Karen@KarenCommins.com

Karen Commins

Award Winning

Atlanta Audiobook Share-rator™

journal

Stop The Comparisons

Twenty years ago today, I was a computer specialist at the IRS. During a break or lunch, I looked at the Barry Manilow message boards on my personal laptop to see what was new. Someone posted an interview with Barry published that day in the Sydney Morning Herald.

One meaningful quote leaped off the screen at me! I immediately reached for the nearest piece of paper, which happened to be a notepad from work, and copied it:

I have never done anything for the money or the charts. I do what I want to do because I believe in it, and it’s always been that way for me.
I didn’t even listen to the radio back when I first recorded Mandy, so I never really knew what was going on, and I still don’t.
When you start trying to compete with what everyone else is doing, you’re lost. (my emphasis)

 

 

After suffering from comparison-itis for years, I wrote in my journal one day:

Maybe this is my purpose!
Maybe my biggest challenge is the thing
I was sent here to learn and teach.

While I can’t say I am completely cured from comparison-itis, I do have some techniques to keep it at bay.

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Digitizing My Journals With Evernote

Updated 4/4/26

Inspired by this article about how John Steinbeck used his diary while writing The Grapes of Wrath, I’ve been documenting my progress in researching and writing my non-fiction book in my daily journals. My journals are much more interesting as a result!

I then photograph my journal entries related to my book and use Evernote to transcribe them. Longtime readers know I’m an Evernote evangelist and use it for everything. I love it even more since Evernote actually transcribes my handwriting!

Authors who write in longhand could use this technique to quickly generate editable text rather than having someone laboriously type it.

I store these transcriptions in the Evernote notebook I created to house my book’s 1900+ (and counting!) research notes.

I tag the journal entries to be able to easily find them later. Once I launch the web site for the book, I’ll re-purpose all my journal entries into a new blog devoted to the book! The blog will certainly improve my SEO ranking for my book’s topic.

Since I was already doing that, I thought, “Why not transcribe the entire journal entry?”

 

4-shelf bookcase with most shelves full of journals, with some small pictures and personal items sharing the space. Some Statue of Liberty pictures and Lego kits sit on the top shelf.
26+ years of my journals (a few volumes temporarily are elsewhere), plus a minor NYC/Statue of Liberty collection that includes 3 Lego kits and a framed print of James Cook’s incredible typewriter art

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Things I’ve Learned About Adding New Entries to My Journals

A few days ago, I showed a narrator friend my collection of journals, which I started keeping consistently in 1999. She was interested in beginning a journal and asked some questions that started me thinking about things I’ve learned about adding new entries to my journals.

I think many people may wish to start a journaling practice at the beginning of the new year. This list, which is no particular order, goes beyond the advice and info I shared in my article How I Use My Journal. I encourage you to read that article, too.

 

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20 Things Learned in Last 20 Years

 

Happy 20th anniversary to me!

I launched my voiceover business 20 years ago.

Since my last post was about using my journal, it’s only appropriate that this one goes back to where it all began, my first entry in my first book.

 

Saturday 8/28/1999 9:25pm

I’m spending my evening copying the CD of my first voice-over demo with the plan to mail a few to agents on Monday. How I got to this point and where I go from here will be the subject of this journal.

Friday 9/3/99 10:15pm

On Wednesday, September 1, 1999, I mailed 3 CDs to [3 Atlanta VO agents]. It was such a huge step, and I felt a tremendous sense of accomplishment and excitement to have pushed the dream out to people who could do something about it!

The past 20 years have been a remarkable evolutionary journey, to say the least! As I was reflecting on all that I’ve seen, read, written, voiced, and otherwise done in that time, I decided a blog post of 20 things I’ve learned would be a great way to celebrate this milestone!

So here’s the list, in no particular order. By the way, you’ll find more private journal entries sprinkled throughout these articles!

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Bly vs Bisland: The Story Behind the Story (Part 1)

Every now and again, we get a Divine whisper of an inspired idea. Such was the case about a very special and exciting audiobook I created and produced earlier this year.

In 1889, Nellie Bly and Elizabeth Bisland were female reporters in New York. Each went on a daring solo trip around the world at the same time. Nellie wanted to beat the time of Phileas Fogg, Jules Verne’s fictional character in Around The World in 80 Days. Rival reporter Elizabeth Bisland left on a solo race around the world hoping to beat Nellie’s time!

Nellie sailed east to England in the morning. That night, and unbeknownst to Nellie, Elizabeth took a train west to San Francisco. In Bly vs Bisland: Beating Phileas Fogg In A Race Around The World, I combined the narratives from both women into a single book with 1 timeline! Who will win the race?!


My journal entries tell Part 1 of the story behind the story between idea and implementation.
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