Is Journaling Bad for Writers?

I was just hunting around for helpful writing resources to add to the blog and ended up reading the transcript of a podcast on the pros and cons of journaling by Mignon Fogarty, author of Grammar Girl's Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing and an upcoming book, The Grammar Devotional. Her words gave me some food for thought: Is journal writing a form of procrastination for writers? Fogarty thinks it can be.

There are benefits to journaling, like the chance to work out thoughts, process feelings and flesh out ideas. Journaling and freewriting also help writers develop a daily writing habit. I use a journal file on my laptop for all of these things. But the Lost Wanderer also has some interesting views on the value of freewriting.

I think these writers are onto something here. So many writer resources preach: Write, write, write! Write every day! Write in the morning. Keep a notebook. Yes, this is all great for jotting down ideas and getitng the juices flowing. But maybe, once a writer is past a certain point, what is being produced is actually more important than the simple act of putting pen to paper day after day.

I agree with both Grammar Girl and Lost Wanderer that journals and freewriting can keep a writer from focusing on actual writing projects. And I think blogging can have the same effect. But I also think that all three mediums – freewriting, journaling and blogging – can help a writer develop a voice and a writing style, as well as a quicker pace.

What are your thoughts? Is blogging a merely form of online journaling? Or does the fact that blogs are written (presumably at least) for an audience make them a more valuable writing exercise than a journal or freewriting? Do you journal and, if you are a writer, how is journaling or blogging helpful to your craft?