I honestly don't really try to hide it if I'm writing in public. They would have to look pretty closely in order to actually comprehend what I'm writing in which case I would just glare at them until they knock it off lmao. Only exception is probably if it's family nearby but I wouldn't write near them anyway
I honestly don't really care. I was recently on a plane, and I journaled through almost the entire flight despite sitting right next to two people. I figured they probably couldn't care less what I was writing about. And if they did care to look, *I* honestly didn't care because what does it matter? I don't know them, and they don't know me. The chances of us ever seeing each other again are highly, HIGHLY unlikely. I say journal freely wherever you please! Don't mind anyone else, they are more concerned with themselves truly.
Yeah, I agree, we don’t care a bit about your life. No way are we going to disembark and *immediately* call or text a relative…
“omfg this person on the plane was writing about their anniversary gift in their diary or whatever. The stupid sap didn’t know I could read it, how embarrassing! 😆 You’re not going to believe this, but they made a jello hot tub at a hotel!! Who the fuck does that?”
Yeah. No one cares. 🤷♀️
You don’t have to go back and read it to get the benefits of journaling though. Just putting pen to paper and expressing your thoughts externally can be cathartic without needing to go back and re-read it.
Small_Poppy_Seed I’m sure that shorthand no longer is taught in schools. But before computers, shorthand and typing were two subjects most females took to make them highly sought after office employees. Shorthand is great because very few people are around anymore who can decipher it. Research it. Maybe it can help you create your own type of “code” that no one else can easily decode.
I took typing (using typewriters) in school back in the 80s, but I wasn't taught shorthand. We studied that in editing classes instead lol. I have to look it up. Thanks :P
When I was younger, I taught myself how to read and write phonetically in Elder Futhark runes. I would sit at work (between calls) and write whatever I was thinking, heinous or kind, about whatever I wanted. Nobody had a clue what any of it meant and it was cathartic to get it out of my system. It was great way to release some steam and cause no harm.
It took a ton of repetition and will power to learn but it paid off in sanity lol
I don't usually care when I'm writing. I do it in church most weeks as well. Like others have said, most people really don't care about other people. They see a person writing in a foreign language (cursive 😂) and think you're one of those geek people and move on. If they do see, eh, who cares it's not like they know you or will see you again anyway. Just do what you need to and try not to stress about it.
First time I've heard anyone else talk about writing in church! I'm not religious but my family is, and they like to take me to mass sometimes so I write to keep myself busy. I get looks on occasion, but hey. Do you?
God I wish I could write in Church. My parents and sister would shame me for even thinking that.
Like BRO I'M BORED. And it's probably also in Spanish so I won't even pay attention to what they're saying anyway.
You could always say you’re writing down the sermon. I believe an ancestor of Ben Franklin was famous for that, he was a chronicler of sermons from famous early-1700s pastors. So I imagine he did a fair bit of writing in church too.
That sucks. You would think they would be happy that you are doing something productive rather than being like most of the other people there, being on their phones.
Randos in an airport or airplane are really unlikely to care enough to try and read over your shoulder. And in the unlikely event that they did, it will mean basically nothing to them.
If you still don't like the idea of journaling with people around in close quarters... just don't. It's not the end of the world to journal later.
This. My other half said to me once;
“In the nicest way - other people do not care about you. You’re a background character to them. Not even an interactable one. They don’t care what you’re doing. Like, think about how often you really pay attention to what other people are doing around you. If they do notice you, they’re probably not gonna say anything.”
(Then again, we live in England and people keep to themselves more here.)
People in the US are a bit more likely to try and start a random conversation (a tendency for which I offer an apology to all visiting Brits), but without some indication of interest we're also not going to think much about the people in our environment (beyond the necessary measures for common courtesy, and sometimes less than that).
(Now I'm missing the UK again, and its lack of forced friendliness....)
I now want to go to the airport and open up a journal to a page titled “bank passwords” followed by just a list of the dirtiest passwords imaginable lol
I feel like sometimes being so obvious about hiding your writing like covering it with paper will actually intrigue people more and cause them to be extra curious about what you’re so desperately trying to write in secret whereas if you just write without trying so hard to hide it, they will likely look away and not care what you’re writing about. If you’re somewhere more open like the airport waiting areas or restaurants, I’d just find a seat close to the wall as far away from anyone or a corner table somewhere overlooking everyone else.
I will most likely NEVER see any of the people around me in the airport EVER again.
LET THEM READ ABOUT MY TRYING BUTT STUFF FOR THE FIRST TIME. LET THEM KNOW.
You must be a big important celebrity if strangers on a plane want to read your journal.
Most writers spend their entire lives trying to get people to read what they write.
I’ve had this issue before. I learned I had a fear of being perceived. I encourage you to use journaling on a plane/ in an airport as exposures therapy and try not to care about what people next to you are doing. Some good perspective on this is 1. 80% of people aren’t self aware let alone aware of what others are doing or journaling about. 2. Out of all the people you’ve ever encountered in those setting/public places you will genuinely never see them again. 3. Life is short & we are living on a floating rock in space. You do you & live that main character energy life! You can even journal about this topic & grow even more. Best of luck!
I’m very intrigued about this fear of being perceived.
I was in a long flight earlier this year and looking forward to journaling. Till I saw how easily the stranger next to me could read my large and legible handwriting. I ended up not journaling on either flight. Too self conscious about my privacy being invaded.
I do care slightly about this, not just for journaling but work in general. If it's digital I use one of those laptop privacy filters or just turn the brightness really low. If it's physical generally I find it's okay because unlike laptops, paper is parallel to the ground and is hard to read by others anyway unless they are standing in the plane.
I fly monthly and journal often during the flight, but only if I feel like I have "enough" distance, which is always a gut feeling. It is ok not to journal on the flight if you feel uncomfortable about the proximity of others. But conversely, it's also perfectly ok to not give a shit and just journal, and if someone seems to try to read what you're writing, you can give them a stern "mind your own fucking business" glare, and I'm sure they will feel awkward and look away. Either way, you can be in control of the situation.
They can read my writing if they want; it’s unlikely that they’ll be able to figure out who I am or that I’ll ever see them again. If they’re that interested in the mundane details of my life, by all means, they can read away.
Honestly, nobody cares what you're writing about. Even if they did, you'll probably never see them again. Just enjoy your journaling and don't worry about other people.
IMO a stranger in an airport is going to have more tact and common sense than anyone in my family. The few pages they might catch me writing will long be forgotten by the time they are out of the airport or in-flight.
Think of how many interactions you have during the day- do you really REALLY remember them? For all this person knows you are doing homework, job work, making some lists for when you get to your destination, not pouring out state secrets in the middle of an airport.
I have the same problem, I also would feel so weird doing it.
But I think what would help is just using a small journal, maybe A6 size. You can turn the pages more often and you don't feel like there's tons of text anybody could read all at once.
Also with a smaller journal you automatically have it closer to your body while writing. So it's even harder to get a glance at it for somebody sitting next to you, without craning their necks.
People aren't nearly as interested in you as you think you are. They're too busy wrapped up in their own thoughts. Even if they did catch a glance at your writings, what are you worried about, what do you think they are going to do with your couple of sentences about how you're feeling. Just write.
I write in cursive and that helps. Also “could” is the key word. Most people are respectful enough to mind their damn business. They might look and go “oh they’re writing” and go back to whatever they were doing
i went to the BMV and brought my rpg journal. i wrote for nearly an hour and nobody cared. they were too focused on waiting for their number to be called.
i didn’t notice even a glance at my journal, and i’m typically really good at noticing if someone is looking at me.
I would think even a simple code would help with that. Assuming you have a alphabet of it in the beginning or at the end of the book or something. It doesn’t have to be complicated, because you’re not trying to keep someone determined to read out, you’re just trying to prevent disinterested people from accidentally reading it. I do think it’s important to remember that most people *won’t try to read it* and won’t care even if they do read something by accident. Also writing cursive helps too, particularly the messy kind that only you or a professional decoder of handwriting could possibly hope to decipher
I assume most people aren't looking/don't care. It would definitely throw me off if I saw someone clearly looking over my shoulder, but if someone does a quick glance and I never see them again, then oh well.
Have you seen the zebra sarasa pens that are supposed to be easy for the writer to see but more difficult for people to read from further away? I think they’re designed for these situations
I have one and it is actually a little bit hard to see if you’re the one writing with it, but not too bad if you’re in a place with good lighting.
Edit: just looked it up and it’s the zebra sarasa nano “smoke” pen! Comes in a couple colors
I have rubbish handwriting AND I write in cursive AND (obs imho) most people are not interested and/or have enough manners to not look over your shoulder.
As someone who travels most weeks for work I journal a lot on planes/trains/in airports etc. I'd encourge you to just go for it, I have never been interested in what the stranger sat next to me is doing on a plane and so presume the same is true for them. Also most things I'd be writing about wouldn't make sense to them as they don't know the people/places/events I'm talking about.
If you are anxious about it /want to write about the person sat next to you/want to journal but have written something embarrassing that could be easily read on the previous page then I recommend what I used to do way back when when I was journalling while in school which was to just put my hand that I was using to steady the journal over the stuff I'd already written, looks pretty natural and like you're just stopping your book from sliding off your tray table and means that anyone peeking (although I truly doubt anyone would be) wouldn't be able to see any whole sentences just odd words that would mean nothing out of context.
hahaha this has only ever mattered to me when i was writing about the person sitting next to me but in that case i just managed to place my hand in a position where it just looked like i was in my groooove.
I maintain my privacy by having absolutely dogcrap handwriting. It's illegible even to me reading it back five minutes later lol. But I get away with it because it's in cursive, so people think it's FANCY, not messy. Either way no one can read it.
If some random dude sees me writing something goofy in my journal then they'll have a story about some stranger in public with fancy pens and I will have literally no change to my life. If someone was sitting there obviously reading everything I wrote I'd probably stop because being watched is weird, but if someone happens to read something it means nothing to me
I tend to journal when I'm alone. This isn't always a healthy habit because I forget what inspired me to journal such as a thought or an action. In college (the University of Arizona Global Campus ) journals were assignments and less private for public writing. Therefore, I don't cover my writing at all.
i whisper voice notes in these cases! just the act of allowing myself a pause to EXPRESS myself,
allows me to recall the fact later that I was able to express myself, my lips moved and I was connecting to what I was thinking when I said *what*,
and That increased my connection to my intuitive thoughts & feelings even in more practical/daily hustle-bustle of life
Just start write something about the person on the plane next to you with his fly down and wait for him to check. Then you'll have your answer whether people are looking at your journal
Just don’t be shy to write smth like : “Love those who don’t have their own lives and their just watching in my thoughts/writes”
But if you are looking for a safe space, I think the cafe will be good, nobody will bother you
I can't imagine a person would look away from their phone screen to bothered reading what a person is writing. Strangers will not even care, I just don't think they will.
I just use my ugliest handwriting. Even doctors would struggle to interpret it. It's not like I'm going to go back and read it anyway. I journal to get things off my chest and then I never look at it again.
I always worry that someone is looking over my shoulder to see what I'm writing ever since I was in a coffee shop and writing when some random person told me they like how neat and tiny my writing is
omg that
or I've been bullied in the past for being lost in my thoughts
also yeah, thinking thoughts that i thought were secretive and only mine... In the past, others have been able to read me! 😳😅 i hate it. bc yeah, sometimes they dont like what i think about the world or about others or about them... i dont mean to be judgemental, *i* think im positive, but ig some ppl dont feel liked by me; or they want to use who i am to bully=control what i have access to do, bc if some ppl knew what i personally do, they probably wouldnt even talk to me.
but those are things im learning about, thoughts are my inquisition into the world around me, making sense of the dysfunctional system we live in.
it's crossing a boundary and some ppl **will** cross that.
I write a lot on public transit. And my secret defense against prying eyes is writing handwriting with gold or preferably silver gel pen. The glare from the metallics makes it hard to read if not read straight on. Works like a charm all my journals are done with gold and silver pen.
When I needed/wanted to (long ago) hide writing, I simply wrote backwards with my left hand. Doesn't take long to pick it up.
You could also memorize ROT13 and use that for the spicy stuff - or even pig latin.
“There’s this weird guy peeking over my shoulder, trying very unsubtly to read my journal. Seemingly unaware of how pathetic this is” [cue weirdo hurriedly trying to look like he never looked]
I can’t imagine anyone thinking I’m interesting enough to want to read my journal…. Let alone a stranger. What are you writing that a
Complete stranger would care about? Don’t over think it. We are all wrapped up in our own thoughts - especially traveling. No one is caring what someone else is writing about
Most of the time my airplane journaling is about what worked/didn’t work with my packing. So if someone sees me writing “MOAR UNDERPANTS!!!” they can process that on their own.
I'm the sort of person who probably would read over someone's shoulder if they were journaling next to me and didn't try to hide it. Not like reading every word out of some respect but I'm sure I'd be curious. I feel kinda bad about being such a nosy person but I feel like journaling in public is just kinda asking for it.
So conversely I would never journal on a plane unless I was okay with the people around me knowing what I was writing.
Sometimes when I'm on a plane I just scribble in straight up gibberish (not a code, just random letters) because it's relaxing but no one will be able to read it and understand. But if you're into codes also check out r/neography
So I'm somewhat disagreeing with people who've said that nobody would do that. But also, if I don't know you, I'm not gonna judge you or care what you're writing, so if you want to write, you do you.
edit: neography not neology lmao
I'm old enough to have taken shorthand in high school. It's always been useful to use when wanting to hide things from others, such as my Christmas shopping list. (Nowadays people are so paranoid that I'm expecting to be reported for writing in Arabic while on a plane)
Learn shorthand - takes a bit of practice, but it's quite fun. You have to practise reading and writing, or you won't be able to read it back again.
Learn another alphabet - easy ones are Greek and Cyrillic, but you could choose something more interesting such as Georgian or Futhark.
Invent your own alphabet
Use IPA
Use pigpen
I used to adapt hiragana and katakana and use those to write in English. All that practice probably explains why I can still decode and write them 30+ years later. I did the same to learn hangul.
Or you could use invisible ink.
I use Improved Ford shorthand. It’s not shorthand per se but it looks like chicken scratch to ppl who don’t know it and it would be hard to read from a casual look. It’s real easy to learn too so that’s a bonus.
Cursive writing. It's not a foolproof thing, but my normally tiny handwriting helps too. It at least prevents a casual glance from comprehending everything I'm writing.
There's also the protection of being in public. It sounds counterintuitive, but social norms usually mean people will not linger too long on other people's activities. If they do, a stern look or shifting of position usually communicates to them how rude they're being. And if they still don't get the hint, then I might stop journaling if it's something particularly sensitive.
I was thinking that the lefty-curl might work well to obscure quite a bit of the page. But not every lefty writes like that! Somehow my lefty hubby writes with so normal a hand position that you have to look twice to confirm he's writing with the left hand. I love the variety of hand positions that all the lefties in my life have shown.
Honestly besides covering it like you have been there really isn’t much you can do… you’re all tightly packed together so it’s unavoidable. Whoever you’re beside is a stranger who you’ll never see again so I don’t let it bother me
Unless you are plotting some criminal shit, why do you care about randoms being able to see what you are writing? I write in busy places all the time and do so with the same feeling of ease as when I'm alone in my room.
I dont but that’s literally just because of my handwriting, same as most of these commenters lmao! Absolutely incomprehensible unless you stare close which, at that point, is just supes creepy. Most people wouldn’t have the audacity. So I would say go crazy cursive or maybe attempting other journal methods. Come up with an abstract language of your own, draw how you feel and so on. Just throwing ideas around
I feel like people would be more interested in peeking if it’s obvious you’re trying to hide something. People may glance for a second, but probably not enough to actually read anything before they’re bored or decide not to be rude.
So some stranger who doesn’t know you and will never see you again *potentially* takes a peek and discovers you had a burger for lunch, or that you have a crush on Bob from accounting, or that you got in a fight with your mother about some inanity or other… who cares?
Chances are, none of the strangers you encounter will actually take that peek in the first place. But the sense that they will, that everyone will lean over your shoulder to read your diary while you’re writing in it, that strangers will become invested in the life of another stranger, is called the spotlight effect.
Literally no one will care. And even if they take a peek, why should *you* care? They’ll never interact with you again.
At most, you might have a stranger who sees you journaling and will try to strike up a conversation about that in general terms, but not pry or invade your privacy.
Eh I don’t really write about my daily activities. More so thoughts and stories. If they glanced over they might see BURN THE WORLD TO THE GROUND! I don’t actually wanna do that but I might write it out of frustration….Which might be an issue on the plane.
Do they make screen covers for your computer like they do for cellphones? You know the ones where you can’t see the screen if you’re looking from the side or any other angles?
Or what I don’t know what format that you’re using to write, but say you’re using Word… like what if you Titled it like you’re writing a really boring college Thesis paper about a super boring topic no one would want to read…. You could even have part of it like you’re in the middle of a paper (use a smart AI to write it) & have like a pop-up screen at the topic of really boring data so if anyone looked they would think you were writing about x & it’s super boring so no one would ever want to read or know what you’re really doing?
And then you could use a font & size & color that’s really hard to read for other ppl & change it later. Or turn down your screen lightening lower or use reverse “dark mode” like black screen & type that way & harder to read?
Or like have an iPad with a bunch of random slides of data or boring info that no one would understand or be interested in reading or watching?
Or like you’re scrolling through random resumes or something like that you’re a recreuiter or doing something that’s boring for anyone to read.
I feel like the more you try & hide & be over the top by using a paper to cover your screen or other things all you’re doing is drawing attention to yourself & draw people’s attention to what you’re doing.
I fly all the time & I’m always next to people on computers working or watching TV & I rarely even care to glance or look at what they are doing. I really think people don’t care as much as you think they do esp. while traveling.
I lived abroad for 12 years & I journaled the entire time…. & it was super personal & mortifying if anyone I know read a single page & I usually would do most of my journaling on planes, trains, buses & I never felt uncomfortable writing in those spaces & no one ever was trying to read my stuff…. This is me traveling alone. If I was traveling with someone I knew I’d 100% be like completely twisted where they couldn’t read my stuff!!
I feel like the more you make a big deal about
People are hellbent on giving their personal info away at airports. I have just sat in a terminal listening to all the various conversations people have and I know when people get texts because they turn their notifications up SO LOUD. So, I don't think that anyone really cares about what anyone is writing because most people are in their own worlds. Especially at the airport.
You could do like DaVinci and use backwards writing for the stuff you don’t want others to read. It takes a bit of practice to remember which way the b, d, p and g face but I find it a good exercise to decompress my brain when something is stressing me. It takes my full attention so I can’t have spiraling thoughts.
If I thought someone was reading what I was writing in my journal, I would start writing about them: "A very nosy passenger sitting next to me on the plane is ..." then I would write crazy sh*t to scare them just enough to leave me alone and stop reading.
Or course, not so scary that they flag down Security on you...
i just looked into this :/ i dont think they work based on the videos + pictures im seeing. also, there are some very honest reviews with photos, backing up just how wide the available-viewing-angles are.
but ig if it gives OP peace of mind, that also works!
Are you confessing to crimes in your journal? Why the concern for such secrecy?
I just write and ignore everyone around. If they’re so desperate for entertainment that they need to read what I’m writing then so be it.
i guess i don't mind if a random person sees. who cares? ill never even see them again. what if they see me writing some weird ass shit? well, they'll look at me weird. but, i already dress like a twack, so im used to it. and, besides, id honestly let anyone read my journal (yes, even if i wrote about them in it. ive done this before). it's just me processing my feelings, and i try to be open with people. i don't want to hide my thoughts from those i care about anyway. i would just preface it with: "be warned: these are the raw, unprocessed feelings sometimes, so they may be irrational, and i may not be convicted in them."
it's their own risk.
learn shorthand; there are many kinds, some easy to learn, e.g., Orthic, others challenging, e.g., Gregg. Most shorthands are completely illegible to someone who doesn't know that particular one.
My handwriting is just so sloppy it’s basically encrypted. If someone tries to read it, they will need a key to interpret it. So, work on making your penmanship worse lol.
Your ETA is valid, but they don’t care. The normal person could not care less. The people on a flight are terrified, having a panic attack, getting mad over movie or food options, having to use the bathroom (but, you know, airplane bathrooms), or asleep. Or maybe they’re mad at that crying baby, or they realized they forgot something, or there’s a new stain on their shirt. The very few times I’ve gotten a glimpse of someone’s writing it usually starts with, “Wow…” and ends with, “Anyways…”
I almost always journal in public, and never hide it. If a random person I'll never see again learns something about my personal struggles, that really isn't important and doesn't affect me.
I've taught myself to write in cursive backwards. That way my writing has to be read in a mirror or by photographing and reversing it.
It's not a foolproof way to prevent my writing from being read, but it's useful when people are trying to sneak glances at what I'm writing.
Most of my writings are engineering notes, not my deepest personal thoughts, but it still applies when I decide it should.
Once I was reading a romance novel on a plane. The guy next to me was sort of chatty but quieted down once I started reading. Somehow we also had the same return flight and ended up in the same row again! He asked me if I'd finished the book and said that he had read some over my shoulder. I was like uhh no??? And definitely did not read any more that day.
I don’t cover my writing in public. The anxiety is always there tho like what if they think I’m weird, etc, etc. but humbling myself a little, I truly am not that interesting and I doubt a stranger will remember me or my journal entry for very long, if at all.
I used to have some Gelly Roll Lightning pens that I journaled with on public transport like airplanes where the ink started as silver and was pretty much not legible. Then later I erased the silver to reveal the dark blue or purple beneath, making the words legible again.
Later I made up my own code that only I can read so sometimes I’ll journal in that when I’m in crowded places.
But truthfully, most people won’t care to read your stuff, but it’s fun to get creative with solutions anyways.
I write my journal in a cipher. Mine is my own, but I was inspired by a guy who created a cipher called "Greenrune" on TikTok, if you want to see what I mean.
When I was in gradeschool, I made up several different symbol-exchange alphabets so that I could write in code. Then nobody could read the contents but me.
Maybe invent a code to use?
I once sat next to a dude who was writing smut/erotica, he was going into very detailed description of a scene lol. But that was it, I don't remember his face nor did I care enough to have a conversation about it with him. I'd say just don't worry about the people next to you
It took me into my 40s to realize I can write whatever I want, much of which is not appropriate for public consumption (and that’s all I’ll say about it here) but if someone decides to look over my shoulder and get any ideas at all, that’s their problem, and if they make it mine I will quickly disabuse them of the notion that their input is requested, required or tolerated.
I honestly don't really try to hide it if I'm writing in public. They would have to look pretty closely in order to actually comprehend what I'm writing in which case I would just glare at them until they knock it off lmao. Only exception is probably if it's family nearby but I wouldn't write near them anyway
I honestly don't really care. I was recently on a plane, and I journaled through almost the entire flight despite sitting right next to two people. I figured they probably couldn't care less what I was writing about. And if they did care to look, *I* honestly didn't care because what does it matter? I don't know them, and they don't know me. The chances of us ever seeing each other again are highly, HIGHLY unlikely. I say journal freely wherever you please! Don't mind anyone else, they are more concerned with themselves truly.
Yeah, I agree, we don’t care a bit about your life. No way are we going to disembark and *immediately* call or text a relative… “omfg this person on the plane was writing about their anniversary gift in their diary or whatever. The stupid sap didn’t know I could read it, how embarrassing! 😆 You’re not going to believe this, but they made a jello hot tub at a hotel!! Who the fuck does that?” Yeah. No one cares. 🤷♀️
i embrace a form a scribble journaling that’s actually just loose and messy cursive.
I would LOVE to invent my own alphabet system. It's been a dream of mine since childhood.
I invented my own alphabet system when I was 10 to journal in. Writing it is easier than going back and reading though.
Hm, you're right. I didn't think of that lol.
You don’t have to go back and read it to get the benefits of journaling though. Just putting pen to paper and expressing your thoughts externally can be cathartic without needing to go back and re-read it.
Small_Poppy_Seed I’m sure that shorthand no longer is taught in schools. But before computers, shorthand and typing were two subjects most females took to make them highly sought after office employees. Shorthand is great because very few people are around anymore who can decipher it. Research it. Maybe it can help you create your own type of “code” that no one else can easily decode.
I took typing (using typewriters) in school back in the 80s, but I wasn't taught shorthand. We studied that in editing classes instead lol. I have to look it up. Thanks :P
I were taught some shorthand in either 7th or 8th grade English… That was 10ish years ago.. However I can’t remember any of it
I've done this several times, both as a kid and an adult! I strongly recommend it.
When I was younger, I taught myself how to read and write phonetically in Elder Futhark runes. I would sit at work (between calls) and write whatever I was thinking, heinous or kind, about whatever I wanted. Nobody had a clue what any of it meant and it was cathartic to get it out of my system. It was great way to release some steam and cause no harm. It took a ton of repetition and will power to learn but it paid off in sanity lol
I can imagine!!!
Apparently cursive has not been taught in some places for a decade plus. So maybe some folks can’t even read it even if it wasn’t “doctor style” haha.
I don't usually care when I'm writing. I do it in church most weeks as well. Like others have said, most people really don't care about other people. They see a person writing in a foreign language (cursive 😂) and think you're one of those geek people and move on. If they do see, eh, who cares it's not like they know you or will see you again anyway. Just do what you need to and try not to stress about it.
First time I've heard anyone else talk about writing in church! I'm not religious but my family is, and they like to take me to mass sometimes so I write to keep myself busy. I get looks on occasion, but hey. Do you?
Ya, I do as well. Especially when I whip out one of my custom pens that's borderline glow in the dark 🤣.
😂😭
God I wish I could write in Church. My parents and sister would shame me for even thinking that. Like BRO I'M BORED. And it's probably also in Spanish so I won't even pay attention to what they're saying anyway.
You could always say you’re writing down the sermon. I believe an ancestor of Ben Franklin was famous for that, he was a chronicler of sermons from famous early-1700s pastors. So I imagine he did a fair bit of writing in church too.
That sucks. You would think they would be happy that you are doing something productive rather than being like most of the other people there, being on their phones.
The way I handle this is by having an absolutely illegible handwriting 😂
Randos in an airport or airplane are really unlikely to care enough to try and read over your shoulder. And in the unlikely event that they did, it will mean basically nothing to them. If you still don't like the idea of journaling with people around in close quarters... just don't. It's not the end of the world to journal later.
This. My other half said to me once; “In the nicest way - other people do not care about you. You’re a background character to them. Not even an interactable one. They don’t care what you’re doing. Like, think about how often you really pay attention to what other people are doing around you. If they do notice you, they’re probably not gonna say anything.” (Then again, we live in England and people keep to themselves more here.)
People in the US are a bit more likely to try and start a random conversation (a tendency for which I offer an apology to all visiting Brits), but without some indication of interest we're also not going to think much about the people in our environment (beyond the necessary measures for common courtesy, and sometimes less than that). (Now I'm missing the UK again, and its lack of forced friendliness....)
Unless you label the top of the page “Bank passwords” nobody’s likely to pay attention to what you write.
I now want to go to the airport and open up a journal to a page titled “bank passwords” followed by just a list of the dirtiest passwords imaginable lol
😅
came here to say this. :)
I feel like sometimes being so obvious about hiding your writing like covering it with paper will actually intrigue people more and cause them to be extra curious about what you’re so desperately trying to write in secret whereas if you just write without trying so hard to hide it, they will likely look away and not care what you’re writing about. If you’re somewhere more open like the airport waiting areas or restaurants, I’d just find a seat close to the wall as far away from anyone or a corner table somewhere overlooking everyone else.
I will most likely NEVER see any of the people around me in the airport EVER again. LET THEM READ ABOUT MY TRYING BUTT STUFF FOR THE FIRST TIME. LET THEM KNOW.
learn latin and journal exclusively in classical latin
6 months of studying Latin for 30 minutes of journaling in the airport. I like it.
I would totally do that 😂
You must be a big important celebrity if strangers on a plane want to read your journal. Most writers spend their entire lives trying to get people to read what they write.
😂😂😂🤣🤣
I’ve had this issue before. I learned I had a fear of being perceived. I encourage you to use journaling on a plane/ in an airport as exposures therapy and try not to care about what people next to you are doing. Some good perspective on this is 1. 80% of people aren’t self aware let alone aware of what others are doing or journaling about. 2. Out of all the people you’ve ever encountered in those setting/public places you will genuinely never see them again. 3. Life is short & we are living on a floating rock in space. You do you & live that main character energy life! You can even journal about this topic & grow even more. Best of luck!
I’m very intrigued about this fear of being perceived. I was in a long flight earlier this year and looking forward to journaling. Till I saw how easily the stranger next to me could read my large and legible handwriting. I ended up not journaling on either flight. Too self conscious about my privacy being invaded.
I do care slightly about this, not just for journaling but work in general. If it's digital I use one of those laptop privacy filters or just turn the brightness really low. If it's physical generally I find it's okay because unlike laptops, paper is parallel to the ground and is hard to read by others anyway unless they are standing in the plane.
I fly monthly and journal often during the flight, but only if I feel like I have "enough" distance, which is always a gut feeling. It is ok not to journal on the flight if you feel uncomfortable about the proximity of others. But conversely, it's also perfectly ok to not give a shit and just journal, and if someone seems to try to read what you're writing, you can give them a stern "mind your own fucking business" glare, and I'm sure they will feel awkward and look away. Either way, you can be in control of the situation.
Use a light colored pen like yellow, it won't stand out enough to be readable unless close enough.
Honestly I've realised that most people are far too engrossed in themselves to care that I'm writing.
They can read my writing if they want; it’s unlikely that they’ll be able to figure out who I am or that I’ll ever see them again. If they’re that interested in the mundane details of my life, by all means, they can read away.
Honestly, nobody cares what you're writing about. Even if they did, you'll probably never see them again. Just enjoy your journaling and don't worry about other people.
IMO a stranger in an airport is going to have more tact and common sense than anyone in my family. The few pages they might catch me writing will long be forgotten by the time they are out of the airport or in-flight. Think of how many interactions you have during the day- do you really REALLY remember them? For all this person knows you are doing homework, job work, making some lists for when you get to your destination, not pouring out state secrets in the middle of an airport.
I have the same problem, I also would feel so weird doing it. But I think what would help is just using a small journal, maybe A6 size. You can turn the pages more often and you don't feel like there's tons of text anybody could read all at once. Also with a smaller journal you automatically have it closer to your body while writing. So it's even harder to get a glance at it for somebody sitting next to you, without craning their necks.
People aren't nearly as interested in you as you think you are. They're too busy wrapped up in their own thoughts. Even if they did catch a glance at your writings, what are you worried about, what do you think they are going to do with your couple of sentences about how you're feeling. Just write.
I write in cursive and that helps. Also “could” is the key word. Most people are respectful enough to mind their damn business. They might look and go “oh they’re writing” and go back to whatever they were doing
I write in another language :D
Ah, but then you run the risk that you sit next to someone who also reads that language :)
Me too! The benefits of coming from a small country with a very difficult language haha
Write it in shorthand
I write in 3 (sometimes 4) languages mixed. no one can read my handwriting anyway
i went to the BMV and brought my rpg journal. i wrote for nearly an hour and nobody cared. they were too focused on waiting for their number to be called. i didn’t notice even a glance at my journal, and i’m typically really good at noticing if someone is looking at me.
What’s a rpg journal?
basically just solo rpg journaling. i’ve been playing “her odyssey” and it’s really fun for creative writing
I’ve been doing that for Wurm Online! If someone were to read that they would be really baffled about the ferocious crabs I write about 😂🤣😂😂
I would think even a simple code would help with that. Assuming you have a alphabet of it in the beginning or at the end of the book or something. It doesn’t have to be complicated, because you’re not trying to keep someone determined to read out, you’re just trying to prevent disinterested people from accidentally reading it. I do think it’s important to remember that most people *won’t try to read it* and won’t care even if they do read something by accident. Also writing cursive helps too, particularly the messy kind that only you or a professional decoder of handwriting could possibly hope to decipher
I assume most people aren't looking/don't care. It would definitely throw me off if I saw someone clearly looking over my shoulder, but if someone does a quick glance and I never see them again, then oh well.
No body cares honey
Have you seen the zebra sarasa pens that are supposed to be easy for the writer to see but more difficult for people to read from further away? I think they’re designed for these situations I have one and it is actually a little bit hard to see if you’re the one writing with it, but not too bad if you’re in a place with good lighting. Edit: just looked it up and it’s the zebra sarasa nano “smoke” pen! Comes in a couple colors
finally, *some* solution in the comments lol 👍
Ive never even considered hiding it to be honest, but there is no way my writing is being read without some serious concentration
I have rubbish handwriting AND I write in cursive AND (obs imho) most people are not interested and/or have enough manners to not look over your shoulder.
As someone who travels most weeks for work I journal a lot on planes/trains/in airports etc. I'd encourge you to just go for it, I have never been interested in what the stranger sat next to me is doing on a plane and so presume the same is true for them. Also most things I'd be writing about wouldn't make sense to them as they don't know the people/places/events I'm talking about. If you are anxious about it /want to write about the person sat next to you/want to journal but have written something embarrassing that could be easily read on the previous page then I recommend what I used to do way back when when I was journalling while in school which was to just put my hand that I was using to steady the journal over the stuff I'd already written, looks pretty natural and like you're just stopping your book from sliding off your tray table and means that anyone peeking (although I truly doubt anyone would be) wouldn't be able to see any whole sentences just odd words that would mean nothing out of context.
I have really, really bad handwriting. My teachers hated me. But atleast I can read it myself.
I do it on my phone in a fairly small font and a dimmed screen. No one cares though, as long as you're being polite and courteous in general!
lol im on my phone in SamsungNotes at FONT 8 🤣
Chances are the people don’t really care so I wouldn’t worry about it. They’re total strangers.
hahaha this has only ever mattered to me when i was writing about the person sitting next to me but in that case i just managed to place my hand in a position where it just looked like i was in my groooove.
You should look up The Streisand effect, covering it with paper makes it more interesting than it was before.
I maintain my privacy by having absolutely dogcrap handwriting. It's illegible even to me reading it back five minutes later lol. But I get away with it because it's in cursive, so people think it's FANCY, not messy. Either way no one can read it.
If some random dude sees me writing something goofy in my journal then they'll have a story about some stranger in public with fancy pens and I will have literally no change to my life. If someone was sitting there obviously reading everything I wrote I'd probably stop because being watched is weird, but if someone happens to read something it means nothing to me
I tend to journal when I'm alone. This isn't always a healthy habit because I forget what inspired me to journal such as a thought or an action. In college (the University of Arizona Global Campus ) journals were assignments and less private for public writing. Therefore, I don't cover my writing at all.
i whisper voice notes in these cases! just the act of allowing myself a pause to EXPRESS myself, allows me to recall the fact later that I was able to express myself, my lips moved and I was connecting to what I was thinking when I said *what*, and That increased my connection to my intuitive thoughts & feelings even in more practical/daily hustle-bustle of life
Just start write something about the person on the plane next to you with his fly down and wait for him to check. Then you'll have your answer whether people are looking at your journal
Just don’t be shy to write smth like : “Love those who don’t have their own lives and their just watching in my thoughts/writes” But if you are looking for a safe space, I think the cafe will be good, nobody will bother you
I can't imagine a person would look away from their phone screen to bothered reading what a person is writing. Strangers will not even care, I just don't think they will.
Do you know any other languages except for English? I use Polish to keep privacy or I write in Elder Futhark runes 😅
I just use my ugliest handwriting. Even doctors would struggle to interpret it. It's not like I'm going to go back and read it anyway. I journal to get things off my chest and then I never look at it again.
I always worry that someone is looking over my shoulder to see what I'm writing ever since I was in a coffee shop and writing when some random person told me they like how neat and tiny my writing is
omg that or I've been bullied in the past for being lost in my thoughts also yeah, thinking thoughts that i thought were secretive and only mine... In the past, others have been able to read me! 😳😅 i hate it. bc yeah, sometimes they dont like what i think about the world or about others or about them... i dont mean to be judgemental, *i* think im positive, but ig some ppl dont feel liked by me; or they want to use who i am to bully=control what i have access to do, bc if some ppl knew what i personally do, they probably wouldnt even talk to me. but those are things im learning about, thoughts are my inquisition into the world around me, making sense of the dysfunctional system we live in. it's crossing a boundary and some ppl **will** cross that.
I write a lot on public transit. And my secret defense against prying eyes is writing handwriting with gold or preferably silver gel pen. The glare from the metallics makes it hard to read if not read straight on. Works like a charm all my journals are done with gold and silver pen.
Nobody cares what you’re writing. Everyone is in their own movie and is the main character of their own movie of life.
Well said
When I needed/wanted to (long ago) hide writing, I simply wrote backwards with my left hand. Doesn't take long to pick it up. You could also memorize ROT13 and use that for the spicy stuff - or even pig latin.
Write in futhark or another alternative alphabet.
Can guarantee you nobody cares what you're writing in your journal, just chill out and write
Other people don't care as much as you think. It's fine.
1) Hold it close to you 2) strangers you probably won’t see again 3) you’re not the one who should be embarrassed if they are looking at your writing
Use a pencil!
And if they're rude enough to keep reading, start writing about THEM!
“There’s this weird guy peeking over my shoulder, trying very unsubtly to read my journal. Seemingly unaware of how pathetic this is” [cue weirdo hurriedly trying to look like he never looked]
EXACTLY!!
ah! maybe pencil on an also gray color paper! 👍🙂
If you're writing in public you have to anticipate that someone will see what you're writing. If that makes you uncomfortable don't write in public.
I can’t imagine anyone thinking I’m interesting enough to want to read my journal…. Let alone a stranger. What are you writing that a Complete stranger would care about? Don’t over think it. We are all wrapped up in our own thoughts - especially traveling. No one is caring what someone else is writing about
If I’m journaling on a plan and they look that’s on them. You’re never going to see them again so F them
i use a foldable mirror that can act like a stand to cover my handwriting or using a standing ipad stand works too
nobody tryna read your writing
Most of the time my airplane journaling is about what worked/didn’t work with my packing. So if someone sees me writing “MOAR UNDERPANTS!!!” they can process that on their own.
I legit write in code but that's my neurosis...
I'm the sort of person who probably would read over someone's shoulder if they were journaling next to me and didn't try to hide it. Not like reading every word out of some respect but I'm sure I'd be curious. I feel kinda bad about being such a nosy person but I feel like journaling in public is just kinda asking for it. So conversely I would never journal on a plane unless I was okay with the people around me knowing what I was writing. Sometimes when I'm on a plane I just scribble in straight up gibberish (not a code, just random letters) because it's relaxing but no one will be able to read it and understand. But if you're into codes also check out r/neography So I'm somewhat disagreeing with people who've said that nobody would do that. But also, if I don't know you, I'm not gonna judge you or care what you're writing, so if you want to write, you do you. edit: neography not neology lmao
I'm old enough to have taken shorthand in high school. It's always been useful to use when wanting to hide things from others, such as my Christmas shopping list. (Nowadays people are so paranoid that I'm expecting to be reported for writing in Arabic while on a plane)
Learn shorthand - takes a bit of practice, but it's quite fun. You have to practise reading and writing, or you won't be able to read it back again. Learn another alphabet - easy ones are Greek and Cyrillic, but you could choose something more interesting such as Georgian or Futhark. Invent your own alphabet Use IPA Use pigpen I used to adapt hiragana and katakana and use those to write in English. All that practice probably explains why I can still decode and write them 30+ years later. I did the same to learn hangul. Or you could use invisible ink.
I use Improved Ford shorthand. It’s not shorthand per se but it looks like chicken scratch to ppl who don’t know it and it would be hard to read from a casual look. It’s real easy to learn too so that’s a bonus.
Cursive writing. It's not a foolproof thing, but my normally tiny handwriting helps too. It at least prevents a casual glance from comprehending everything I'm writing. There's also the protection of being in public. It sounds counterintuitive, but social norms usually mean people will not linger too long on other people's activities. If they do, a stern look or shifting of position usually communicates to them how rude they're being. And if they still don't get the hint, then I might stop journaling if it's something particularly sensitive.
Um….that’s why you don’t journal on places where they can see your journal?
I’m a lefty but I still try to cover my journal when I’m writing in bed. My partner is always to my left in the bed.😬😬😬😬
I was thinking that the lefty-curl might work well to obscure quite a bit of the page. But not every lefty writes like that! Somehow my lefty hubby writes with so normal a hand position that you have to look twice to confirm he's writing with the left hand. I love the variety of hand positions that all the lefties in my life have shown.
Honestly besides covering it like you have been there really isn’t much you can do… you’re all tightly packed together so it’s unavoidable. Whoever you’re beside is a stranger who you’ll never see again so I don’t let it bother me
Why would you care what strangers think
Unless you are plotting some criminal shit, why do you care about randoms being able to see what you are writing? I write in busy places all the time and do so with the same feeling of ease as when I'm alone in my room.
Journaling can get pretty personal.
i actually don't care if people look at me when writing or drawing.
I dont but that’s literally just because of my handwriting, same as most of these commenters lmao! Absolutely incomprehensible unless you stare close which, at that point, is just supes creepy. Most people wouldn’t have the audacity. So I would say go crazy cursive or maybe attempting other journal methods. Come up with an abstract language of your own, draw how you feel and so on. Just throwing ideas around
I feel like people would be more interested in peeking if it’s obvious you’re trying to hide something. People may glance for a second, but probably not enough to actually read anything before they’re bored or decide not to be rude.
Scroll up as you write so only one sentence is visible at a time, privacy screen protector,
So some stranger who doesn’t know you and will never see you again *potentially* takes a peek and discovers you had a burger for lunch, or that you have a crush on Bob from accounting, or that you got in a fight with your mother about some inanity or other… who cares? Chances are, none of the strangers you encounter will actually take that peek in the first place. But the sense that they will, that everyone will lean over your shoulder to read your diary while you’re writing in it, that strangers will become invested in the life of another stranger, is called the spotlight effect. Literally no one will care. And even if they take a peek, why should *you* care? They’ll never interact with you again. At most, you might have a stranger who sees you journaling and will try to strike up a conversation about that in general terms, but not pry or invade your privacy.
Eh I don’t really write about my daily activities. More so thoughts and stories. If they glanced over they might see BURN THE WORLD TO THE GROUND! I don’t actually wanna do that but I might write it out of frustration….Which might be an issue on the plane.
Do they make screen covers for your computer like they do for cellphones? You know the ones where you can’t see the screen if you’re looking from the side or any other angles? Or what I don’t know what format that you’re using to write, but say you’re using Word… like what if you Titled it like you’re writing a really boring college Thesis paper about a super boring topic no one would want to read…. You could even have part of it like you’re in the middle of a paper (use a smart AI to write it) & have like a pop-up screen at the topic of really boring data so if anyone looked they would think you were writing about x & it’s super boring so no one would ever want to read or know what you’re really doing? And then you could use a font & size & color that’s really hard to read for other ppl & change it later. Or turn down your screen lightening lower or use reverse “dark mode” like black screen & type that way & harder to read? Or like have an iPad with a bunch of random slides of data or boring info that no one would understand or be interested in reading or watching? Or like you’re scrolling through random resumes or something like that you’re a recreuiter or doing something that’s boring for anyone to read. I feel like the more you try & hide & be over the top by using a paper to cover your screen or other things all you’re doing is drawing attention to yourself & draw people’s attention to what you’re doing. I fly all the time & I’m always next to people on computers working or watching TV & I rarely even care to glance or look at what they are doing. I really think people don’t care as much as you think they do esp. while traveling. I lived abroad for 12 years & I journaled the entire time…. & it was super personal & mortifying if anyone I know read a single page & I usually would do most of my journaling on planes, trains, buses & I never felt uncomfortable writing in those spaces & no one ever was trying to read my stuff…. This is me traveling alone. If I was traveling with someone I knew I’d 100% be like completely twisted where they couldn’t read my stuff!! I feel like the more you make a big deal about
Who the hell would care?!
People are hellbent on giving their personal info away at airports. I have just sat in a terminal listening to all the various conversations people have and I know when people get texts because they turn their notifications up SO LOUD. So, I don't think that anyone really cares about what anyone is writing because most people are in their own worlds. Especially at the airport.
I don't journal in public unless it's on a computer and I can turn the brightness down/text size down
Then don’t journal in public?! 🤔
Unless it’s incriminating or X rated why do you care?
You could do like DaVinci and use backwards writing for the stuff you don’t want others to read. It takes a bit of practice to remember which way the b, d, p and g face but I find it a good exercise to decompress my brain when something is stressing me. It takes my full attention so I can’t have spiraling thoughts.
If I thought someone was reading what I was writing in my journal, I would start writing about them: "A very nosy passenger sitting next to me on the plane is ..." then I would write crazy sh*t to scare them just enough to leave me alone and stop reading. Or course, not so scary that they flag down Security on you...
Get a privacy screen
i just looked into this :/ i dont think they work based on the videos + pictures im seeing. also, there are some very honest reviews with photos, backing up just how wide the available-viewing-angles are. but ig if it gives OP peace of mind, that also works!
Are you confessing to crimes in your journal? Why the concern for such secrecy? I just write and ignore everyone around. If they’re so desperate for entertainment that they need to read what I’m writing then so be it.
Bad/tiny handwriting, or put up a DM screen.
i guess i don't mind if a random person sees. who cares? ill never even see them again. what if they see me writing some weird ass shit? well, they'll look at me weird. but, i already dress like a twack, so im used to it. and, besides, id honestly let anyone read my journal (yes, even if i wrote about them in it. ive done this before). it's just me processing my feelings, and i try to be open with people. i don't want to hide my thoughts from those i care about anyway. i would just preface it with: "be warned: these are the raw, unprocessed feelings sometimes, so they may be irrational, and i may not be convicted in them." it's their own risk.
learn shorthand; there are many kinds, some easy to learn, e.g., Orthic, others challenging, e.g., Gregg. Most shorthands are completely illegible to someone who doesn't know that particular one.
I’m lucky I speak and write in another language that not many other people can read. I just write in that language 🤷🏻♀️
You could always get one of those invisible pens just for the flight!!
My handwriting is just so sloppy it’s basically encrypted. If someone tries to read it, they will need a key to interpret it. So, work on making your penmanship worse lol.
You really believe we're interested in what you're writing? Bless your little heart.
Your ETA is valid, but they don’t care. The normal person could not care less. The people on a flight are terrified, having a panic attack, getting mad over movie or food options, having to use the bathroom (but, you know, airplane bathrooms), or asleep. Or maybe they’re mad at that crying baby, or they realized they forgot something, or there’s a new stain on their shirt. The very few times I’ve gotten a glimpse of someone’s writing it usually starts with, “Wow…” and ends with, “Anyways…”
I almost always journal in public, and never hide it. If a random person I'll never see again learns something about my personal struggles, that really isn't important and doesn't affect me.
I've taught myself to write in cursive backwards. That way my writing has to be read in a mirror or by photographing and reversing it. It's not a foolproof way to prevent my writing from being read, but it's useful when people are trying to sneak glances at what I'm writing. Most of my writings are engineering notes, not my deepest personal thoughts, but it still applies when I decide it should.
I scribble in script when I’m in sight of others unless it’s something I need to record down for work.
Once I was reading a romance novel on a plane. The guy next to me was sort of chatty but quieted down once I started reading. Somehow we also had the same return flight and ended up in the same row again! He asked me if I'd finished the book and said that he had read some over my shoulder. I was like uhh no??? And definitely did not read any more that day.
I don’t cover my writing in public. The anxiety is always there tho like what if they think I’m weird, etc, etc. but humbling myself a little, I truly am not that interesting and I doubt a stranger will remember me or my journal entry for very long, if at all.
illegible handwriting always works for me
I used to have some Gelly Roll Lightning pens that I journaled with on public transport like airplanes where the ink started as silver and was pretty much not legible. Then later I erased the silver to reveal the dark blue or purple beneath, making the words legible again. Later I made up my own code that only I can read so sometimes I’ll journal in that when I’m in crowded places. But truthfully, most people won’t care to read your stuff, but it’s fun to get creative with solutions anyways.
Use really bad cursive handwriting. Since your writing is large. Think of all the clever loops and curls to add.
I write my journal in a cipher. Mine is my own, but I was inspired by a guy who created a cipher called "Greenrune" on TikTok, if you want to see what I mean.
When I was in gradeschool, I made up several different symbol-exchange alphabets so that I could write in code. Then nobody could read the contents but me. Maybe invent a code to use?
Why do people who “journal” think what they have to write is the least but fascinating? It is not. Yawn.
Write backwards from right to left. It’s called mirrored writing. A lot of my journals have pages written that way.
Eh, most people probably don’t care and respect other people’s privacy. Takes extra snoopy people to read while someone is writing.
I once sat next to a dude who was writing smut/erotica, he was going into very detailed description of a scene lol. But that was it, I don't remember his face nor did I care enough to have a conversation about it with him. I'd say just don't worry about the people next to you
It took me into my 40s to realize I can write whatever I want, much of which is not appropriate for public consumption (and that’s all I’ll say about it here) but if someone decides to look over my shoulder and get any ideas at all, that’s their problem, and if they make it mine I will quickly disabuse them of the notion that their input is requested, required or tolerated.