Robert R. in Ithaca, NY asks, “I do most of my writing on the couch while my wife is watching reality TV. The problem is, half my notebook is filled with rants about Bachelor contestants. What do you do to set a good writing environment?”

There are a number of things you can do to help foster a creative atmosphere for Notebooking.  The most important element is that you are free from distraction.  This may seem obvious but “free from distraction” can change from person to person.  For instance, when I Notebook my wife is usually next to me playing a video game.  This doesn’t usually distract me but that wasn’t always the case.  When I began taking my Notebooking seriously, I needed either silence or quiet instrumental music.  I needed a comfy chair with a good writing surface.  Maybe a nice beverage and some fine Japanese incense.  As time went by I found I needed less and less of those things.  It didn’t happen all at once and I’m not advocating you try to force yourself to do without a nice setting.  That said, being flexible in your environment means more Notebooking opportunities and that’s always a good thing.  I will happily admit, though, that after thinking about your question I put on some nice incense (Baieido Kobunboku Byakudan if you were wondering) and some music (Lunasa) and had a great Notebooking session.