Keeping a Journal or a Notebook
Hey guys! Just wanted to share some quick journaling tips from the book I’m reading through called The Writer’s Book of Checklists by author Scott Edelstein. I thought these ideas were helpful!
Selecting a Blank Book for Your Journal
1. First, browse through bookstores, office supply stores, gift shops, and stationery stores to discover the wide range of options available.
2. Consider the size and shape that will best suit you. You want a book that’s easy to carry with you. Think about wheter you will be carrying it in your pocket, purse, or briefcase.
3. Ask yourself if you want to be able to tear pages out of your notebook.
4. Think about whether you want to be able to rearrange the pages.
5. Consider the overall feel of your notebook. Do you want something visually attractive and artsy, or no-nonsense and businesslike? Which emphasis does more to inspire you to write?
6. Think about the cover of your notebook. What color do you prefer? Should it be very sturdy, like a hardbound book, or will something more inexpensive do? Do you want an illustration or design of any kind?
7. Ask yourself whether you prefer writing on small pages or large ones?
8. Consider whether you prefer lined or unlined paper. If you prefer lines, do you like them close together or farther apart?
9. Think about what you’re willing to spend. Small spiral-bound notebooks sell for under a dollar; handmade blank books can cost as much as twenty.
10. Using your responses to the above questions, make a list of all the qualities you want in a blank book (for example, bound pages, large size, sturdy cover in plain black, etc.) Then go hunting for exactly what best suits you.
1. Write your names, address, and phone number in indelible ink in an easy-to-see spot, such as the inside front cover.
2. Attach one (or two) writing implements directly to your journal, so that you are never without something to write with. This can be as simple as closing a pencil inside the book, or slipping the pocket-grip of a pen onto one of the pages.
3. If you like, decorate the cover or attach something inspiring.
4. Carry Your journal with you wherever you go, so that it is always ready to use, and so that you get used to picking it up whenver you leave your home. Or if you worry about losing your journal, keep it in a safe place at home. When you go out, always take paper and pencil or pen with you. Use these to write whatever you wish; then, when you get home, transfer your notes to your journal.
5. As part of your bedtime routine, put your journal next to your bed, so that you can write down any important insights, images, or dreams that come to you during the night.
Making the Best Use of Your Journal
1. Write down ideas, images, and observations in your journal as soon as possible after they come to you.
2. Spend a few minutes with your journal when you wake up in the morning, and again toward the end of the day that so that you can mentally review the past hours and write down anything important you may have overlooked.
3. If you like, separate your journal into sections–one for ideas for pieces, another for pertinent observations, another for character sketches, another for first drafts of poems, etc. Or, if you prefer, keep a separate section for each piece you’re working on.
4. Keep your eyes, ears, and other senses open for anything worth writing down, such as bits of overheard conversation, intriguing facts, or unexpected observations.
5. Periodically “mine” your journal: look through it for lines, ideas, images, and early drafts that you can use in pieces you’re working on.
This book has very useful tips for writers who want to look for inspiration for new pieces of writing and want to get published! I recommend it! :)
***(All credits to the author.)***
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