Wednesday Blog Post: Notebooks

Every writer needs a good notebook to keep thoughts in, even the ones that don't seem so important at the time. I'm always on the lookout for new notebooks and journals, even when I know I don't have a use for them yet. (Clearance Paperchase at Borders will get me every time.) My notebooks each have a purpose, so that way when I'm looking for a certain story or subject, I know exactly which book it's in.

Right now I'm using three notebooks on a regular basis; next week, you could ask me again and I'll tell you a different number. I do this mostly so that way, wherever I am, I always have some place to jot down a thought or idea without needing to grab a notebook or lose it on scraps of paper.

The one probably getting the most use right now is my "kickaround" notebook. I use the term "kickaround" to describe those notebooks that seem to follow me everywhere; this one primarily lives in my work bag, but I carry it around to friends' houses, the library, you name it. I initially bought this notebook for its tabbed sections - not that I've used them to separate thoughts or topics, but it looked cool. Just looking at the cover, you can tell it's getting beat up from the rough life it has with me. Insides is everything from half-finished writing prompts to pieces of my novel to notes about writing books, taken while I was reading. I usually draft my blog posts here, since I'm not always in front of my computer. I'm surprised at how long this one has lasted me going on a year, most of that spent getting carted back and forth to work.

My writing practice notebook, however, is more durable, being one of the few hardcover notebooks, aside from journals, I've ever used on a consistent basis. I like that the pages are the size of normal printer paper, so it's a good judge of how much I've written; a 20 minute session usually yields two and a half pages of writing. For a bound journal, the spine lays flat so I'm not struggling to keep the book open while I'm writing. Probably my favorite part is the ribbon bookmark attached to the spine. I like to set it at the end of my writing and then look at the top of the journal, to see how much of it I've filled. It's a confidence boost for me, being able to see how my writing practice pays off.

The last of my three favorites of the moment, my "writer's sketchbook" is a new idea I'm trying out. It's technically a scrapbook, with heavy pages I can write and draw on with Sharpies and the ink doesn't bleed through. I use it to map out ideas, such as a character's personality traits or thinking of new ideas for this here blog. I like the fact that the pages are so big and the unlined paper makes the maps look cleaner and easier to read. Though I've only used it for a few weeks, I've found it to be really helpful for remembering ideas and jotting down new ones as they come. And I'll be honest - getting to play with Sharpies helps my creativity.

Notebooks have always been my way of keeping my thoughts straight, both for my stories and for my personal life. I've always wondered if it works the same for other writers as well - whether through journals, sketchbooks, lined paper, unlined paper, colored pens, the list goes on. What notebooks do you use? I'm curious.