Wonderful and timely post! I use obsidian app (like notion) on my laptop and the mobile version to keep notes on what I'm reading, thoughts and daily life. I also have multiple paper notebooks for the same (sometimes analog feels better). Obsidian works well as a repository for all of my notes (sometimes I type my notes into it) because it allows me to create my own wikinor zettelkasten referencing other notes easily with internal links. I'm reading Natalie Goldbergs books now - Writing Down the Bones and Old Friend From Far Away. Both are a treasure trove of ideas and gentle exhortations to write down as much as you can to build the muscles and get as much material to compost for later use. I love that idea of writing being the raw materials for compost from which later on other plants may grow from.
Thank you for reading and for your note-keeping thoughts, Emily! I think it can be really useful to have a mobile app for notes-on-the-go, whereas pen and paper can often make you feel more "connected" to writing, I think. Both have a valuable place. Also, I love Natalie Goldberg's books and process of writing in notebooks! I have a copy of Wild Mind on my shelf, found at a charity book store for £1 years ago which I return to again and again! :)
Kate - thanks for republishing this piece. It is interesting how serendipitous life is at times. I have been thinking deeply about this "writer's notebook" over the past few weeks. I have never kept a journal or anything of that sort. I do have a number of notebooks in which I write down my thoughts as I am reading. Usually these are devoted to a specific author or genre. However, as I have started writing here on Substack, I have felt the need for a notebook or commonplace book to keep some thoughts. My idea is more along the lines of having a notebook at the ready to be able to jot down thoughts or ideas. If I made it a "mandatory" practice then I am almost certain to not do it. But having something available when the muse strikes might not be a bad idea. To write well I think one must observe the world closely and make note of it.
Thank you for reading and commenting so thoughtfully on your own ideas around notebooks, Matthew! I know exactly what you mean regarding the mandatory practice of writing; I always get put off by that, too. I think having some kind of writing repository for ideas and even just interesting quotations is really useful, even if it's just a mobile app that you store them on for later.
Thanks for reading, Terry :) I shall take a look at that. I think other people's notebooks and processes are endlessly fascinating, especially if you write (or aspire to) yourself.
I can relate to Didion and the other writers you mention recording everyday life in order to figure out what they think. I have written in notebooks on and off throughout most of my life. Sometimes I go for months without writing, then write obsessively every day for a while. I’ve used Natalie Goldberg, Julia Cameron and others for writing prompts and sometimes am surprised at what shows up on the page. I’ve often written at times of personal crisis, turning points, world shattering events like 9/11, depression. The notebook entries can spark ideas for my newsletter, but usually they’re an outlet for things I might not want to publish, or a way to clear my head or cope with troubling emotions. Thanks for the excellent topic. It really is something to consider in the new year.
Thank you, Ruth. I totally resonate with the notebook as an outlet for emotions or ideas that we want to work through. I don't often use my handwritten notes for essay or newsletter ideas either but as a way to clear my head, as you say. Often I find that things make more sense to me once they are out of my head and written down. Thank you for reading 😀
I would be lost without my notebooks. I write everything in one then split it up later into the right places. I even have a Commonplace Book, very 1823 but hey. 😎
Wonderful and timely post! I use obsidian app (like notion) on my laptop and the mobile version to keep notes on what I'm reading, thoughts and daily life. I also have multiple paper notebooks for the same (sometimes analog feels better). Obsidian works well as a repository for all of my notes (sometimes I type my notes into it) because it allows me to create my own wikinor zettelkasten referencing other notes easily with internal links. I'm reading Natalie Goldbergs books now - Writing Down the Bones and Old Friend From Far Away. Both are a treasure trove of ideas and gentle exhortations to write down as much as you can to build the muscles and get as much material to compost for later use. I love that idea of writing being the raw materials for compost from which later on other plants may grow from.
Agree totally 👍
Thank you for reading and for your note-keeping thoughts, Emily! I think it can be really useful to have a mobile app for notes-on-the-go, whereas pen and paper can often make you feel more "connected" to writing, I think. Both have a valuable place. Also, I love Natalie Goldberg's books and process of writing in notebooks! I have a copy of Wild Mind on my shelf, found at a charity book store for £1 years ago which I return to again and again! :)
Kate - thanks for republishing this piece. It is interesting how serendipitous life is at times. I have been thinking deeply about this "writer's notebook" over the past few weeks. I have never kept a journal or anything of that sort. I do have a number of notebooks in which I write down my thoughts as I am reading. Usually these are devoted to a specific author or genre. However, as I have started writing here on Substack, I have felt the need for a notebook or commonplace book to keep some thoughts. My idea is more along the lines of having a notebook at the ready to be able to jot down thoughts or ideas. If I made it a "mandatory" practice then I am almost certain to not do it. But having something available when the muse strikes might not be a bad idea. To write well I think one must observe the world closely and make note of it.
Thank you for reading and commenting so thoughtfully on your own ideas around notebooks, Matthew! I know exactly what you mean regarding the mandatory practice of writing; I always get put off by that, too. I think having some kind of writing repository for ideas and even just interesting quotations is really useful, even if it's just a mobile app that you store them on for later.
Couldn’t agree more
I enjoyed reading this. It's so interesting to hear of other people's practices. I wrote about notebooks, including a review of a brilliant book on the subject, here if you're interested: https://open.substack.com/pub/terryfreedman/p/start-the-week-42?r=18suih&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web
Thanks for reading, Terry :) I shall take a look at that. I think other people's notebooks and processes are endlessly fascinating, especially if you write (or aspire to) yourself.
This is useful ❤️
I can relate to Didion and the other writers you mention recording everyday life in order to figure out what they think. I have written in notebooks on and off throughout most of my life. Sometimes I go for months without writing, then write obsessively every day for a while. I’ve used Natalie Goldberg, Julia Cameron and others for writing prompts and sometimes am surprised at what shows up on the page. I’ve often written at times of personal crisis, turning points, world shattering events like 9/11, depression. The notebook entries can spark ideas for my newsletter, but usually they’re an outlet for things I might not want to publish, or a way to clear my head or cope with troubling emotions. Thanks for the excellent topic. It really is something to consider in the new year.
Thank you, Ruth. I totally resonate with the notebook as an outlet for emotions or ideas that we want to work through. I don't often use my handwritten notes for essay or newsletter ideas either but as a way to clear my head, as you say. Often I find that things make more sense to me once they are out of my head and written down. Thank you for reading 😀
I would be lost without my notebooks. I write everything in one then split it up later into the right places. I even have a Commonplace Book, very 1823 but hey. 😎
That's great! 😀
Love this! Happy hols, Kate! 🎄❣️
Thanks! Happy hols to you too :)