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My Writer's Notebook

3/7/2016

12 Comments

 

I still love to do my first drafts with a pencil or pen in hand. There is something magical about putting pen to paper. It is electrifying – charging me to spill words onto the page!  I love to write ideas down in different colored pens and watch the words spill onto a notebook page.  It's both comforting and energizing to watch the steady thought flow (most of the time) race from page to page. There’s nothing better to curl up on a chair in the den or sit on a dry, grassy spot in my backyard and write. Airports, classrooms, dog walks, even supermarket trips inspire writing.


I use my notebook to write about people, places, and objects that I love or that I find unique in some way. My notebook is filled with snapshots of friends, relatives, and pets.  Rich descriptions of Long Beach Island, the Poconos, my grandma's house, the stables, and my East Mt. Airy neighborhood are some of my favorite entries. This June, I will fill a notebook with entries about my trip to Ireland with my husband and friends. I am sure sketches and photos will help to bring new energy to my words.


 My notebook is always a place to store lists.  For example, after reading Names for Snow by Judi K. Beach I had the urge to brainstorm a list of names for autumn.  I came up with names such as Leaf Dropper, Best Dressed Gal, Party Girl, and Masquerader.   I love making lists because they often help me find a topic I want to write about or research.  My notebook is a place for memory chains, my heart and hand map, and my neighborhood map.  A running theme in all my notebooks is my grandfather, Alexander William Sulima. Often, I revisit my notebooks, and I am always surprised to see so many entries about him. He is like a very deep well where I can go to quench my thirst over and over again.

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12 Comments
Diane Dougherty link
3/7/2016 03:47:43 am

Thanks for the notebook reminder. I think that the proliferation of books and movies that "overstay their welcome" can be attributed partly to writing on a computer. It requires far less physical effort than either a typewriter or a pen and paper. But that's another story!

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Clare link
3/7/2016 03:54:21 am

Lynne - I have been using a reader's notebook more lately. I need to go back to my writer's notebook. Lists are what work for me with writing. I use stickies on my computer desktop. I have a few with lists under certain topics. I love it because I can jot it wherever I am on my phone, iPad or computer. The notebook allows for more reflection over time.... I have to think more about that.
Clare

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The Purple Lady link
3/7/2016 04:06:49 am

I had never thought about how a writer's notebook could still help me in the writing process. Sometimes growing up can be tricky with knowing what to let go of and what is valuable forever.

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Rose
3/7/2016 04:19:29 am

The notebook is a special place, and I think we can find a way to use both notebooks and devices in this age. I like that I can record ideas on my phone (because if I don't jot things down right away they will be lost), then transfer them to my notebook when I am ready to expand on an idea. My favorite thing to do with notebooks is to reread old ones.

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Adrienne
3/7/2016 05:33:18 am

I have never successfully kept a writer's journal, but your post makes me think that I might be ready to try again.

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Cindy link
3/7/2016 05:42:09 am

Someday I want to be organized enough to have it all in one notebook. I usually have a thought written here and another one there... Thanks for sharing your notebook with us.

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Karen Szymusiak link
3/7/2016 05:59:36 am

I love to go back through my notebooks and revisit my thoughts. I don't use a notebook nearly as much as I used to. Maybe I need to go back. There is so much pleasure in putting words to the page. Thanks for sharing. Happy Writing!

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lynne dorfman link
3/7/2016 07:49:57 am

Karen, there truly is that energy & delight that I can't find in keyboarding. I enjoy revisions and edits on the computer, but my flow comes from a pen riding in my hand, galloping across the page like a sleek thoroughbred. I need a notebook to draft or go back to when I am stuck.

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Tara link
3/7/2016 08:37:58 am

I find that my old fashioned notebooks, much more than my digital notebook, is the place I return to time and time again. And it sounds as though yours are filled with stories to explore and write about again.

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Donna Smith link
3/7/2016 09:41:50 am

I have a bunch of notes on my computer, and often I have to quickly email myself an idea or even a whole poem. I have a paper notebook, but I have started to like digital as much as paper pen, since I'm hardly ever without it. But notes have been taken on receipts, napkins and paper placemats when I need something FAST!

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Rita Kenefic
3/7/2016 03:51:47 pm

Wonderful reminder of different ways to use a notebook. I love my writer's notebook...carry it with me everywhere. I even take a page each week, write the days across the top and use it for my to do list. For years, I fancy little journals but about two years ago discovered Mead copybooks. They have nice hardback covers, wide lines and are just so much easier to use and store. Hooray for the writer's notebook!

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Shelly
3/7/2016 04:58:11 pm

Writing in my writer's notebook is my favorite time of day at school. I need to write in it more often outside of school. I encourage my students to take it home...you never know when you will have the urge to write! I need to take my own advice! Thank you for sharing, Lynne!

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    Lynne loves to write in the early morning hours, especially in warm weather when she can sit outside on the patio.  After a walk with her three Welsh Corgis, her mind is cleared and her spirit is inspired by the choir of birds in nearby bushes and trrees. 

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