A fancy notebook versus the cheap stuff – if you find that your writing slows down when you’re writing in that beautiful, exquisite writing book, get something cheaper so that you don’t stop writing or hold yourself back.
I’ve tried all sizes. You’ll see which one suits you.
A6 – about the size of your hand
A5 – two hands size
A4 – four hands size
The A5 or A6 is in the handbag.
The A5 or A4 if I’ve got a bigger bag.
The A4 everywhere else: by my bed, on my desk, one for blogging ideas, one for free writing.
The A4 size, I use is wired so that it can be opened up and folded over itself. It’s also punched and perforated so that I can tear out pages and file them: loosely in folders or into lever arch files.
Try every type of notepad. Buy the fancy one first if that’s what gets you writing. Buy some cheap A4 pads as well and put them at your bed and at your pc/laptop/desk. Buy lots of pens too. If you like a particular pen and it helps you write fast – get it.
Where I put my notebooks:
The one in the handbag – for ideas when I’m not at home.
The one next to the bed – for ideas that rush into my mind when I’m trying to get to sleep. Switch on the light and write them down. You won’t remember in the morning.
The one next to the PC/laptop/on the desk – all ideas, anytime
Extra notebooks – label them ‘Free writing’, ‘Blog ideas’, etc…I usually keep these on my desk. Use a separate notebook for diary writing, even though sometimes ideas flow when writing a diary.
How to use the notebooks:
Start a new page for every idea. Put a title and date on each page.
Novel idea e.g. group of people in post-apocalyptic world
Short story idea e.g. woman meets man on train
Scene idea e.g. K meets S in boardroom.
Pieces of dialogue
Character ideas
Watching TV or films and you think ‘I would have done it differently’. Write it down.
Anything or anyway else you want to.
It doesn’t matter what notebook size you get as long as you write down your ideas and can put your ideas for similar projects together.
This is the first step to putting together your ideas for a novel or a short story or poem, any piece of writing you want to do.
The more you write, the faster the ideas will flow.
P.S. Neat writing is not compulsory.
