Hide Your Diary

A diary is supposed to be a place where you can express your ideas and confide your feelings. Writing your way through a problem can be very therapeutic. The best way to make sure it isn't found is to make sure no one sees your diary to begin with. Put it where no one knows where it is. Follow all, or some, of these steps to keep people who are snooping around from invading your privacy.

Steps

Hiding Your Diary

  1. Hide it anywhere no one will find it:
    • Find an old book and cut a hole in it so your diary will fit.
    • In a jacket hanging up
    • In your pillowcase.
    • In a fish tank where people will never look
    • In your Sort out Your Handbag/purse/old backpack.
    • Behind your TV, or computer.
    • Under a pile of stuffed animals.
    • In your underwear drawer.
    • In the little space under your bureau.
    • Inside a shoe box (make sure you keep shoes in there too!)
    • Inside your computer
    • In the pet carrier box.
    • Under your cushion.
    • If you have a pile of cushions on your bed, then you can unzip one of the covers, slot it in and re zip it. No one will ever know! Just make sure no one sits on it and gets a nasty surprise!!
    • Under a pile of cans that you don't usually drink.
    • If you have an opening blanket, hide it under the cushion inside.
  2. Put your diary inside a desktop Turn Your Computer Desktop into a Monthly Planner. Most computers have lots of empty space inside the case, and very few people think to look inside them. People, and parents especially, may not be very good at dealing with Convince Elders to Buy Technology and not even realize it can open or that there is any space inside. Just be sure not to store it somewhere where it will damage your computer, start a fire or block airflow to components that need cooling.
  3. Put your diary online. Don't use things like LiveJournal. That isn't as anonymous as making a separate email address and emailing entries to yourself or just saving all your entries as drafts on that email.
  4. Tape it to the underside of a chair, desk, table, or interior of a drawer.
  5. Put it under a loose floorboard in a hardwood floor (best for old houses).
  6. Make a hollow book and put your diary inside.
  7. Act natural when anyone comes into your room as if you have nothing to hide. This way, that person will be less likely to look around for your diary!
  8. Make a decoy. If a nosy person comes into your room and starts snooping, get a little notebook and quickly write my diary on it and then drop it onto your bed. Casually leave the room. Maybe they will read the decoy diary and, finding very little there, simply leave the room and you will have nothing to worry about. Add bogus entries every so often, as if they had really happened, but that the snooper can recognize as fantasy (such as your fantastic trip to San Francisco, or how you spent two years in a Stay Positive when Your Home Is an Adult Foster Care Home for Developmentally Disabled Adults, or how you rescued a dog from the pound and now it is your best friend). This will make them wonder if other things you wrote were true or fantasy, and you can tell people that you want to be a writer so you make up a lot of things. Later, when you're done with that diary, go back and put a code by the fantasy entries before you hide it permanently. The famous writer Anais Nin did this for years!
  9. See if there is enough room to stick the diary between the back of a framed picture and the wall. Nobody looks behind pictures.
  10. Lift a removable Wash a Flat Ceiling panel (if you have one) and place your diary (or anything else you have to hide) on one next to it. Why would anybody look in your ceiling?
  11. Slip your diary inside a newspaper roll, and set the newspaper next to your chair, on the shelf, wherever a newspaper looks natural but discreet. An example of a bad spot is on an end table, where it may seem to invite someone to pick it up, open it, and find the diary by mistake.
  12. Hide it under a chest of drawers, under the bottom drawer, where the floor is. Remember to put the drawer back on. Some sets of drawers have a base, with a space between the base and the bottom drawer, this way people won't find your diary, even if they're moving the furniture around!
  13. Find an old tissue box. Slip your diary inside, and then cover it with a few sheets of tissue. The only problem is that if someone wants to take a tissue they may find the diary underneath, so use quite a few tissues and replenish them after anyone uses them.
  14. Hide it in an old Bible case. Also put one of your old Bibles in it to cover up your diary. It works great!

Disguising Your Diary

  1. Conceal the cover of your diary with a book cover (make it look like a very boring book so that if anyone finds it, they won't want to read it!) and hide it amongst your other books.
  2. Write your diary in a completely ordinary-looking school notebook (you might even put school notes on the first few pages) and keep it with other school stuff.
  3. Consider the alternatives. If there are absolutely no good hiding spots you can access easily or your nosy person has already discovered them all:
    • Consider writing your diary in a shorthand or code that only you understand, so that even if intercepted no one will know how to read what you have written. Note, however, that almost any code that isn't generated by a computer can be broken by someone with enough time and experience, and that if you write in a code that doesn't look like normal English, it will be obvious to everyone that you're hiding something. Also, the more complex the code, the longer it will take to write out and the longer it will take to decipher when you want to read it. The more practice you have with your particular method, the quicker your writing/reading will become.
    • Or, as a twist to the above, consider writing in a language with a script different from your own; for example, Japanese. Greek and Korean are a good shortcut because you only need to learn the alphabet and not the actual language (Korean and Greek characters have different shapes from the English letters, but share very similar sounds). Try to choose a language few people know and/or you have an interest in (if anyone finds it, you can always say it's practice or something).
    • You can also create your own language or variation on English. English has a lot of room for condensation. For example, consider dropping the definite article and using a symbol instead. Then take that symbol and place it somewhere that isn't grammatically correct in English. For example, use a '?' symbol for "the" and attach it to the end of a word. That way 'the word' becomes 'word?'
    • Consider instead keeping an electronic diary on a computer. Write in MS Word or a similar program, and then put a password only you know on the file when you save it. Then, put it in a folder and put a different password on that folder, giving an extra layer of security. For even better hiding, place the password folder in a directory on your computer that people would be unlikely to look in. For example, name the folder something innocuous, like "data3", and then place it in a directory called "utilities", instead of naming it "diary" and putting it in "My Documents".
  4. Try considering one of those Password Journals. It is an electronic device where you voice activate or pin code open. Then it opens up to a notebook, LED light, pen holder, picture frame and all sorts. The prices for these are very low for something that is very high technology!
  5. Hide it inside an old video case if it fits, then set it among the rest of your videos.
  6. Get a diary with a lock, and carry the keys around your neck or hide the keys. Just keep in mind that your parents might ask you why you have the key.
  7. Instead of a paper diary, you could try blogging. If you have a video camera, and are willing to spend time and money getting cassettes, you can record your feelings out loud!
  8. Write your diary as a word document and lock the document with a password. When you have a word document to put a password on it you need to go to tools, options, click the security tab and type in the "password to open". Also make sure not to name it "My Diary" but name it something normal like "page 27 homework" or "Today I...."
  9. Hide your diary in bookshelf among storybooks. Truly the diary seems to be a story-book.
  10. Hide your diary in an old shirt/top and put it somewhere in your dresser where nobody claims to look.
  11. If you have a computer, look up a boring wikipedia entry and then copy it and paste it on your diary (make your diary a word document) and label your diary the article name. Type out your diary under the article.
  12. Overall, the best place to hide a diary on a computer is inside the system folder. Navigate to C:\Windows, and pick a folder. No one will ever look in there, or know which of hundreds of folders you have put your file in.

Knowing Whether Someone Has Read Your Diary

  1. Use the powder method. Put a little powder (flour, powdered sugar, etc.) in one of the covers or on the page you think might be most likely read. The powder will fall out when the page is opened, and you will notice either powder on the floor near your diary, or that the powder in the book is missing.
  2. Use the temptation method. Write a false entry in your diary saying that if your brother does your chores for you every day for a week, you will give him a piece of candy. Or say that if your sister cleans your room you will let her borrow your laptop, for example. When your brother miraculously starts doing your chores or your room is suddenly spotless (and your sister claims it to be her work), you know you've got readers.
  3. Use the hair method. Find one of your hairs on your jacket or shower or something. Place one end of the hair in one of the covers of your diary and the other end in the other cover of the diary so the hair is facing the side of the book that opens. When someone opens the diary, the hair will snap or will fall out or loosen a lot.

Tips

  • The absolute best time to write in your diary is when you are home alone. This is always the best time because you know that no one can burst in without you knowing, as you would hear the door open or the car pull up before they even came in the house, which would give you ample time to hide it.
  • Try hiding your diary in an old jigsaw puzzle box or put it inside a magazine and place that on a book shelf. You can also hide the diary in a sock drawer.
  • If nosy people don't know you keep a diary, they won't think to look for it. Don't be flashy about writing in your diary or snotty about it being secret, interesting, and private.
  • If your diary is the same size as one of your hard-cover books, take the book jacket off your hard-cover and put the book-jacket on your diary. Put your disguised diary on your bookshelf were the hard-cover book would go.
  • If you are going to lock your diary, and you don't feel like wearing the keys around your neck, tape the keys to a spot like on the side of your bedside table, so the person would have to be lying right where you sleep to see them.
  • Another great idea for hiding your Diary is to set it in a clean trash can (The small ones for bedrooms) and put the trash bag in, over your diary. put some paper in the bag to cover up the Diary so no one sees it! (like they'll check a trash can anyway!)
  • If you use microsoft word or notepad to write your diary, then this is for you! Download 7-zip, a free utility, and you can encrypt (code) your text/photos etc using 256 bit AES encryption, which takes your encryption to the level of U.S Military. Now, that is hiding!
  • Write in third perspective, so if anyone finds it, it'll seem like a story you're writing.
  • Read the book "Harriet the Spy" by Louise Fitzhugh to find out what to do if evil classmates actually do get hold of your diary. It's not a pretty sight but this book will help you deal with it. Harriet is also a great notebook-keeper.
  • Another great place to put your virtual diary is on a jump-drive or memory stick. It may be easier to hide than an actual book.
  • If all these fail try getting a diary with a lock on it.
  • Sometimes, the best place to hide a diary is in plain sight. The seeker will be so intent on searching the hidey-holes that they wouldn't even think to open the book they just tossed aside to get to a loose floorboard!
  • Clear your browsing cache. A nosy person can search your browsing cache and find out all of your good hiding spots. To find out how, check out How to Clear Your Browser's Cache.
  • Put it on your mp3 player! Just make sure it is password protected!
  • If you already have a computer, it is not that difficult to transfer files onto it, and then simply make them hard to find, and then hard to access. Good places to hide files might be in iTunes folders, movie-maker folders, and anything that might seem like an unlikely hiding place. Another plus to this idea is that many adults/parents/nosy people are not very experienced with technology, which makes it even harder to find the diary!
  • Do not hide the diary under your mattress. It is likely the first place someone would look.
  • Use loose leaf paper like you'd use at school. It's thin, looks boring, and easy to hide.
  • Another hiding area is to take apart a large cheap globe, put it inside put the globe together and put it in you wardrobe/closet behind clothes so it will be hidden three times.
  • A very determined person will pull every picture off the wall, every floorboard off the floor, and every piece of furniture apart before giving up. A code or an obscure language is your best bet if you have a family member like this. Make a good code and don't share it with anyone.
  • You can hide it in a shoe box, in a regular box with other things on top of it, or in a crate.
  • Don't tell anyone that you have a diary.
  • Another way to keep your diary is to tape it under your bed.
  • If you use a notebook as your diary,beware not to put "MY DIARY"on the front or anywhere on the diary cover.You're practically saying,"Hey,come read my diary!" Better yet,DON'T go around bragging about how personal and private your diary is.That's just asking for your sibling to read your diary.
  • Get a regular notebook then label it a math book PR Reading book something like that and nobody would think it's a diary.
  • Write boring entries that seem like true day to day things like at school we learned about angles for the first few pages and secrets at the back. People that read your diary will be to bored to read on.
  • If your diary is on MS word, change the font to white and name it something boring (EX: my homework).
  • Don't hide it in a trash can or it can accidentally be thrown away.
  • Always take your diary everywhere you can because when you leave it home your siblings have a chance to look for it. And when you're sleeping put it in your pillow. People won't try to take it even if they know it's there because: 1- they might awake you and get busted. 2- it'll be hard to reach because your heavy head will be "guarding" it. 3- if you wake up they'll need a good reason to be trying to snoop in your diary. Also: keep it so one day you can change the characters and represent it as an actual book like: Dork Diaries, Diary Of A Wimpy Kid and etc.
  • If you keep your diary on a computer, you can precede the filename with a "." (a period w/o the quotes). This makes the filename hidden in most circumstances. But, don't forget the location and name (including the "." you placed in front of the file if you want to return to it. However, there are several methods of Seeking files so you might want to take extra precautions such as a password protection and/or changing the color of the print to white. You can also even mark the text as hidden in MS Word. But, just like keys are to keep honest people out, where there is a will (and knowledge) there is always a way.
  • Just use common sense and hide it in a spot where you know other people won't look.
  • Lots of people have mentioned hiding it in your locker. Remember, teachers have the right to search your locker at any time, and lots of lockers have the same key. Buy a high quality lock, preferably with a unique key, and make sure that if you know about a locker search, remove it and hide it somewhere else. The exercise book or different language would be good for hiding in a locker. Remember that anyone can catch a glimpse of it from behind.
  • You can hide your diary on top of the canopy on your bed if you have one.

Warnings

  • Do not lose your diary. It could fall into the wrong hands, or your parents could find it, and you could get teased for all eternity.
  • Try to write in it when there is no one around, or when you're all alone in your room. If you hear someone approach, keep a fake page in the back and pretend you are doodling or doing schoolwork or writing a love letter to your partner
  • Remember that anyone, including your parents, can read this page from your history, and therefore might have a better idea of where to look and will then tease you for eternity and/or tell the universe your secrets. What if your worst enemy found it?
  • Never take it to school with you. You never know who could go through your bag and steal it! In fact, some people might tease you just because you own a diary.
  • Never leave your diary around just because it came with a lock. A really determined person could hack and break the lock if they tried hard enough! And most locks don't seal the diary completely, and even if they can't break the lock, they could open and read some bits through the gap.

Things You'll Need

  • A big hollow book (optional)
  • A diary or journal
  • Writing utensil to write in your diary with.
  • A modern computer-system (optional)

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