Nephi is making this record long after his arrival in the land of promise. His writings are more like his personal memoirs than a daily journal. Apparently, Nephi began writing on the large plates of Nephi not long after arriving in the Americas (1 Nephi 19:1-5). However, he did not begin to record on the small plates of Nephi until 30 years after their departure from Jerusalem (2 Nephi 5:28-33). This is significant because his record is colored by the wisdom and perspective of his age; unnecessary details of daily affairs are not included. Nonetheless, Nephi is able to describe the spiritual experiences and revelations with remarkable detail.