Even if you alwys use a computer and don't know how to use pen and paper start a diary the moment you come out of the closet so that you have a perfect record of each milestone and who did what, said what, what date you started hormones, name changes, etc.
It will come in handy to convince various people and may help those of us who get into legal problems from work, partners, government, medics.

I started doing this but I've kinda slacked off over the past few months due to lack of activity. I'm planning on doing full vlogs and dairies for srs though.. mostly for relatives and family.
But it's oh so true diaries can come in extremely handy for when someone asks you something like "so when did you start this medication? Actually what is your medical background?", ...boom! *pulls a folder out with it all in!!*. 

I've been thinking about starting this as well - I'm also working through some of my childhood / teenage memories so it helps to write down the fragments of memory as they surface. -

Maybe one day I can write a memoir lol.

Cheers
Rayalisse.

Quote from: lilacwoman on September 01, 2010, 02:31:30 AM
Even if you alwys use a computer and don't know how to use pen and paper start a diary the moment you come out of the closet so that you have a perfect record of each milestone and who did what, said what, what date you started hormones, name changes, etc.
It will come in handy to convince various people and may help those of us who get into legal problems from work, partners, government, medics.

Yep my diary is my blog: http://jericanation.com

Mine is http://ascendingangel.blogspot.com/

It's not large but I update any time I have something significant to say about transsexualism.

I suck at writing diaries massively. :/ But a blog is definately more likely. 

Having a habit of diary keeping is awesome. Since I am more of a computer person than a pen and paper person, I use an online diary service.

I started mine at around september 2008 after some non-TS related frustration and have kept it since, writing new entries when I have thoughts or days worth journaling. I have many reference about my gender dysphoria and its interesting to read about how I felt during some random days in the past. I am sure the entries will get more interesting should I pursue with transition, and in the far future, it will be very interesting to look back upon.

I think since writing diaries, I got better at writing creatively. It's a win win situation. 

I started my diary July 28, about a month after I came out to myself, and I just looked - my last entry is August 24, so I better get busy and write some more.  Also, one thing CAMH asks for when filling out their intake questionnaire is a "Life Story", which I also did (18 pages!), so I'm pretty well documented at the moment, lol.  But yeah, I do intend to keep up the diary - it also helps to keep track of dysphoric feelings, and what helps keep them at bay.  I think it might also help my therapist to know how best to help me - I intend to share it with her.  So, definitely, a diary is a must for a girl...

I started my diary on the day I asked myself, "Could I be transsexual?", and have updated it every single day since.

Quote from: E on September 07, 2010, 04:56:46 PM
I started my diary on the day I asked myself, "Could I be transsexual?", and have updated it every single day since.

I started my diary the same day. When I questioned myself, basically. However, I ripped all of the pages out a few weeks later in frustration because I didn't want to believe I'm transsexual. Now, I'm pretty sure I am and I'm getting myself a therapist soon so I plan to start writing in a diary again even if it turns out I'm not transsexual and I'm just weird.

Quote from: Devyn on September 07, 2010, 05:14:19 PM
I started my diary the same day. When I questioned myself, basically. However, I ripped all of the pages out a few weeks later in frustration because I didn't want to believe I'm transsexual. Now, I'm pretty sure I am and I'm getting myself a therapist soon so I plan to start writing in a diary again even if it turns out I'm not transsexual and I'm just weird.

Ah, I got my diary for my birthday, so I could never make myself do that. I'm too sentimental .

It seems we're in pretty much the same stage of transition, albeit in opposite directions. I wish you luck and strength. (And I kinda wish we could just trade. That'd make things soo much easier, wouldn't it ?)

Quote from: E on September 07, 2010, 06:11:02 PM
Ah, I got my diary for my birthday, so I could never make myself do that. I'm too sentimental .

It seems we're in pretty much the same stage of transition, albeit in opposite directions. I wish you luck and strength. (And I kinda wish we could just trade. That'd make things soo much easier, wouldn't it ?)

Lol. I'm not sentimental at all.

If we could trade, it would be so much easier. 

Being ancient, I write a diary using pen and paper.  It makes it harder to find things - no search engine - but I've found that since I write more slowly than I type I organize my thoughts better as I'm putting them down.

The diary has come in handy for looking back to find when I did something.  I used it to give information to my therapist for one of my surgery letters.  But I do it for myself.  Writing my thoughts helps me clarify them.

*Kate now totters off, looking for her quill and wax seal*

- Kate

Quote from: K8 on September 07, 2010, 07:22:01 PM
*Kate now totters off, looking for her quill and wax seal*

Lol... using pen and paper doesn't mean you're ancient (especially since your photo shows otherwise), but just that you're well bred.  And developed good habits early in life.  My handwriting is atrocious, and I absolutely hate writing in longhand.  If I have to write anything down, I print, which is laborious.  Therefore, I type, and computers are godsends, the typewriter was SUCH a beast.  So don't blush about your use of pen and paper, CELEBRATE it! 

When I realized I was, in fact, pagan, I tried to keep a diary/record of my spiritual journey and I ended up giving up on it because of carpel tunnel.  (I'm a computer programmer, I just don't hold pens that often anymore *Giggle*)

I recently started up a Blog when I decided I would start pursuing HRT and going Full Time.    I don't update it daily, but I write my random thoughts and rants there so I can read them later.   

It's helped me work out thoughts and feelings I talked about something with my therapist or something went badly in my week.   

I'd recommend a blog or diary for anyone!

Quote from: Colleen Ireland on September 07, 2010, 09:21:33 PM
Lol... using pen and paper doesn't mean you're ancient (especially since your photo shows otherwise), but just that you're well bred.  And developed good habits early in life.  My handwriting is atrocious, and I absolutely hate writing in longhand.  If I have to write anything down, I print, which is laborious.  Therefore, I type, and computers are godsends, the typewriter was SUCH a beast.  So don't blush about your use of pen and paper, CELEBRATE it! 

Its curious how looking at my diary entries from a month ago and comparing them to today's... my handwriting has gotten more elegant,legible, and feminine. Its an interesting medium to write longhand - I actually write less than I probably would have if I were typing, but generally the high and low points of the day.  But since it takes longer for me to communicate in this medium I wind up taking the time to form the letters properly / artistically and write exactly what needs writing that day.  Sometimes I do a little doodle but generally its just those thoughts that I can fit onto one sheet of paper.  I don't write every day, but as long as its a "usual" day, I spend at least a few minutes in front of my notebook.

I think that keeping a diary is a good habit to get into, especially for people in transition (any kind of transition). 

I don't want to get into an argument about which medium is better - do what works for you - but I can look back through my diaries and tell how things were going at the time by how flowing or crimped the handwriting is.  (And it's nice to know that not everyone types theirs. )

- Kate

I have diaries dating back to 1989 and I have archived them in digital format both through Microsoft Word and most recently I've scanned each page and have them as images.

I'm not sure what I would have done if I hadn't had the chance to be able to sit down and go back over things, either from the day before or from years in the past.

As such I've been able to use all of that time (before I had a PC) to work on my handwriting and it's proven to be an asset to me. I can't tell how many times I've been told I'm the first person someone has met that they could actually read my hand writing compared to other peoples handwriting. I also get surprised looks from people all the time who've received a note or document from me and had thought I was a female by the way I write.

But I've cheated a bit I guess... My grandmother is a graphic artist and has been my inspiration for calligraphy ever since I was young. The art of writing isn't just being able to use a language to express feelings, it's also in the hand. 

Quote from: K8 on September 08, 2010, 07:55:44 AM
I think that keeping a diary is a good habit to get into, especially for people in transition (any kind of transition). 

I don't want to get into an argument about which medium is better - do what works for you - but I can look back through my diaries and tell how things were going at the time by how flowing or crimped the handwriting is.  (And it's nice to know that not everyone types theirs. )

- Kate

Handmade, leatherbound notebook, written with a dip pen . I'd also use my sealing wax, but I could never figure out how :/ .

It's amazing how much my handwriting has improved since I began writing it - I can now get three times as much text down on one page without losing legibility.

I have three different handwritings: Fast printed, nice printed, and cursive. The cursive is what I employ in my diary - I'm trying to brush it up. Of the three, of course, the nice print looks more feminine, but it also takes 10 times as long to write as either other.

I keep one...well, many. I write mine in black moleskine style books, and so far I have at least 12 full of my diary entries and many more with other purposes. Not only is it impressive on my bookshelf, but it gives me a certain relife to know I could look back several years to see what I was thinking.

All of my writing is encoded in a simple cipher that uses glyphs that are not latin. There is no key as I read and write it as well as I do normal latin based English text these days. I have been using the same code with only minor alternations for about 14 years now, so this is hardly surprising.

If however, I were ever asked to present them as "evidence" for my transgender thoughts I certainly could as with a key it couldn't be all that hard for other people to understand. However, I would question the therapist who wanted to see such hard evidence, as keeping a paper trail is the last thing most people want. If it weren't for my diaries being encoded I would be far to scared that someone would just read them and find me out.

BTW IMO, Nothing beats writing in a hardcover book with a fountain pen (Dip pens are waaaayyyy too much work). There is an interesting feeling that text on a computer just doesn't give. I am however faster at typing than I am at writing, but a diary isn't a race. And unless I am typing in dvorak (I use it on two of my pcs, qwerty on the other two) I find it is easier on my fingers to write with a pen rather than type.