Tony Rossiter explores great words from great writers
© Giovanni Giovannetti/effigie
There are at least three good reasons for keeping a diary. First (like bar exercises for dancers, scales for pianists, or warm-up exercises for athletes), it can help to get your mind and your body prepared for the task ahead. It can help as preparation for the sometimes difficult business of settling down, getting started and getting stuck into a piece of writing. These days, of course, blogs, tweets and other social media may fulfil the same kind of function. But a personal diary is the real deal – the place where you can record stuff you may not want to share with the rest of the world.