More File I/O practice: a simple MyJournal app with Python 3, taken from Michael Kennedy's Python Jumpstart by Building 10 Apps course.

journal.py

import os

def load(name):
    """
    This method creates and loads a new journal.
    :param name: This base name of the journal to load.
    :return: A new journal data structure populated with file data.
    """
    data = []
    filename = get_full_pathname(name)

    if os.path.exists(filename):
        with open(filename, "r") as fin:
            for entry in fin.readlines():
                data.append(entry.rstrip())
    return data

def save(name, journal_data):
    filename = get_full_pathname(name)
    print("...saving to: {}".format(filename))

    with open(filename, "w") as fout:
        for entry in journal_data:
            fout.write(entry + "\n")

def get_full_pathname(name):
    filename = os.path.abspath(os.path.join(".", "journals", name + ".jrl"))
    return filename

def add_entry(text, journal_data):
    journal_data.append(text)

program.py

# Project adapted from Michael Kennedy's Python Jumpstart by Building 10 Apps course

import journal

def main():
    print_header()
    run_event_loop()

def print_header():
    print("-----------------------------")
    print("         JOURNAL APP         ")
    print("-----------------------------")
    print()

def run_event_loop():
    print("What would you like to do?")
    cmd = "EMPTY"
    journal_name = "default"
    journal_data = journal.load(journal_name)

    while cmd != "X" and cmd:
        cmd = input("[L]ist entries, [A]dd an entry, e[X]it: ")
        cmd = cmd.upper().strip()
        if cmd == "L":
            list_entries(journal_data)
        elif cmd == "A":
            add_entry(journal_data)
        elif cmd != "X" and cmd:
            print("Sorry, I don't understand '{}'. Please try again.".format(cmd))

    print("Saving journal...)")
    print("Done, goodbye!")
    journal.save(journal_name, journal_data)

def list_entries(data):
    print("Your journal entries:")
    entries = reversed(data)
    for idx, entry in enumerate(entries):
        print("* [{}] {}".format(idx + 1, entry))

def add_entry(data):
    text = input("Type your entry, <enter> to exit:  ")
    journal.add_entry(text, data)


if __name__ == "__main__":
    main()