Blank Page # 003

Blank Page, an Open Thread.
Discussion # 003

Every Wednesday at Notebookism we open a "Blank Page" -  your chance to ask, answer and discuss anything notebook-related.  Keep it nice, keep it relevant.

Blank Page, an Open Thread.
Discussion # 003

Every Wednesday at Notebookism we open a "Blank Page" -  your chance to ask, answer and discuss anything notebook-related.  Keep it nice, keep it relevant.

All commenters are eligible for a raffle to win a set of 6 Special 1" Notebookism buttons. 3 winners will be picked this week. Announcement will be made on Monday, August 14.

Comments

[James]

Paper notebooks. Who knew? After years of playing with paper and electronic variants; computers, Zaurus (remember those), Palms, PocketPCs, Covey, DayTimer, etc., etc.; it has become evident to me that all I need is a notebook. Not only for all of the obvious reasons; batteries, expense; but in that I am finding myself doodling more, keeping better notes, being more creative. I don't use GTD or other organization systems, I enter information that I will need later in a free-form self-organizing manner. I use a pocket moleskine because it's cool, but I would be able to do the same thing with a 97 cent Walmart special. After being at a computer and dealing with electronic tech all day, it is nice to have a portable, very usable, analog device that chronicles my life and ideas that someday my children might be interested in.

[Michael]

There seems to be some sort of backlash against PDAs. Sales of them are down. People bash them online. I'm still committed to my Palm unfortunately. I find I keep the stuff I "need" to do and shouldn't really forget in my Palm. I keep work contacts there too of course. This is the long way to say that I keep a notebook that tends to correspond to my inner world and my PDA to the outer. My dilemma with bulgings pockets remains but I can't trust my self to be organized with paper alone. My notebook is feelings and dreams, wishes, desires, etc. I have a small notebook and a large at the moment but I'm finding I don't like it as well as having just one place to record my inner stuff. I will be switching to pocket sized for the next one. But the delicious feel of pen to paper...that's something I could never cut from my ways. My earliest journals date back to 1990 and that's not counting to lost torn spiral pages of my high school years. I have found better paper, better pens. Hopefully, and I believe it is true, I'm recording more meaningful things.

[ikd]

Paper or electrons? Pen or keyboard? Does it matter? It DOES! We do write differently (maybe we think differently) when using paper/pen. Paper and pen offer some kind of privacy, perhaps even intimacy, not found in any type of keyboard.

I.

[Alia]

Having started out composing on paper, and moving to keyboard, back a few dozen times, I don't know that we do write differently depending on medium. Here's why I say that: the process of writing is stringing words together in a meaningful way. Medium doesn't come into play until you add the idea of "creativity" and personal preference (and spell check!). The medium is not the message, and I defy anyone to identify text composed on screen or on paper after the fact.

That said, as individuals, how we write can impact what we write in a very real way -- I'm thinking of all those creative writing habits/superstitions that you read about. Famous authors "only" being able to write on yellow paper with a particular brand of writing implement. But, for each of those, there are others who can "only" write sitting at their favorite keyboard. It's what you, as a writer, are personally comfortable with, and what gets you in to that lovely headspace of "Now I am Writing." Some need crutches of medium. Some don't. I say whatever gets you writing, fantastic, and you don't need to belittle other methods/mediums to celebrate your chosen form.

(And then there are issues of stylistic quirks. I remember reading somewhere that e. e. cummings' poetry is so tightly crafted because he wrote on prescription pads, leaving no room for, say, Rhyme of the Ancient Mariner.)

P.S.
You'll all be pleased to know I finally started that notebook. Just another example of "it takes a village." ...and in this case, an order from Jetpens.com :) If you favor such things, I was happily surprised by the Uni-ball Signo *eraseable* gel pen.

[Janine]

Correction... it was not ee cummings who wrote on scrip pads. It was William Carlos Williams

William Carlos Williams, a great American poet and also a physician who wrote poems on prescription pads, once said, "If it ain't a pleasure, it ain't a poem." That is my criteria, too.

One of his most famous:

So Much Depends

so much depends
upon
a red wheel
barrow

glazed with rain
water

beside the white
chickens.

[Alia]

AAAAAARRRGGG! I HATE THAT POEM!!! Which is probably why I messed up that fact completely. Thanks for setting me straight, Janine. No thanks for THAT (@#($*%$&!@( poem.

:)

[antigone]

I too think that the medium influences the message and what is written in general. At least the medium influences me :P
Some things I write in my notebook just scream for squared paper, others for blank pages. And then again there are things that'd need fine writing paper in pale violet with flowers printed on the borders...
I was wondering if it'd be better if I wrote on whatever paper I feel like and bind the pages to a finished notebook afterwards. What do you think? There would be no first-page-angst!

[Harold]

Musicians tell me they are inspired by different guitars. I think this can be true of other forms of communication as well. I write, print, scrawl depending on what the subject is and whether I am using pen or pencil and on what kind of paper I am using. If it's the Moleskine which is my notebook of choice I take a certain care about it. My theory is that when our works are reviewed in times to come these works will be far more precious than the contents of our digital devices. I believe this because it is created by our own hand and thus far more personal. Words have power whether typed or hand written but hand written reveals a little bit about the person.

[ikd]

Perhaps a clarification is needed re: my earlier comment on writing differently. First of all, early writers DO write differently (look for a variety of works on the differences of handwritten, typewritten, or dictated stories in the literature). Now, on to what adults write. Think what is the average adult (regardless of nationality) writes. Very little, and I don't mean checks to the bank, grocery lists, emails etc. I am talking creative writing, things that originate "de profundis".

Stephen King perhaps said it best in the epilogue of "Dreamcatcher". He had used a Waterman cartridge pen, "the world's finest word processor" (his words). And I can tell you that having used wordprocessing exclusively for several years (even for grocery lists), my handwriting was worse than that of a toddler.

This entire movement back to analog forms suggests that people do appreciate the special bond (if there is such a thing) with their journal/pen and are willing to put in the journal things that cannot be conveyed through pressing the keys of a keyboard.

Enjoy your journaling!!!

I.

[Janine]

I finally had to admit that I can't write for sh*t using a computer and that I only want to compose by hand. Later, when I think my draft of WHATEVER is ready to go public, then I can type it in. Until then, I'm strictly for a notebook and my trusty Parker 51.

[Michael]

Viva la Parker 51!!! That's what I'm using this week too. Last week it was a Lamy. I always come back to the 51. But I must say I like the old 45's too. I'm such a pen fetishist.

[Armand]

This week's Blank Page # 003 winners are:

ikd, antigone and Harold

Congratulations. Please email your shipping info to notebookism@gmail.com.

[Renmeleon]

I've never really been into PDA's for functionality once I got past the cool factor. I have been spending more and more time 'analog' and I find that I crave it now. I flip-flop between writing in journals, writing on looseleaf and writing in my laptop (it's old and isn't good for much more other than being a paperweight). It is all totally mood driven for me.

I use the laptop when I have story ideas that I need to 'core dump' into print, for when my hand cannot keep up with my brain. I have medical issues concerning my memory and if I don't write it down it's gone so I don't risk it in those moods; although I have developed a kind of shorthand of sorts. hehe