Interview with the Creator of Life Journal
A Chat With Ruth Folit; Designer and Producer of Journaling Software
Ruth Folit is the designer and producer of LifeJournal, an innovative and interactive journaling software, which she created from the vantage point of a seasoned journal writer. LifeJournal contains an inspiring and original set of tools for journal writers to help them write often, write freely, and write meaningfully.
Suite 101: What is Life Journal?LifeJournal is journal software with a brain and a heart. As one customer exclaimed, “LifeJournal is more encouraging than your best friend!”
LifeJournal interacts and draws you into journal writing, inspiring you to reflect and write meaningful journal entries; making it easy to track your behavior and attitudes; and effortlessly organizing your entries for quick retrieval. With LifeJournal you can see yourself more clearly, identify your life patterns, and help you make course corrections in your life.
LifeJournal is a program that runs on your Windows computer hard drive and lets you keep a secure, password-protected, and encrypted journal, so you can be comfortable writing without fear of others reading it.
Suite 101: What inspired you to design it?
I’ve kept a journal for almost 35 years. In the late 1990s, I became intrigued by software. I thought that there should be a journal program that brought new dimensions into the journaling world. I looked online and the journal software which existed was nothing more than glorified password-protected word processors. So I decided that I’d create inspirational, innovative, and interactive journal software. In 1999, LifeJournal was first launched and offered many new tools for journal writers in a secure, private setting.
Suite 101: You also have specialized journals for Christians, staying sober, writers, careers and educators. How do they differ from each other?
Each LifeJournal program has a similar structure. Some of the main features for every version include:
- Journal entries with a Topic List (so that you can assign topics to entries and passages).
- A Daily Pulse Graph which lets you track up to 10 scales that you create, allowing you to look for trends of behavior and feelings.
- Prompts and Quotes jump start your writing if you want a little jump start.
- A Timeline lets you write about your past. Use these entries to help you put together a memoir.
In each of the different specialized versions, the structure is the same but the content varies: The Prompts and Quotes, for example, in LifeJournal for Writers have many quotes by writers and about writing. In the educators’ version, there are many quotes by educator and about education. The default Topics List and default Daily Pulse scales are different in each of the specialized versions and vary according to the focus.
Suite 101: How long have you been writing your own journals?
I’ve been keeping a journal for about 35 years. I started when I went to college and I’ve always known intuitively that keeping a journal felt right. I generally feel more relaxed and focused after writing a journal entry. I don’t write daily, and sometimes not even monthly, but I do know that if I’m grappling with a problem I find writing about it very helpful—both generally feeling better after writing about the problem, and, specifically, figuring out a way to deal with the issue.
Suite 101: Do you like to write by hand or on the computer?
I started handwriting in a journal years ago, when I first started—that was before the computer era. Now, however, I find myself at the computer for a great part of the day, and that has changed my habits. Handwriting is something that takes longer and is less legible than typing. So most of my journal writing now is done at the computer. However, sometimes I feel the need to write by hand, and then I do. We have a LifeJournal on Paper that dovetails with the LifeJournal software and I use that when I feel the need to handwrite.
Further Information:Suite 101 also interviewed Ruth about her own feelings on memoir writing.
If you would like to find out more about Ruth Follit's product you can read more about the different specialized versions or download a free demo of LifeJournal.
