I don’t go anywhere without my moleskin notebook, although I have recently bought a few of paperblanks ones as I’m drawn to their great designs and magnetised closures. With their acid-free pages (doing the job of preserving) your writing won’t disappear gradually over the years. My very first A4 lined notebook that I began when I was four years old was not of the same quality and is held together with sellotape, meaning it’s going to spend the rest of its days in a plastic bag. With it’s tatty and yellow pages I struggle to read some of the first entries.
When I get my notebook out on the train, on a bench in the park or when just out and about, I get an amazing feeling when the words mark the paper – it’s like I am casting them in stone never to be forgotten. The notes are in no particular order; it could be just a scribbling, a stressful outburst, a great idea for a blog or quote I’ve heard. It might be that no one but myself will ever see the entries or understand whey I wrote them, but nevertheless they mean something to me and I often read them back.
Take care of your notebooks
Notebooks filled with your own thoughts are priceless so take great care of them (I would be upset if something happened to mine). I often look back at my many notebooks – as a rough guess I’ve probably got over 30 of them. Each entry in each notebook mean something to me and has a reason for being there.
I’ve leave you with a great quote from Viv Evan’s ‘Writer’s Notebook’ blog that I read earlier. I like what she has written about the dilemma of not keeping a notebook:
“When inspiration comes it is likely to find me working at something else! By the time I’ve got to my computer, I’ve usually forgotten the wonderfully clever phrase that popped into my head during the school run, or it’s been diluted into something that doesn’t look or sound right” Viv Evans, Keeping a notebook, writersnotebook.co.uk
Hope you enjoyed today’s blog
Until tomorrow…
Sandra
Freelance writer
www.sandramadeira.com
(For information on my services as a freelance writer as well as details of my book and other blogs).
This blog post forms part of My Writing Challenge.
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I always feel conspicuous writing in a paper notebook. I don’t like people asking me what I’m writing or reading over my shoulder — especially if I’m making a note of something witty that they said… So these days I keep notes in my iPhone.
Posted by Holly | November 26, 2011, 10:30 pmHi Holly
I know what you mean – I also don’t like anyone watching me or asking me what I am writing when writing in my notebook. I use my iphone sometimes too, although it does take me longer to write what I am thinking. Thanks for the comment.
Sandra
Posted by Sandra Madeira | November 27, 2011, 7:53 am