Discovered Notebooks
I posted a set to flickr about 6 months ago called “Discovered Notebooks.” It was basically the result of me flipping through a shedload full of notebooks from years gone by and capturing some of the more interesting things (well, interesting to me.) Yesterday I flipped to the back of an old faithful notebook and found the above line. I don’t know how it got left out of the initial photo set, because I really don’t think I’ve ever written anything more t-shirt worthy than that puppy.
My notebooks aren’t diaries, though there are some diary-like entries in some of them. No, they’re extensions of my brain. Like an overflow. A catchment area. And while my poor brain spurts, and pfuts, and forgets stuff almost instantly, my notebook never does. Well, not unless it gets soaked in beer and the ink runs.
Without notebooks, I would lose a large chunk of hard-and-fast thoughts, but I would also have more money. For some reason, I cannot walk past a notebook in a store without picking it up, flipping it over, assessing its page thickness, its durability and – if it’s not a Moleskine – its Moleskine slaying ability. Watching me judge a notebook in any store is like watching the Westminster Dog Show, minus the obligatory testicle squeeze because I wouldn’t even know where to look for them on a notebook.
As a result of buying so many, I have multiples on the go at any time. And like every one of my Dad’s sheepdogs, each notebook has a specific function in life.
The Shed Dog (aka Back Pocket Book) – Good in tight spaces for quick, sudden movements. When it comes to back pocket books, there can be only one – the flexible, Moleskine Pocket Cahier Notebook. It’s got a soft cardboard cover and comes in a pack of 3. Work it hard enough and it’ll start to take on the curvature of your arse. Convenient and excellent for note taking in art galleries.
The Yard Dog (aka 5 minute Poem Book) – Great for wrangling groups of words into a coherent mob. My 5 minute poem notebook has sadly been neglected of late, but I find it to be the most freeing in terms of letting your mind wander. Of forcing yourself to not assess things as you write and just pluck words from the idea tree as they come to you. The rules are simple.
- Think of a theme or title.
- Give yourself 5 minutes to write the poem for it. (5 minutes, or you reach the last line of the page).
- Try to let your brain just go. Small edits can be made if you still have time left.
This one’s a smallish notebook, but too thick to fit in your pocket. It’s not a Moleskine for once, but I can’t remember where I got it and there’s no brand written on it. I think it might have been cheap, so I wish I’d bought more of them.
Tied to a Post Dog (aka shnoos Book) - This one’s used when you have the time to sit down and write notes, but not long enough to focus for a few hours. I use the Moleskine Pocket Ruled (3.5 x 5.5 inch), which over the years I’ve found to be the most versatile of all Moleskines. I tried the Reporter Style recently (the flip over cover), but didn’t dig it. This notebook is hardcover with elastic bind, and typically used in bars, planes or trains. It’s for when you have a table, but when you don’t need space. I use it to write down notes for upcoming stories for the Subterranean Homesick Noos, and a lot of personal thoughts that aren’t to do with fiction but my reaction to situations. Also a lot of observational shit. It’s typically my people watching notebook.
Paddock Dog (aka The Novel Notebook) - This one covers a lot of ground. It’s a search and herd towards a single point notebook. Currently, I’m using the Moleskine Large Ruled Journal (5.25 x 8.25 inch) to write the novel in. I’ve actually found it impossible to sit at home at my laptop and write, and it’s not totally because of the noise and isolation. There’s just something more liberating about sitting in a cafe and putting pen to paper, and letting it just flow. I think it’s because you write and re-write on a laptop and lose stuff with the delete button. Even if I cross something out in the novel book, I can still see it. Weirdly enough, it’s easier for me to focus a thought on a piece of paper in a crowded cafe then it is in my empty apartment. The act of going back through the notebook in the mornings and transcribing it to the computer is like doing a draft that’s somewhere between a first and second. I also feel like I’m getting somewhere by gradually filling a notebook up.
The Pack Dogs (aka the leftovers) – In experimenting with new notebooks, you’re left with a bunch of odd shaped, lined and unlined notebooks which are used for any number of things. I have some larger, A4-sized notebooks (more like sketchbooks actually), which I’ve used in the last few months for mindmaps, novel outlines, character bios and shopping lists. I have a notebook from the Tate Modern in London that I’ve decided I’m only going to use for ink art, and a leather-ish book from the Dia Beacon that got horribly wet and I don’t really know what to do with because the pages are no longer crisp. I also have a bunch of concepting notebooks from various jobs, which range from graph lined (great for web and banner ideas) to blank spiral bound notebooks which are great for pissing me off when the spiral’s on the wrong side (yes, yes, I know. Use it all the way through on one side, then flip the book.)
What’s your favorite notebook? And is your opinion based on how you use it, or on how it feels in your hand or when you write on it with a particular type of pen? I’m always looking to try a new notebook, so if you know of a Moleskine slayer, let me know.
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5 Responses to “Discovered Notebooks”
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My flickr
I feel like such a philistine. I neither have a notebook to write in, nor would probably buy multiple ones. Oddly enough, I used to write a lot more years go and that began to dwindle more and more as I grew older.
It’s ironic that I read this now, however. I was just having a discussion with my lady friend about writing (she likes to write songs), and although I’m not quite a poet, I used to keep a journal. And to be honest, I can’t think of a better time in my life to start back up. Perhaps a “moleskin” purchase is in order?
Yes, Deo. Get one. You must catch thoughts as they fall.
no new suggestions, just a hearty seconding of your back pocket book. I too have one of these, and it’s small enough to slip in the little clutch bag i take everywhere; consequently, it holds the notes for everything: novel, new restaurants, shopping lists, song lyrics, work ideas, phone numbers… I love that little blighter. I love its unassuming brown cover. I love its little note pocket. It’s a gem.
[...] the competition. Looks like they might be a contender for the Back Pocket category I described in a post I prepared earlier. Cool that the set comes with pencil and pen. To be honest, one of my biggest searches lately has [...]
Found this, thought of you.
Custom engraved moleskines.
http://www.engraveyourbook.com/index.html