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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