There is something about a clean, crisp, brand new notebook. The pages are untouched, they line up perfectly with one another. It’s like clean sheet night for writers. The only thing that is better is writing in that notebook with a beautiful, smooth pen.
One of my newest notebooks
When was the last time that you sat down and wrote something? I’m not talking about a shopping list either. It’s been a while for me. I collect beautiful notebooks and fill them with lists. It almost seems like a travesty, such a waste.
Up until a few years ago, before the portable digital world took over, I wrote in a journal every day. I wrote for my mental health case manager. I was much better at articulating my feelings with the written word than the spoken one. Then the case managers got increasingly worse, falling asleep, not turning up for appointments and finally discharging me despite my GP at the time not being happy with handling the care. So the journals didn’t seem important anymore.
I still have all of those journals. They’re packed away in a bag. They aren’t special looking notebooks, they’re simple and that makes them all the more important somehow. I carried one with me at most times, they’re battered with time. I mostly wrote at night but there were times when two or three entries could be found for each day. It’s interesting how the digital form is so entrenched in my mind now because I almost wrote post instead of entries.
It’s interesting to see the growth of my understanding of the way my mind words. As I got older, the writing tended to be less angry, more despondent. It’s interesting that even now my writing follows similar patterns.
During the ‘Why I Write‘ blog hop, I discovered that a blogger (who I cannot for the life of me remember the name of, so if it’s you then please let me know and I’ll add your link) writes all of their blog posts by hand. I thought it was such a great idea.
I find that the words do seem to flow more easily when I am writing with good old fashioned pen and paper. There is also just something so spectacular about the whole process. Although I don’t remember my hand cramping up this quickly when I used to write in my journal!
Do you keep a handwritten journal? When was the last time you wrote more than a shopping list?
Linking up with Jess for IBOT.
Now we have a printer I was going to actually write out a blog post and scan it in!!
I don’t write nearly enough. Mind you when I do write something the kids steal it and scribble on it!!
I should look at improving my handwriting. Especially because I am trying to get Kindy Kid to improve/learn his!!
My dad has atrocious handwriting. I remember getting him to sigh a permission slip for me once and the teacher thought that I had forged it because it was so bad lol. I tried the line of ‘but look at Dad’s writing’ when I would get in trouble at school..never seemed to work though!
In my mothers home in America sits a box full of my old journals. I wrote extensively from ages 13-22. Since traveling overseas I have kept journals or varying lengths of time – during pregnancy and early baby time, bursts of months where I get back to it, but never for long since the kids came along (11years now). Love hand writing !!
I wish that I had kept a journal when I was pregnant and during those first few weeks. I think it would be interesting to look back on it.
I write stories long hand sometimes – I like to get away from the computer to ‘hear’ the characters tell their tales…then I type and edit after…
I think that hand writing does feel more intimate, like you can sit with it longer.
Physically writing by hand is a must for me. I try and start most things that I write with pen and paper and then transfer them over tot he digital world. A long way to go about it, but the words, the ease of the soul is more organic when there is a blank piece of paper beneath my hand and not a keyboard xx
I actually found it was quicker, I think it was because I didn’t have all of the other distractions. Although I find I can’t type without the distractions too, so go figure.
Nope, not a hand-writer here at all, my writing was messed up by years of scrawling uni notes. I just don’t have the patience to write neatly unfortunately, and strangely enough my brain seems to work better when I am in front of a keyboard. It’s really weird. Maybe it’s because I can so easily edit and delete as I go.
My writing is definitely far from neat lol. Although I think it’s important to realise where our writing strengths are and if you write better on the computer, then that’s great!
I write occasionally on paper, but find that my fingers can’t keep up with my brain, and so my writing becomes rushed and illegible. Half the time I can barely read it afterwards.
It always feels good though. Like you’ve really done something.
It’s funny, I always feel more accomplished when I write something by hand too. My cursive gets pretty interesting when I get on a roll of writing that’s for sure lol!
I love the art of actually writing, Tegan. And I LOVE clean sheet night!!
I love seeing the ideas form on the page, it’s pretty amazing sometimes.
I used to write in journals and notebooks all the time. After dad died I always had notebooks where I’d write letters to him letting him know how I was going and what I’d been up to. For some reason I thought if I wrote the words down he’d be able to see them from heaven. I also used to write journals every time we went on holidays so I could look back on them and read them. I don’t handwrite much now except birthday cards. Everything is so digital these days it seems pens and paper are being forgotten.
Oh Toni that is a beautiful reason to write. Did you keep the journals?
I have books of inspiration … books of joy … books of goals … call them what you want but there is nothing like a hand written book full of wonderful ideas! And yes, I LOVE getting a brand new book in which to create my life. LOVE IT!
Leanne @ Deep Fried Fruit
There’s just something different about having it all in a notebook isn’t there? It feels more raw or something.
A couple of weeks ago, I wrote most of a short story long hand by torchlight in the middle of the night because I didn’t want to disturb anyone. I could hardly read it the next day though 🙂
Haha oops! I hope you were able to salvage some of it at least.
I found a lot of my old hand written journals and threw them all out because reading them made me just cringe. Yeah, you can imagine how much I regret that! Ah well. I love writing in notebooks too and funny enough, usually the only thing I can think to write are lists! Now that I’m back at uni I try to write notes and assignment prep in school books. There’s something cathartic about writing by hand.
Oh no! I’ve nearly thrown mine out for the same reason but I just couldn’t bring myself to do it.
I just can’t do handwriting, unless it’s all that I have because my brain moves so fast and my hand can’t keep up – I’m a touch typer and when type it sounds like someone who is pretending to type. But I do have LOTS Of journals from back in the day, one day I will read them… x
I’m a touch typer as well. Although I don’t really follow the hand placement rules to the letter. I haven’t read my journals for years. A couple of years ago I started to type them out, but it was a bit much.
My handwriting is absolutely shocking. It looks like something a six year old would write. I often take notes for meetings at work, but beyond that and shopping lists I prefer to tap, tap, tap away.
My handwriting actually changes with my mood which I find really interesting. My brain is often going quicker than my hand though so it does get a bit messy!
There is nothing like the feel of a nice pen flowing on good paper – I loved the notebooks that were given out to attendees at last year’s PB Event, the paper was so smooth it was a joy to write on!
I sometimes handwrite blog posts first, purely for the joy of creating away from my computer 🙂
Visiting from #teamIBOT xxx
Those notebooks were great. I love the smaller ones because I can carry them around in my handbag.
I absolutely adore your notebook “long walks to the fridge” hand in hand with a pizza slice. That is gold.
I have so many beautiful notebooks that I don’t write in for fear that I will “ruin them” with my writing. Ridiculous right?!
I thought the same thing for a while! I kept notebooks that were special and I wouldn’t write in them which really defeats the whole purpose!
I love journals with cheeky quotes, colourful art or fantastic photographic images in them. I only WISH I’d kept journals or diaries going from a younger age. It’s not that I didn’t want to… It’s that I was ENTIRELY CERTAIN they would be found and land me in trouble, so my younger gain is my greater current loss 🙁
Typo has the cutest notebooks at the moment (ok all the time) and they have been making a dent in my bank balance lately!
I love notebooks, I actually find that I write better when I write by hand first, at least my notes, and then type them onto a computer from there x
I found it was easier too. I was able to build on what I’d written a lot easier.
I have to write almost every day thanks to work — we still have file notes that are handwritten. I also keep notebooks around when I jot down ideas or beautiful lines I come across or even story and blog posts points. Sometimes my thoughts flow better when I write than type so I resort to that if I’m ever stuck… 🙂
I was really amazed at how quickly the words flowed when I hand wrote this post.