The Tale of Two Notebooks

One of them is for daily journaling. The other one is for on-the-go note-taking. Sometimes, I think this is counterintuitive. Doesn’t a writer need a lot of notebooks because they write a lot?

On Word Processors

I don’t like work processors. When writing my drafts - any drafts for the matter- I don’t think my choice of words and stringing of them comes out better when I write my thoughts with a long hand. Writing directly on word processors makes me believe that what I’m writing is all fluff and I would go on to rambling/yapping. So since I write longhand, I should have a lot of notebooks around, right? Some people have different notebooks for everything - commonplace books, planners, journals, all types of journals, but I only have two.

The Tome that Is My Journal

I bought this notebook online after finishing the one my sister gifted me for my birthday. I liked the size and the volume so I bought another one, and ended up with this. I’ve been writing here every day for the last three months and I’m filing in a page a day. A sort of stream of consciousness fills these pages. I talk about my feelings, my troubles, my anxieties, my dreams, my opinions, my hopes and wishes - everything. If something’s bothering me, I’ll write it here. Even if I have nothing to write about, I still fill the page. As long as I’m doing it consistently, I can call myself a writer (a person who writes). I find that clearing my head of any thoughts and pouring them down on paper makes me more open to inspiration, like a glass of water waiting to be filled with ideas. If I don’t empty the receptacle, I’m not opening myself to the universe and I won’t be ready to receive the gifts that they assigned me to create. If something’s bothering me, I still write them out to move on with my day. I have a lot of things to do and can’t afford to be bogged down by negativity.

My Passport Size Traveler’s Notebook

Ever since I was a kid, I kept a paper and pen with me at all times. I would either have my sling bag for them or would ask my Dad to place it inside his. It wasn’t a problem when I was in school where paper and pen were given. The habit was carried over when I became an adult and decided I wanted to be a writer. I read on some blog posts when I was a teen that a writer should always have a paper and pen with them all the time in case an idea strikes. Later, I realized that ideas always strike you once you’re aware, but most - if not all - will be gone because you forgot about them since you didn’t write them down. The habit was further solidified when I noticed my first boss constantly writing down notes. When she saw me watching her, she said she would almost always forget things if she didn’t write them down. If she’s good at her job, then maybe writing down notes was helping her be successful at it. Anyone who knew me well knew that I barely take care of my stuff - meaning I don’t look at them like they're baby or something precious. I buy them and use them until they crumble. Only after they looked beaten up will I replace them. I once used a Fjallraven Kanken for 6 years straight and only stopped using it when it had a hole in its bottom and it was too dirty to be cleaned anymore. That’s the reason why I buy sturdy things of quality. Therefore, the Traveler’s Notebook is the perfect choice. It would get beaten up as I write on grass, on top of greasy fast food tables, and stone seats at the park. I write everywhere and I need things that can keep up to that. The plus side of using something rugged is that I’m not pressured to write only good and pretty things. I can write anything gritty, raw, and with unreadable penmanship. The important thing is I have it written down. Its size was small enough to fit in my Bellroy sling mini which was my preferred bag due to my scoliosis.

So, where do I write?

Where? On loose papers like these. As a small art business owner, sometimes I make mistakes. Those misprints would then be collected and turned into notepads. They can be large squares or long rectangles, as long as they don’t have a print on either side, I’d make them into notepads. I write on them constantly for some random rant that I have, some story idea while chopping cabbages, some essay line after taking a bath, business improvements or ideas while brushing my teeth, even something I need to make a mental note of when I’m doing something else - like hearing and becoming interested in a philosopher whose name I heard in some video essay I was listening to while doing art. Sometimes, I’d write large notes and hand them over to my boyfriend when he was in a meeting and I needed to tell him something quickly or I would forget about them. It can be anything or everything because the paper doesn’t matter really. If any notes I wrote were important, I’d transfer them to my Notion, the well of my inspiration. When I can’t think of anything to work on, I open my Notion and pick which project I feel like developing.

Writing novels and notebook criteria

I write my novels on notebooks - at least for the first draft. I only then buy the notebooks when I’m done with my outline. I don’t buy any other regular notebooks - I only have two criteria for the one I use on every project. One, it has to be the plainest looking one so that it’s easier to break. Two, it can handle fountain pen inks without ghosting on the other side of the page. That means Japan-made notebooks. It’s hard enough to read my penmanship when I’m writing like a maniac, it would be harder to do so when the ink’s also bleeding through the other side. Then, I’d stick to that notebook until the end of the project - writing down plotholes, stuff to improve, and thoughts on dialogue so that I can reference them when revising. To be a writer, you just need to write. You just need to capture your thoughts and do away with any distractions - that includes having too many notebooks, you don’t want to break in because they’re too precious for you.

I’m a writer. I only have two notebooks.

1/25/2025