Tending the Privacy of My Pages
My private writing is private. I am allowed to take simple, reasonable care of it.
What does it take, quietly, to write honestly? It takes trust that the pages are yours. What you write belongs to you — and the practice of remembering only works when that belonging is true.
There are simple ordinary ways to take care of that privacy:
- Strong passwords on the devices and accounts that hold your writing
- Two-step sign-in on the email and storage you most rely on
- A backup somewhere other than the device you carry every day
- A separate email address, if you need one, for your most sensitive correspondence
If you keep paper pages, you are allowed to keep them somewhere only you have access to — a locked drawer, a friend's house, a small safe place. Irreplaceable papers can be copied and kept somewhere safe in case the original is ever lost.
⚠️ A note on technology and safety. If you ever come to suspect, in the quiet ways the body knows, that a device of yours is being watched in some way you did not consent to, that is a moment to seek specialized help rather than to scramble alone. There are organizations that quietly help with exactly this kind of situation; one is the Safety Net project at the National Network to End Domestic Violence (techsafety.org). Local advocates can also guide you. Sudden changes — wiping a device, removing an app — can sometimes alert the person watching. Steady, expert help is safer than quick reactions. You are allowed to ask for that help.
The small lock. The steady backup. The soft confidence that comes from knowing your inner life is yours. The point is not vigilance for its own sake. The point is that you are allowed to lock your own door, and you are allowed to keep your own pages.