Diary
A diary is a record originally in handwritten format with discrete entries arranged by date reporting on what has happened over the course of a day or other period. A personal diary may include a person's experiences and thoughts or feelings.
What
Diary is also used to mean a printed publication of a written diary; and may also refer to other terms of journal including electronic formats (e.g., blogs).
What
diary, or journal, is a permanent personal record that is kept of events, thoughts, and ideas associated with an individual. While some cultures think of diaries as being mainly a female pastime, the fact is that journaling or keeping a diary is an activity that people of both genders engage in regularly. Keeping a diary is an excellent means of documenting experiences and ideas that will have meaning later in life or possibly be of importance to the next generation.
What
For some people, a diary is a form of therapy that may help the individual to get through a crisis. People who undergo a life-changing experience such as the death of a loved one or a divorce are sometimes urged by counselors to utilize a diary as a means of allowing pent up emotions to have some type of outlet. The ability to put down emotions and thoughts that are hard to share with another person in written form may help the individual to undergo a catharsis of sorts and begin to move along in the healing process.
How
Audio diaries are also popular alternatives to the handwritten diary. With modern voice communications, it is possible to create an audio file that can be saved on a computer or some other electronic storage device like a CD-R. This approach can be especially exciting for families who maintain an ongoing history, as it means that later generations can hear about the experiences of their forebears in the actual voices of the people who had the experiences.