A few years ago (Well, 2-3 years ago. I think.) I discovered this blogger – C.B. Wentworth. I think it was when one of her posts was chosen by WordPress for their ‘Freshly Pressed’ feature. Something in her post must have resonated with me, because I’ve been following her ever since.

And I quickly found myself fascinated with a series she was (is) posting that she called Wreck This Journal.

I eagerly looked up this curiosity… and found it well out of my price range for the tight budget hubby and I were keeping at the time. And then, for a while, I just… forgot about it. Though I would, occasionally, think about how much fun it would be whenever C.B. would post a new Wreck This Journal entry on her blog.

Until this spring, when I was poking through one of my ancient wish lists on Amazon, and stumbled across it again. I poked around, found that the creator of the journal had a few other works that looked interesting, and decided on the Wreck This Box Set. And I figured what the heck, and put it on my birthday wish list.

And Michelle got it for meeeeeeeee. Thank you, Michelle! 😀

I bounced through the house when this gift arrived. Hubby was very confused. And when I started reading the first few pages out to him, the instructions, and explaining exactly what the purpose of these books were… well, he nearly had a panic attack. Seriously. Because, he said, you don’t do that to books. Lissa said later that she understood – it’s something she can watch other people do, but she couldn’t ever do that to a book herself. And I understand, too.

I just see this book a little differently.

Books are precious things. And you treat them respect.

And I wouldn’t do this to just any book.

But books are only as good as the purpose they are created for. So to have this, and not use it the way it specifies? That would be disrespectful.

But you won’t see me treating my Bible the way I’ll treat this journal. Or any other set of books on my shelves.

 The First Experience… (please click on the first picture and go through all of them to view the captions!)

Wreck This Box Set – includes Wreck This Journal, This Is Not A Book, and Mess.

Starting with Wreck This Journal. Here, it is still pristine.

Pens! Yes, I bought pens especially for this. Shush.

My beloved Prismacolor pencils. Originally bought for my costume sketches. Totally using them for this too.

And so it begins!

Hm, hubby’s been using my pencils again. And not putting them back. Where’s the white one?

Of course it’s on the bottom tray…

The illegible name is me trying to write left-handed really fast. And I was tempted to try and write the letters backwards on that one. But no. It was more than my brain could handle.

Number one!

I had a little fun… and yes, that is the extent of my drawing skills. Unless I draw clothes.

Can you see the cracks? (Seriously, I hope you can, lol. That was a tricky picture to get…)

I wasn’t sure, when I first started, how I’d feel at the end of my first ‘session’. This is far different from normal journaling – it’s very interactive, and it makes you think.

I know there are pages deeper within the book (judging from some of C.B.’s posts) that are going to be very emotional when I fill them out.

But at the end of the first session? I couldn’t stop smiling, and I was giggling far more than I had in a while.

I think this is going to be good for me. It’s going to make me stop and live in the moment.

I’m not peeking ahead. I’m going to open to a new page every so often, and I have to work with what’s put before me each time.

This will be a definite exercise in creative discipline.

So. What do you think about Wreck This Journal? Is it something you would ever want to do? Or is the thought of ‘ruining’ a book too much for you?