When I was in college I took a World Literature class with the poet Steve Kowit. He taught at the community college where everyone was angry because of price hikes. Classes cost $13 up from $9. We read about Zen and learned how to juggle. We also kept a writer’s journal. There weren’t any restrictions on what the notebook should contain—just whatever caught our eye. We only had to create 3 entries each week.
This week I participated in the Resiliency Circle hosted by
where we discussed Joan Didion’s essay “On Keeping a Notebook.” Notebooks are central to my writing practice. Everything begins in my notebook and only haphazardly moves onto the screen.I was captivated by the introductory notes where Didion says, “all writing is an attempt to find out what matters, to find the pattern in disorder, to find the grammar in the shimmer.”
The grammar in the shimmer? That sounds like a pretty good artist statement to me!
Figuring out our own best practices is an essential, lifelong project for any writer. We have to find our way of getting words down on the page. But we can learn from each other. I’d love to hear from you….
Do you keep a notebook as a part of your writing practice?
Do you have dedicated notebooks for morning pages, common placing, drafting poems?
Do you finish notebooks before starting a new one? How long do you work in a book?
Can you re-start a journal after a break from writing?
Do you revisit notebooks after the initial writing?
This last one is the question I’m most interested in! I don’t have a firm practice for re-reading or reflecting on what comes up on the page. And that feels like a hole in my practice.
I created a list of One Word Prompts pulled from the discussion that happened at The Resiliency Circle.
And just came across this wonderful collection of notebooks. Just the pictures are enough to get the wheels turning! I think I’m going to try organizing an essay I am working on with post it notes.
Oh this is a great set of question! I love notebooks so much--all sorts. Whenever I try to have a dedicated subject, it gets all higgelty-piggelty with other thoughts and random topics. Cheap spirals or those black and white marbled "composition" notebooks are my favorites, because they don't seem too precious. I seem to have several going at once. I wish I would just methodically finish one at a time!
The exception is my microseasons notebook-- this one is an unusual size--a larger format, and distinctive enough that it stays on-topic.
And yes! Kortney, I re-read, underline, highlight and annotate my notes all the time. My favorite thoughts and questions get distilled onto index cards and put into my Idea Lab. https://72seasons.substack.com/p/my-idea-lab
I have a basket of notebooks for different subjects. All alive whether they are paused or active. I have everything from nature notes to travel, to everyday journals, to gratitude diaries, weather log and poems. I often buy a book and wait until it tells me what subject it wants to become. I'm also doing a social history diary and my work journal.