I’ve carried a notebook with me for years. It’s a place to make observations (Observe-the-world), have fun (Art-is-Play), experiment with language, doodle and dream.
I keep it with me at all times to capture ideas. It’s full of to do lists and practical things like that, but it’s also full of observations about the world around me, specific people and things I may not have noticed. It’s a way of reminding myself to Be-Present and observe the world.
I used to be very specific about which notebooks I would use- fancy Moleskines or leuchtturm1917’s. But I have since decided the brand of notebook doesn’t matter (Tools-Dont-Matter), but keeping it on you so you can make observations or jot down a couple of lines matters more. It’s reducing friction between you and the habit, allowing you to Just-Start Now I use cheap ones, which helps psychologically as I don’t mind messing them up.
- Lydia-Davies has a whole section dedicated to close observation in notebooks in her essay Ten of My Recommendations for Good Writing Habits:
A productive feedback loop is established: Through the habit of taking notes, you will inevitably come to observe more; observing more, you will have more to note down.
Notes mentioning this note
"Be Present"
It’s important to be present in your life. Not living in the past, looking at regrets or decisions you have...
Writing Index
Writers love writing about writing and I’m no different. It does mean that there’s bucket loads of advice out there...
Digital Garden
This is a bit more public than a [[Writers-Notebook]]. It’s a collection of seeds that I tend to and develop....
Time as an editor
When you write something, put it in a drawer for a little bit so you can look at it objectively....
Extended Mind
This refers to the theory that your mind extends beyond your body, that actually we store memories in physical places...
Only Public Writing Matters
Increasingly, I’ve come to realise all the poems and half baked stories in my [[Writers-Notebook]] and typed up into [[Emacs]]...
Tools Dont Matter
Even less in writing than other disciplines, the tools don’t really matter. Fancy [[Writers-Notebook]]s are nice but not essential. Getting...
Expand and iterate on notes
As you change and evelove, your writing should change as well. You should always try to iterate your notes, expand...
The-Spark-File
Store every failed poem, writing line and idea in one big file to sort through later. Comb through it regularly...
What I Use
Here in no particular order are the tools I use. (Remember the [[Tools-Dont-Matter]]).