest in myself, in my writing, and in my understanding of the human condition. It is both spiritual and practical, theoretical and theological. When I am spending time in my Daybook, I am spending time growing, understanding, and experiencing humility, grace, patience, and service.

The many volumes of completed Daybooks that I have accrued are, at times, fun to look at and reflect on where I was at each stage in my life. But when I do take a peek at the past, I realize, over and over again, that these Daybooks are filled with words of what I needed to write, to say, at that time in my life. For the most part, 95% of those words never saw the light of day in published form; on the other hand, 95% of those words contributed significantly to who I am today.

And that is why I believe Journaling has been my greatest investment.

A few shout outs: First, to Dawn Herring at www.dawnherring.net. She’s a leading expert in the field of journaling, and she’s doing some great things for others with her #JournalChat sessions on Twitter. She inspired me to write about journaling, and I am grateful for the invitation.

Also, I use journaling and Daybooking with all of my fellow writers that I work with on a daily basis to help them find the courage they need to write their memoir. It’s never easy, and I’ve found that journaling is the best remedy to crack the ice and get to the heart of the stories still untold.

If you are interested in learning more about The LifeStory Lighthouse, check out this story about our plan to share the world’s stories, one word, one idea, at a time: https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/the-lifestory-lighthouse/x/13401651#/.