How to Keep Your Diary a Secret

Buy yourself a diary that looks like a book.

Don't buy a diary that says "diary" across the front. Just buy a cute one that could be a school textbook, or whatever. It's a good idea to buy your diary when you are out alone, so that nobody gets suspicious.

Hide your diary.

Don't hide it in the typical places, like under your bed or in a pillowcase. Hide it between the mattresses of your bed, In that purse at the back of your closet you never use, or even tucked away in the back of your bookshelf.

Avoid writing "Do Not Enter" on the spine.

This warning will make people want to read it even more!

Get a fake, obvious diary.

Across it, write, "my diary, do not enter." Inside, write a few pages of fake entries.

Write fake entries.

In your real diary, open to random pages and write fake entries.

Talk about your diary.

Let your family know you have a "fake diary." Example: "So, yesterday I was writing in my diary, and..."

Keep your diary close by.

Make sure that your fake diary is obvious and in-reach.

Put a book cover over your real diary.

A book cover makes it look like that book. Then, slip it back into your bookshelf. Nobody will suspect a thing.

Talk to your parents if you catch them reading your diary.

They will understand and leave you alone. But if you have truly nosy parents, they will be suspicious of you and not know why you don't want them to read your diary. Talk some more, calmly and respectfully.

Write in code.

A code adds extra security to your diary. Use the second or third letter of someone's name instead of their whole name if you don't want a reader to know which person you're writing about. Another option is to write your own stories as if they're rumors you heard. Instead of "I hate school", say "I hear that Alex hates school", for instance. If you have a hobby that you fear a reader would disapprove of, record your achievements as if they were in a more acceptable hobby. Perhaps if you are playing board games when a reader wishes you would play sports, you could decide to always say football instead of Monopoly and tennis instead of Chess. So the memory "I beat Brook at chess" becomes the encoded message "I beat Brook at tennis".