For those who do, what do you keep in your notebook?

dr gonzo · 23-12-2013 09:48PM #1

I love the idea of carrying a notebook, and while I mull a lot during the day I just never think anything deserves to be written down. I was therefore wondering, if any fellow boardsies on here do keep a notebook, what do you write in it, and when would you find yourself perusing it again?

sceptre · 24-12-2013 02:27PM

Better suited to Creative Writing. Moving this there.

EileenG · 24-12-2013 06:03PM

I post in quick descriptions of faces or places. Notes that are important to the story I'm writing. Phone numbers of people who I should check with. Lines of dialogue. Facts that should be incorporated.

FudgeBrace · 26-12-2013 05:09PM

If I ever think of something noteworthy or if I hear something on the television I like, I write in in my iPod in the notes app, or if I have a copy handy ill hot it down there. I don't think the purpose is to look at it later and use it in something else, but just to keep the writer I'm me writing more consistently.

Arthur Rimbaud · 10-01-2014 05:04PM

I keep 2 notebooks: one is a writing journal, where I record writing progress, and write stream of consciousness journal entries. It has become a sort of daily writing exercise, for knapping the edge of the flint.

The other notebook is for drafts and re-drafts of poems and stories.

A useful notebook should be durable; portable, but not too small. I like these moleskines for the job, but there are plenty of decent, maybe better, brands. I have a friend who prefers not to write longhand, and he uses an ipad. I'm sure some people use their phones.

Do whatever works, but write often. I don't think you can be a good writer unless your writing is always with you.

For me, Just having the notebook in my coat can be enough to get the millstone grinding. Knowing it is there, I try to make every walk to the shops, train journey and dentist's appointment into an excuse to observe, to reflect on images, words, faces, shapes, possible phrases - all of this is potentially valuable poetic loot - and when a spark emerges, to put it onto the page as soon as possible.

And without wanting to labor the cliche, coffee shops are goldmines, of course.

HmmmGirl87 · 13-01-2014 01:28AM

I write a phrase that pops into my head, or a certain way that I see something. The best time for me is when I am in bed, a keep a notebook close so I don't have to get out of bed, although my writing can be lopsidded due to my nocturnal scribbles.. When rereading the notebook, I then might chance upon a poem with one of the lines I wrote. If I sit in a park or a cafe, I tend not to write much.. it is usually in bed at night before I sleep.. or after a few jars!

For those who do, what do you keep in your notebook?

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