Many years ago, I had the opportunity to read through a diary kept by my grandmother’s aunt (my great grand aunt, I suppose). The diary covered a period of about five years from 1915 to 1920. I relished the chance to review it, believing it would provide this woman’s thoughts and feelings about World War I, the Spanish flu epidemic, Woodrow Wilson’s presidency, and adoption of the 19th Amendment. Alas, my kinswoman did not give those significant events even brief mention in the pages of her diary. Nearly everything she wrote focused on three narrow topics: the weather, who visited, and who was ill.

I shouldn’t be too harsh on my great grand aunt. After all, she lived at a time when people, especially women, had far less opportunity than they do now to read about and react to national and international events. But in the diaries I’ve kept — both handwritten and computer generated — I’ve made a point of doing three things that she did not.

• I comment in detail on what’s happening in my own life. That might entail something as common as a little league baseball game I watched or a birthday party I attended. But anyone who reads this diary will quickly realize what is most important in my life right now — my writing, especially my third YA novel, Diary of a Girl in Trouble; my health; my family, including grandchildren; and the travels that I take with my wife, Becky. I go into as much detail as I have time for, and I don’t hesitate to discuss developments that are painful, stressful, and/or worrisome. The challenges facing grandson Cole, who underwent a liver transplant last year, are a case in point.
• I offer my thoughts and opinions on both current happenings and events long past. These thoughts could take the form of a rant against some “wrong” I perceive, a past failure I regret, or a joy I want to re-live. Or they could be focused on the future — a hope for a grandchild or a danger he or she might face someday.
• I take note of national and worldwide events and developments, which, more often than not, are negative. The increasing divisiveness within America is a frequent topic of concern. The upcoming Presidential election, which is likely to add to that divisiveness, will certainly receive my attention.

I should note that my diaries are always carefully organized by date. Even so, they resemble a journal insofar as they include reflections on events that are not constrained by either time or topic. They can take the form of a rant against some perceived wrong, a narrative about a person or event that changed my life, or a description of a regrettable situation I wish I could change but can’t.

My diaries don’t include any intimate descriptions of my relationships. Such descriptions could be embarrassing or hurtful to people I love, and airing my dirty laundry isn’t why I keep a diary in the first place. I’ll leave that kind of writing to the Kardashians and Paris Hilton.

In closing, I recommend that anyone who wants to keep a diary do as I have done and (1) comment in detail on both large and small events in your life; (2) provide your thoughts and opinions on any topic you wish; and (3) focus at least occasionally on major national and international events. Someday, your diary might be a fountain of information for future scholars or a source of inspiration to a future family member or even a whole society. Ann Frank proved that. So did Marco Polo and Samuel Pepys. Maybe you can, too.