inspired
to journal
|
|
|
Journaling
Tools Writing tools are very important. Every trade has its tools -- saws, shovels, pitchforks, drills, torches. Writers have tools, too. And just as we all have different opinions, we all need different tools for expressing ourselves. A few years ago, someone left a pen behind at my house. It has become the ONLY pen I can use to record my thoughts. It's as fast as my mind -- well, almost. And remember the black and white composition book? Well, I still like those. The pages don't tear out, they're bound well, they don't get stuck together like wire spiral notebooks, and they fit neatly in a storage container (read: cardboard box). But this is a recent development, recent meaning in the last 5 years. Before the discovery of these tools, I wrote on whatever I could find. I have manila envelopes full of loose notebook paper, and folded up 18"x24" sketch paper. There are lots of plain spiral notebooks, too. I have myriad journals received as gifts. Some are cloth covered blank books, some are 'women's journals' with quotes and beautiful botanical drawings. Some are big, and some are small, but after much experimentation, I've settled into the college-ruled comp book. It's simple and uniform. I end up decorating the outside with pictures, quotes, and maybe even a title of what that particular book is about. Unfortunately, they aren't $.99 any more, but I figure the cost of filling one every two weeks into my budget. But although my paper was always different, the words were consistently written with a very sharp #2.5 pencil. It was the fastest thing I had to express my speeding mind. It took the curves well, it didn't bog down, it was as uniform in performance as you could want. It flew across the page time after time, but my only worry was that someday all my words would rub off or fade, and my descendants would be staring at a bunch of blank books in the attic. 'Why didn't gramma write in these?' their little minds would be asking. The pen I use today I found in my house, like I said. It is one of those rolling ball pens. They go FAST, which is my main criteria for a pen. It's also comfortable. It's thin enough for my small hand; the fatter ones give me a cramp. This black pen just seems to be a part of my body, so I can do the work of expressing myself painlessly. The only faster way to journal would be to get a piece of high-tech equipment that looks like a pen, that you speak into. Then you plug it into a special place on your computer, and VOILA! Your words are on the screen, and you can print them. But until I can afford this pricey item, I will be content to write with a fast black pen. Print them, you ask? Some people journal solely online, making the computer the tool. This is definitely an option, but I, for one, have a love affair with pen and paper. To print out my, literally, spoken words would be like... I don't know what it would be like. I've never done it. But I like to be able to flip paper pages to read, so I know I would be a printing fool with one of these gadgets. I know a woman who journals only in pencil on paper in a 3-ring binder. Another woman I know uses many colors of pen, even in one entry, and always in a single subject spiral notebook. She likes wide-ruled paper; I prefer college-ruled paper. Some people have fancy leather-bound books. Others write on anything handy at the time, date each piece, then put them in a specific place. Writing tools are as individual as you and me. Don't be afraid to experiment. Try unlined paper to free your thoughts. Those lines can be confining, but you won't know if you don't try blank paper. A big sketch pad allows me to think big and free. Small notebooks make small thoughts, so again, try large for freedom. If your body feels free, your mind will BE free. These ideas came from Natalie Goldberg, author of Writing Down The Bones, but they are what I've found to be true. I'm sure my current set-up
will change once I find something better (the owner of the stationery
store will be surprised!), but it suits me for now. Find what's comfortable.
Find what will allow you to express yourself easily. Find what's good
for YOU, because that's who you are writing for... Write at least a (notebook-sized) page about a memorable meal. *
Check out our blank journals!
Life
Journal is the best journaling software *
|
|
|
E
mail Privacy
Policy |
