Since many women writers in the past have known that keeping a journal is a powerful tool of creative expression and self-healing, this book shows that journal writing is the ideal way for an individual to find her voice, an opportunity for women to explore feelings, intuitions, perceptions, and ideas often suppressed in society, and to record the truths of their own experiences. Inviting readers to share the journeys other women have made toward selfhood and encouraging them to begin a journey of their own, this book weaves together passages from published and unpublished journals, from works of literature, psychology, and women's studies with personal insights. The book is about the importance of journal writing in the lives of women today. For those who have never kept a journal, the book will introduce them to the creative possibilities and to the excitement and fascination of the journey itself. For those who already keep a journal, companionship and fresh inspiration should be provided. An appendix offers writing topics to accompany chapters 4-9. (NKA)