All posts by Kevin

Lady Batman with the Pink Fur

Adventures in Notebooking

We often talk about Notebooking as it pertains to entertainment.  It’s true that Notebooking is entertaining and if you’re stuck somewhere, like the DMV or a doctor’s office, Notebooking can be a sanity preserving diversion.

But, did you know that your Notebooking can entertain other people as well?  Let me tell you a story.

Years ago, I lived near a mall that had a huge fountain in it.  I liked its sound so I would Notebook there.  Since this was in the middle of a mall, the fountain was surrounded by stores.  Often when I Notebook I get visitors.  This day was no different, except my visitor was different.  She was 4 or 5 years old, with messy brown hair and jelly shoes that were probably once pink but now the color of a sandbox.

“What are you doing?” said the girl.

I replied, “Hi.  My name is Kevin and I’m writing in my notebook.”

“I can write my name!” she bragged.

“Would you like to write your name in my book?” I offered.

“OK”

She took my pen and scribbled over the entire page I had written.  I didn’t mind though, kids tend to act like children.

“What’s your name, sweetie?”

“Jillian! Can’t you read!?”

“I’m sorry.” I said, suddenly aware that I was a grown man talking to an unaccompanied 5 year old I asked, “Is your mommy or daddy here?”

“Mommy’s shopping.” she said with a resigned flourish that anyone who has been a child knows.

Feeling like I was panning for gold in a pig trough I asked in desperation, “Want to make a story in my book?”

“You made a good choice!” she said in such a way that told me that Mommy says that often when Jillian is behaving.

“Is there a princess in the story?” Jillian asked gleefully.

“Of course, but I don’t know her name.” I said.

“Jillian!” she yelled.

“Once upon a time there was a princess named Jillian and…?”

“It was her birthday!” she happily screamed to a stranger in a mall.

“What is princess Jillian going to do on her birthday?”

As if I had asked the stupidest question ever Jillian said, “Go to Chuckee Cheese!”

I told her that was a good choice and she laughed.

Thinking I was on a roll I asked, “Is Batman going too?”  Children love Batman, I told myself.

There comes a point when every child realizes that Batman is simply a rich, white male beating up lower income, desperate people.  That point is called adulthood.  Long before that point, however, is the point when children realize that “Batman” refers to a specific person.  Thankfully, Jillian hadn’t reached either point yet.  Jillian replied, “Yes.  Lady Batman the princess’s pony with the pink fur.”

After that I tried to let go of all preconceived notions I had about children and followed Jillian’s example by focusing on the story.  This is that story:

Once upon a time there was a princess named Jillian and it was her birthday.  She was going to Chuckee Cheese and she brought her pony Lady Batman with the pink fur.  When Princess Jillian got to Chuckee Cheese all the pizza was gone and she was so sad.  She cried and cried.  Then Princess Jillian made a good choice and said, “I’ll wait my turn.”  Because she waited her turn Princess Jillian got a whole pizza to herself and it had pepperoni and cheese and olives on it.  And there was a bowl of jelly beans but no black jelly beans because those are bad.  And extra purple jelly beans!  Then Princess Jillian and Lady Batman (who has pink fur) went to play games but all the tokens were gone.  Princess Jillian made a good choice and said, “I’ll wait my turn.”  Then she got a blue purse with Cinderella on it and it was full of tokens!!!  Princess Jillian and Lady Batman played all the games.  Twice.  Then Princess Jillian got tired so she said, “I’m tired” and went home to her castle that also had a blanket fort.  Then she watched Dora and ate SO MANY JELLYBEANS! 

The End.

 

After a short while a woman came rushing out of one of the stores and apologized repeatedly.  Neither Jillian nor I knew what she was apologizing for.

I was Notebooking while enjoying the sound of a massive fountain.  When I was approached by Jillian I could have turned her away or told her to go back to her mom.  I could have left.  Instead, I made a good choice.

I, I, I, me, me, me!

Adventures in Notebooking, Benefits of Notebooking, Filling Your Notebook, Writing Prompts

Have you ever met someone who subtly throws you for a loop?  I don’t mean in a bad way, just that while you were talking to this person things were different.  Maybe even better?

Let me tell you the story of Paul.

Paul was a person I used to work with.  Most days, when I saw him, I would make time to talk to him.  You know those common pleasantries we all share?  Like:

“Hi, how are you?”

and

“Good, you?”

Now, everyone who exists in society knows, either tacitly or explicitly, that when someone says, “Hi, how are you?” they aren’t really asking.  It’s just a greeting.  Sure, sometimes you’ll meet someone who, due to their narcissism will throw polite society out the window and verbally vomit at you when you offer a simple, “How’s it going?”.  Run from these narcissists!  They are the human equivalent of a dumpster fire.

Thankfully, Paul wasn’t this way.  But he would eschew the traditional pleasantries, luckily he would replace them with things more interesting.  He would often begin with:

Hello!  What did you do today?

And, what’s more, he actually wanted to know!  It wasn’t some mindless pleasantry.  He was interested in you and asking you for a story.  When I would tell him about my day he would respond with the standard polite nods and the like, but he would also respond with something else.

And I bet you, dear reader, can guess what it was.  If I said I had gone shopping he wouldn’t respond with, “Was it good?” or “How was that?” he would ask something like:

What did you get that you’re most excited about?

or

Did you meet anyone interesting?

As if meeting someone interesting every time you left your house was normal.  Well, for him it was normal!

Conversations with Paul always got very deep very fast and were always uplifting.  This is how Paul was.  If I mentioned something about the snowstorm we had just gotten, he would never say some canned line about shoveling or roads.  He would immediately ask and talk about how my feelings about snow changed from when I was a child wanting to play to now as an adult not wanting to shovel.

Now you might be wondering what it’s like talking to someone like Paul when you’re having a bad day.  Let me tell you… Pretty fantastic.  No matter how I felt before, I always felt better after a conversation with Paul.  He always seemed to strike a perfect balance between what I wanted to hear and what I needed to hear.

I often wondered what made Paul so different, so enjoyable to be around.  I thought, “Is he some sort of sage or angel?” and “Is he a short, thin, goateed Santa?”  When I asked him about the way he was, he was oblivious.  He saw no difference between how he interacted with people and how other people interacted.  This actually made sense to me since he would bring this attitude out in other people.

Then one day it hit me out of the blue, Paul was very empathetic.  That’s it.

Now, years later, I don’t work with Paul anymore but we do still talk on occasion and each conversation is invariably an enjoyable education in empathy.

Why do I mention this story?  Because we, as Notebookers, need to be very careful not to fall into the pit of narcissism that Notebooking could be (and journaling always is).

If the last few entries in your Notebook begin with:  I think, I went, I saw, I heard, I, I, I, me, me, me!  Yuck.  It might be time for a few exercises in empathy.

Let’s make Notebooking an act of empathy with these Writing Prompts:

  • Think about an experience that you had with a friend where you interacted with someone you didn’t know.  Write the experience from the stranger’s point of view.
  • Using the same experience as before, write about it from your friend’s perspective.
  • Write only good things about a person you deeply dislike.
  • We very easily remember when we were children.  Remembering what it felt like to be a child is much more difficult.  Think of any normal, mundane childhood memory and try to remember what you felt.  Write it.
  • Go somewhere you often go and write about it as if seeing it for the first time.

I think it’s obvious to say that the world would be a better place if we all had a little more empathy.  Never let it be said that Notebookers aren’t empathetic!

My Humble Pleading

Benefits of Notebooking, Filling Your Notebook, Writing Prompts

I can’t seem to go an hour without getting disappointed.  Anytime I look at the headlines or open a social media app or turn on the TV it saddens me.  In this day and age where we have all information and entertainment at our fingertips, everything still seems the same.  People doing bad things.  Whether beloved famous people doing awful things or nobodies getting famous by being their awful selves.  It’s enough to make me want to become a hermit!

I desperately whisper to myself, “No more.”

The following writing prompts are my challenge against the stupid, the ignorant, the depressing.  I might not be able to change all the anger spewing forth from anyone loud enough or contrary enough to be noticed, but I can change what I do.

I humbly ask, no beg, you to join me as I attempt to take back control of my mood and remind myself that the world has some pretty fantastic things in it.

In the climate of angry rants, won’t you join me in a few joyous raves?

  • Rave about a piece of culture  No need to compare it to anything else.  Just choose a song, book, movie, TV show, etc. and write what you like about it.  Write why it makes you happy.
  • Rave about a good dining experience  All it takes is one visit to Yelp to realize that, apparently, everyone cares about parking lots and matching flatware more than they care about food.  I love food.  I eat it almost everyday!  I could easily write pages about a good meal.  In fact, I have many times.  Give it a shot, I promise that you’ll be glad you did.
  • Rave about People  We all have people that we love.  We all have experiences with people that make us happy.  Write the story of any of your incredible people or experiences.
  • Rave about How Lucky You Are  Instead of thinking about all the outrage and all the base behaviors that surround us, take a moment to write about how much good there is out there.  There are so many wonderful things in everyone’s life.  Write about just one of them.

If you’ll excuse me, I’m going to write about these things.

Some time later…

There.  It’s been 1 hour and I feel fantastic.  I feel like there’s actually hope for happiness after all.  I’m going to add “Raves not Rants” to my Content List because this is better than therapy!

The Ghost of Winters Past

Adventures in Notebooking, Nerd Misadventures

I have a memory that haunts me.

It’s from when I was a child.  One morning after a particularly large snow storm my brother, my sister and I went out to play in the snow.

My sister got out her Strawberry Shortcake sled and began trying to sled around our largely flat yard.  She was very young and was undeterred by failure.

My brother, always serious yet productive, made several snowmen.  Like a sort of family of them.

I, odd and obsessive as always, began my usual hunt for large icicles.  I found a kingly specimen coming out of a rain gutter!

Eventually, my father came out with a camera.  He took pictures of his children playing in this idyllic New England winter scene.

Here’s where the trouble began.  First there was the picture of my cute little sister who was now being pulled on her sled by her friend from down the street.  Then came my brother’s snowmen.  By this point I was helping him attach good stick arms we had found in the woods across the street.  Finally it was time to take a picture of the weird child’s icicle collection.

My brother, ever the showman said, “Take a picture of me karate chopping them!”

“NO.” I screamed.

“Don’t worry, I’ll just pretend.”  he said to me.

“Ok” I said.

He didn’t pretend.  With all the enthusiasm of a young boy he broke them.

He screamed that it was an accident.  I screamed that it wasn’t.  I was devastated.  In my anger I pushed over all his snowmen.  He had spent a long time building them and I had even helped but a few seconds of anger and I had destroyed everything.

At that point we were punished and sent inside.

While Bob Ross played on PBS in the background, we stood at a window and watched our sister play with her friend while a day in a winter wonderland passed us by.

After we said our “sorries” and had some cocoa, we were allowed to go outside once again.

As soon as we went outside my brother went looking for icicles for me.  I went to rebuild some snowmen for him.

There were no more icicles to be found and the snow had changed.  No longer was it perfect “packin” snow.  Making snowmen was impossible.

As I knelt in the snow, with tears on my face, trying to mold slush into a happy snow family, I felt a feeling that haunts me to this day.  That feeling crushed me and I’d bet my brother felt something like it too because we both, simultaneously, went to the back yard and began taking turns pulling my sister around on her tiny sled while she squealed in delight.

I didn’t know then but I know now that that was my first taste of the destructive nature of anger.  The remorse and shame of regretted actions.

This memory haunts me.  Every time I see multiple snowmen, every time I see “kingly” icicles, this memory shows up to ruin me.

Or, at least, it used to.  It doesn’t anymore.  What changed?

Notebooking.

Our recent article about “Questions to ask yourself while Notebooking” has a couple points that I wrote because of this memory.  Specifically, “How would you like to remember this experience?” and “Summarize this memory in a way that puts it to rest.”

The power these two writing prompts have over your happiness cannot be understated.  I used to have a memory that made me sad when I ought to be happy.  Now I have a memory that reminds me of the terrible permanence and blinding momentum of actions taken in anger.

When I asked myself, “How would I like to remember this experience?” I had simply one word – happy.  It didn’t take me long after writing about this experience to realize that it had a happy ending.  My brother and I dragging my sister’s sled around our backyard while she delightedly screamed.  Then why did it bother me so much?  I believe it’s because when I think of this memory I can only focus on my angry mistake.  If there’s one thing Mr. Rogers taught me about mistakes it’s that we should learn from them.  So, what should I learn from this mistake?  That actions, once done, cannot be taken back.  They are permanent.

Now onto the last question (really more of a prompt, I suppose), “Summarize this memory in a way that puts it to rest.”  For me, I think the best way to put this to rest is to turn it into a silent promise.  A promise to try to avoid actions out of anger.  A promise to think of how much I care for people before I do or say something I’ll regret.  There are no take backs.

Now when I see these familiar winter scenes I’m not sad.  I’m reminded to love my loved ones and to cherish the time and memories made together.

Everyone has bad memories but, trust me on this dear reader, Notebooking can make some bad memories turn good!

And that’s powerful!

Questions to ask yourself while Notebooking

Adventures in Notebooking, Benefits of Notebooking, Filling Your Notebook, Tips & Tricks, Writing Prompts

We’ve already talked about how Notebooking can help you to ask better questions, in fact, Notebooking is one of the fastest ways to develop your question asking skills.

Want to make it happen faster?  Want to jump start the question asking genius inside your head?  Read on.

We, as Notebookers, often write about our experiences.  Whether recent experiences or distant memories, our lives tend to be the starting point from which we put pen to page.  This is fine.  This is normal.  This can be boring.

What follows is a list of questions that can help your writing and jump start your question asking skills.

When Notebooking an experience try asking yourself some of these questions:

  • What 3 emotions did this experience evoke in you and why?  When we write about an experience it’s easy to fall into the trap of writing only one emotion or tone.  Call it a natural tendency for narrative consistency or tone.  However, emotions rarely travel alone.  They tend to bring their friends.  The truth is that people are complicated so naturally emotions can be complicated too.  If you experience excitement it’s probable you felt anticipation too.  You might have even felt some anxiety.  We’re even capable of feeling conflicting emotions at the same time!  If you experienced the feeling of contented calm maybe you also felt a little melancholy, it happens.  If you’re writing about an experience and you leave out the depth of emotion you felt, you are leaving out some depth of writing.
  • What did you learn?  It’s often said that there are only 2 ways humans learn:  experience and Sesame Street.  If you didn’t learn from an experience you had it might as well have not happened.  Don’t worry though, you can just as easily ask yourself, What can I learn from this experience?
  • What do you wish you had learned from this experience?  Sometimes it’s only through the lens of time that we can fully understand something.  We can get more out of our experiences if we continue to learn from them.
  • Why does this experience stand out in your memory?  You chose this memory to write about, you must have done so for a reason.  Take some time to discover what this experience is trying to tell you.
  • How would you like to remember this experience?  This is where you take control.  We are all haunted by bad or awkward memories yet, through Notebooking and re-framing, we can change how we feel about them.
  • Finally, Summarize this memory in a way that puts it to rest.  This can crystallize a memory in a sort of time capsule.  The power and control we have over our experiences is astonishing.  Use it!

If you ask yourself these questions when you write, not only will your writing improve but you will begin to think in terms of good questions.  Good questions lead to great writing and even greater conversations!

  • Bonus question!  How would you tell a story of this experience that is either funny or self-deprecating?  You know those people who always seem to tell funny and engaging stories?  This is how you become one of those people.

Writing Prompts: Aesthetic Preferences Edition!

Filling Your Notebook, Writing Prompts
  • What is your favorite type of light?  Why do you like it?  What do you do by your favored light?
  • What do you like about your favorite music?  What elements or feelings does it evoke for you?  What other music could you find that has those elements?
  • Name and describe 5 types of weather (be creative).  How do they make you feel?  What are some of your favorite activities to do during such weather?
  • Which relief is better?  Coming in from the cold or cooling off from the heat?  Defend your answer!
  • What is your favorite “sipping” beverage and why?
  • What aroma, that most people seem to love, do you detest?  What about it is so offensive to you?
  • When was the last time you were in an unshakably good mood?  What caused it?  What can you do to chase that “dragon”?
  • What (other than Notebooking) do you feel is instantly calming?  Do you do it enough?  How does it make you feel?

Enjoy!  And as always, I’d love to read your answers in the comments, so go nuts!

Cock-a-doodle-doo!!!

Adventures in Notebooking, Benefits of Notebooking, Tips & Tricks

In my youth I stayed up late and I slept in like it was my job!  I used to brag about how late I routinely stayed up late.  Sleeping in was a way of life for me.

Then I got a job where I had to wake up early and a funny thing happened, “sleeping in” had a new definition.  All of a sudden getting out of bed at 7am was late and sleeping until noon became simply impossible, where just a few months earlier it was normal.

I used to joke, “I didn’t even know they made a 5 in the morning!” and now it is my favorite time to Notebook!

This all began because I’m not a monster.

Let me explain…

There are certain activities that are not appropriate at certain times.  At 5 in the morning loud things should be avoided unless you’re a monster.  Everyone knows that mowing your lawn or snow blowing your driveway at 5 am (or earlier) should be a federal offense!  While I could go on and on listing things to avoid (tuba practice comes to mind), I won’t.  Happily, Notebooking is one of those things that won’t wake anyone up.

So with Notebook in hand and an inability to sleep past 5 am I, unknowingly, began to irreversibly improve my days and my Notebooking.

Like all good things, this started with a nice beverage.  Coffee to be specific.  Kenya AA I had roasted to City+ 2 days earlier to be exact.  To say that beginning my day with coffee and quiet contemplation improves my life would be an understatement.

It turned out that the simple act of changing my routine had a profound effect on my writing.  Without the crushing weight of a stressful day in the rear-view mirror, I no longer had to try to avoid whining.  In fact my Notebooking entries took on a feeling of optimism and excitement without me noticing.

The frustration I felt at times when my words wouldn’t flow was replaced by a feeling of calm whimsy.  “It’s still the start of the day, there’s always more time to write later”, I would tell myself.  Well, actually that’s not quite true.  I didn’t tell myself that.  I simply felt it.

Interestingly, it became very rare for me to not have anything to write.  Perhaps it was because my mind was a blank slate, or maybe it was because it was quiet so there weren’t any distractions. I think it was because I had both no agenda of what I “had” to write and I had a hard time limit.  I had about an hour and a half before other people started waking up.  In fact, more often than not I would end up doing most of my writing in the last 10-20 minutes.

The best part about early morning writing, for me, was the way my day went better.  On mornings that I was able to write I felt more positive.  I was happier and more cheerful.  It took a lot more to get me down than on days I hadn’t Notebooked.  This is the true magic of early morning writing.

So… how do we do it?

  • Plan Ahead  For as much as you might want the benefits of early morning Notebooking, it won’t happen if you sleep through it.  This means getting up early.  Unfortunately, this might mean getting to bed early.  Trust me, it’s worth it.
  • Try for Natural Light and Fresh Air  Sometimes this makes all the difference, so if the weather is willing and the sun is already awake, seize the morning.
  • Go Somewhere Different  I’m not saying you need to cross state lines.  Start by sitting somewhere different.  A change of scenery can lead to a change of mind.  You might be surprised at how much of a difference it makes.
  • Don’t Rush  Take the time to take it in.  The last thing you want to do is rush through a great experience.

So, is early morning the magic time in which only good stuff happens?  Probably not, but it might be.

A Guide to People Watching

Adventures in Notebooking, Nerd Misadventures, Tips & Tricks

Many of you Notebookers I hear from tell me how much they love Notebooking in public places.  Not because of the unwanted attention it garners but because of the steady stream of stimuli.  Inevitably, when discussing the stream of stimuli, we turn to people watching.

People Watching

A touchy subject to be sure.  Is it the purview of creeps and “manic pixie dream girls?”  Is there a place for watching other people?

Maybe.  But first let me paint you a picture.

Notebooker #1.  There’s a person at a park.  Sitting at a bench writing in a notebook.  Occasionally, this person looks up.  There are children playing nearby.  Sometimes they squeal, sometimes our Notebooker looks up at the noise.  Our Notebooker continues writing.  At times, joggers jog by.  Notebooker #1 looks up at the impending footfalls, maybe even smiles if eye contact occurs.

Notebooker #2.  He’s sitting in the cafe area of a big bookstore chain.  He, too, is writing in a notebook.  He is mostly staring though.  The circle of empty space around him is slowly getting larger while he continues to stare.  Occasionally, while staring, he will slowly smile and write something.

DON’T BE LIKE NOTEBOOKER #2!

Now here’s the scary part.  It’s entirely possible that Notebooker #1 and Notebooker #2 are the same person.  On the same day.  From their perspective they are simply “people watching” so what’s the difference?  Maybe nothing.  Maybe social awareness.

What follows is a few rules and a few tips that will help us cultivate some social awareness, even when in the throws of Notebooking ecstasy.  And hopefully help us to avoid being like Notebooker #2.

 

 Rule #1  Be Polite

The world would be a vastly better place if we all simply behaved like a house guest when in public.  If you want to be creepy and gross, do it at home.  When you leave your home, you are a guest of the public.  Act accordingly.

 

Rule #2 Be Kind

If you’re people watching it is important to remember that the people you’re watching are people first and muses a distant second.  Being a kind Notebooker goes beyond helping someone up if they fall (although obviously do that).  Being a kind Notebooker also means writing nice things about people.  People are complex creatures that have both good and bad in their make up.  By focusing on the good your writing will be more positive, you will be in a better mood, and you will avoid complaining.  Remember that complaining is just a short step away from the toxic whining.  NO WHINING!

 

Rule #3 Don’t Judge

Everyone has had a bad day.  All of us have been in bad moods.

As a corollary to Rule #2, when you see someone having a bad day or in a bad mood, get down from your high horse and remember that it could be you having a rough go of it.

 

And now for some  tips…

  1. Don’t Stare  It’s rude and creepy.  This point might not need reiterating but it’s always worth reminding.  If any of your Notebooking goes something like, “Everyone here seems uncomfortable and standoff-ish.”  LEAVE!  You are staring.
  2. Try a Prop  Writing in a Notebook while staring people is bad.  Writing in a Notebook while another book is laid out in front of you is unremarkable.  It’s basically note taking.  A glass of wine or whiskey might make it look like you’re one of those pretentious people who take notes on what they drink.  I am one of those pretentious people who take notes on my coffee and my whiskey.  I can confirm that when I do this most seem to disregard me.  Bonus:  you get to enjoy a tasty beverage!  There are other props that might work aside from those but they tend to go downhill fast.  Props that don’t work include:  balloon animals, a series of vials filled with bubbling liquids, blueprints to someone’s house.
  3. Listen to Something  Don’t be a jerk, use earbuds or headphones.  If you’re listening to music, an audio book or a podcast, then writing notes in a Notebook is fine.
  4. Don’t JUST People watch  A Notebooker no doubt has their Content List ready to help them write.  You probably have a handful of Writing Prompts at the ready.  If you’re somewhere that people watching is possible then you’re somewhere that, inevitably, has more out there to write about too.  Don’t miss out on the world because you were writing about a jogger’s shoes!
  5. Look for Insight  Ask yourself why you’re people watching.  Is it because it makes you feel above the “little people?”  Is it to “watch the puppets dance?”  Is it to appreciate the depth and variety of people on this planet in an effort to broaden your capacity for empathy?  If you know why you’re people watching you should know if  it’s a good idea.

If all this seems like a lot to do just to people watch, you’re right.  Personally, I never found the writing I yield from people watching to be worth the effort.  So the next time you go forth and write about strangers, do yourself a favor and honestly assess what you wrote.  You can probably write much better than that.

My advice is:  don’t bother.  But if you must, then do it right.

 

Perfectly Imperfect – How Notebooking taught me the joys of “Good ’nuff”

Adventures in Notebooking, Tips & Tricks

When I first got a notebook, thanks to the made up “histories” on the packaging, I believed everything I wrote should be perfect.  Nay, would be perfect.

While this attitude is obviously stupid, I didn’t even realize I was doing it.  None the less, I was holding myself to a standard of perfection.  It was paralyzing!  And when I went back to look at what I did write when I finally mustered the courage to put pen to page?  Crushing.

My Notebook was left undisturbed for quite a while after that.

Then one day, as if I was being original, the idea struck… a rough draft!

This, coupled with the nature of my job at the time caused the Spartan to be born.
At this point I would write things in a Spartan then copy them into my Notebook later.  Thankfully, it didn’t take me long to realize there was a problem.  Sadly, it took me way too long to figure out what the problem was.

Things were different.  My funny stories were less funny.  My impassioned diatribes were reduced to pessimistic rants, written robotically.  My writing was flat.  Any charm that had been there was replaced by big words.  Any emotion or enthusiasm was replaced by rigid sentence structure.

Looking back now it seems obvious that I was doing a bad job of copying!  I was keeping too little and throwing out personality.

I’m not going to say that after realizing this my writing became perfect or even good.  I will say this, my enjoyment grew.  I liked writing and now I enjoyed it too!  And when I looked back at what I had wrote, I enjoyed that too.  Was it good writing?  Probably not, but I enjoyed it.  Since I enjoyed it, I did it more often.  Writing more often afforded me the practice it takes to get better.

Obviously, I do believe in Assessment.  I believe that, when done properly, it is the fastest method for getting your writing and therefore your Notebooking to where you want it to be.  I, also, believe in rough writing.  This is precisely why we recommend only assessing every few weeks.

Do yourself and your writing a favor, embrace the imperfect.  That’s where your wit and your charm live!

5 Ways to beat a Notebooking stall

Adventures in Notebooking, Content List Ideas, Filling Your Notebook, Tips & Tricks

It happens to us all.  You sit down, ready to continue Notebooking and nothing happens.  All those ideas are gone.  Maybe, you’re writing what is essentially the same stuff every day.  Either way, your Notebooking has gotten stale.  As always, intrepid reader, we’re here to help.

Here are 5 ways to shake up your Notebooking routine:

  1. Change up the location or time of your Notebooking.  Sometimes one change in routine can lead to other changes.  If you normally Notebook when you can, try setting aside some time to do it.  If you normally Notebook in the morning, maybe the evening after a long day will give you the inspiration to write.
  2. Add a new Page Eater to your Content List.  Thinking about something you never think about can be a great way to break out of your rut.  Having trouble thinking of something you never think about?  Not to worry, we have lists of writing prompts and Page Eaters.  Have a look! link to
  3. Write about a persistent childhood memory.  We all have many memories from our childhood.  Whether a weird childhood game you used to play or a field trip you took in elementary school, I’m sure it won’t take long to come up with one.  Write it!  A childhood memory of yours from the perspective of your adult self has the potential to be very interesting.
  4. Do something.  Anything.  Go somewhere you don’t often go.  Even if it’s just the “other” grocery store.  Read a short story.  It’ll be sure to give you something to write about.  Sometimes having the option to write about anything is too broad of a task.  There’s nothing wrong with paring it down through the lens of experience.
  5. Take a day off.  Be kind to yourself.  Take some time away from your notebook.  If you’re at the point of a writing stall then your desire to Notebook will certainly still be there when you come back.

And a Few More to Grow on

Filling Your Notebook, Writing Prompts

It’s been a while since we’ve put up any writing prompts.  It can be tricky setting a balance between relatable yet writable and unique yet interesting.  Don’t worry, we’re always hard at work trying to find that balance.

Don’t believe me?  Fine, here’s proof!

  • When you were a kid you probably had a favorite animal.  What was it?  Why?  What is it now?  Why?  Why did it change (if it did)?
  • Write about a time when you went full on “sour grapes.”  What did you want?  Why couldn’t you have it?  In the end, were you right?  Were those grapes truly sour?
  • Pick a game, any game.  Now improve it in some way, whether absurd or realistic.  Thinking about how boring I find soccer, I would place archers on the sides of the pitch.  That would be exciting!  Your turn.
  • What’s your favorite thing that you don’t really like?  For me it’s cooking pancakes.  I LOVE pouring the batter, I love the flip, I love choosing common or uncommon additions (common = blueberries, uncommon = caramelized onions).  Just one problem… I don’t really like pancakes.  What’s your thing like that?
  • Go somewhere public.  Choose 5 strangers at random.  Without staring, describe their walk.
  • Describe the place you are in as if in a horror movie without changing anything.  Now describe it as if in a sad song.  Now, as the setting of a fond memory.
  • Describe your favorite non-food smell as if smelling it for the first time.
  • Imagine our normal mundane world but with one fantastical element.  How would things change or be different?  How would this one element change economics?  How would this element change popular culture?  Here’s a few fantastical elements to try on for size:
    • Dragons are real but untameable.
    • Harry Potter style magic is real but only one spell.
    • Everyone from Denmark is immortal.
    • Mice can talk.
    • Several moons in our solar system have been terraformed and have people living on them.
  • Write about a trip you went on at least 5 years ago.  What do you remember about it?  Was it a good trip?  All these years later, how has your view of this trip changed?
  • What was a hobby, pastime or passion that you don’t have anymore?  Why did you stop?  How do you feel about it now?  Did something replace it in your life?  Would you want to go back to it?  What’s stopping you?

Enjoy!  And please let us know the answer to some of these in the comments!  I’d love to read them!

 

Getting the most out of your Content List

Content List Ideas, Filling Your Notebook, The System

A good Content List can be your best friend along the path to great Notebooking or it could be a wasted page at the end of your Notebook.  For as much as I use my Content List, I often hear of people making it and then ignoring it.  Not only is this a waste of a perfectly innocent page but it is a waste of so much creative potential.  Here are a few tips I’ve found over the years for getting the most out of your Content List.

  • Make One  This is super obvious but many Notebookers think about what they want in their Notebooks then they begin writing.  Writing is great but do yourself a favor and write down on the last page of your Notebook those things you like to write about.  Having the list there gives you an advantage when the words don’t swim from your pen like fish.
  • Set the Tone  A good Content List can set the tone of your Notebook in an intentional way.  Very often when I sit down to write, I end up with a Notebooking entry that finishes very different from how it began.  That’s all well and good for vomitive, adolescent drivel but we’re better than that.  Aren’t we?  When you create your Content List you create a tone for your Notebook.  Maintaining the tone you want is the first step to writing content you can be proud of.
  • A Checklist of Sorts  Your Content List can act as a checklist, keeping your writing varied and dynamic.  It’s all too easy to write with a one track mind, only to realize in horror later that you only write about one thing!  Using your Content List like a checklist can go a long way to keeping your writing diverse.
  • Challenge Yourself  Try putting something on your Content List that isn’t in your “wheelhouse”.  Every time you use your Content List you will move it closer to being IN your “wheelhouse”.  Want to get better at writing knock-knock jokes? (I mean, who doesn’t?) Putting knock-knock jokes on your Content List insures that you will write them more often.  Thus your Notebook will become a record of your progress as you become the greatest knock-knock joke writer ever!
  • Update Regularly  If you aren’t updating your Content List you’re missing out.  While we’ve written an entire article about updating your Content List, the heart of it is asking yourself, “Am I happy with this?”  and “Is this working for me?”  Honestly asking yourself these 2 simple questions will make all the superfluous Content List items fall by the wayside.  This leads to a better Content List and that leads to better content.
  • Use your Content List at the Right Time  Maybe this isn’t a problem for you, but it happens to me so often that I have to mention it.  I will sit down to Notebook with an idea or 3 to write about.  Then, before I begin, I’ll look at my Content List.  At that point I forget what I wanted to write about originally!  Only to remember later while driving or skydiving or something!  Don’t do this!  Don’t be like me!  Look at your Content List only after you’ve written what is on your mind.

With these ideas in mind go forth and write your best stuff ever! (with a little help from that humble page at the back of your book.)

How to Notebook a holiday

Adventures in Notebooking, Filling Your Notebook, Tips & Tricks

Holidays are at times wonderful experiences and at other times challenging ordeals.  Thankfully, both of these are ripe for Notebooking.  Holidays are nearly always filled with memorable things. Thus, the better you Notebook, the happier you’ll be when you look back at your writing.  Let’s talk about the best ways to write about a holiday.

Food Glorious Food  Many holidays have special food associated with them.  Often, these are comfort foods which tend to bring about strong emotions.  At other times, like when visiting in-laws or friends, the food is strange and sometimes horrifying1.  Either way, this is great Notebooking fodder whether sentimental or acerbic.  Most of us know that the majority of taste is aroma but did you know that most of tasteful food writing is describing aromas well?

So Much To See  When you go somewhere for a holiday there is usually a host.  Hosts, for the most part, want you to have a good time.  Hosts tend to work very hard before and during a holiday2.  The least we can do is appreciate the work that a host puts into your enjoyment.  This usually means appearance.  In addition to setting the scene with descriptions, think of other things that help to paint a verbal picture; other guests, decorations, etc.  Just remember that the host worked very hard.  Be kind to your host in your notebook, it costs you nothing to do so.

Do you hear what I hear?  The sounds of a holiday are as varied as the people attending them.  Everything from music, to the sound of children playing to the absurd laugh of your Uncle Ron.  Whether the constant crinkle of candy wrappers at a Halloween party, or the crackle of a fire at Christmas or the institutional buzz of fluorescent lights looming over an office party, sounds can add depth to your writing and flavor to an otherwise drab affair.

People, People Everywhere  Most importantly, the people.  Recording who was there and what they did is a great place to start.  Writing lovingly about loved ones is better.  Complaining about them is still whining!

Notebooking a holiday can immortalize a moment.  Just remember, don’t assume you will remember the details and for God’s sake write the date down!

 

Let’s talk about the Dinosaur in the room

Adventures in Notebooking, Nerd Misadventures, Tips & Tricks

Scratch pads.  An ancient and forgotten technology.  Once the steadfast partner of the wall-mounted kitchen land-line.  Scratch pads, I’m afraid, have all but disappeared.

For those of you who don’t remember them allow me to explain.  Back in the days when phones stayed put you could often find a small, seemingly decorative pad of paper next to them.  This was where you would write a grocery list.  If someone called you and you wanted to call them back, you would need to write their phone number down.  Here was where you did it.  Caller ID hadn’t “happened” yet.

So, why are we talking about the extinct scratch pad?  Because the scratch pad’s absence from our lives creates a landscape of thin ice on which a Notebooker must tread.

There are times when we, as Notebookers, need to write things down so we don’t forget them.  As we’ve talked about before, we advocate writing these things anywhere EXCEPT your Notebook.  The reason being that no grocery list or doctor’s appointment is well written enough to keep for posterity.  This is the perfect use for a Spartan, as a sort of filter or shield for your Notebook. But, what if you don’t have your Spartan on you? (shame on you) What if all you have is your Notebook?

Then, my friend, it is time to break some rules!

Don’t despair.  So long as we’re here, let’s go over a couple of reasons why this isn’t the end of the world (and one reason why it might be).

First and foremost writing things in your Notebook that are best left to a scratch pad tends to lower your Notebook a peg or two on the “supercilious” scale.  You might not need this, but you might.  It is an unfortunate tendency that all people have to elevate their writing to a revered level.  A lot of bad things happen when we do this but the main thing is that we start to take ourselves too seriously (seemingly an epidemic these days).  This is not only inexcusable but it also leads to bad writing.  Personally, I prefer to use goofy humor to keep things light in my Notebooks but a chili recipe followed by an urgent reminder to buy toilet paper does that job really well.

A funny thing can happen when you use your Notebook as a scratch pad.  Very occasionally you will find it has become a Written Souvenir.  A Written Souvenir is an incredible yet simple thing that will happen if you try and occasionally when you don’t try.  Let me explain, some time ago I spent an evening with some friends.  The evening was seemingly normal.  We were all at Dave and Katrina’s house.  Dave seemed out of sorts and there was a nervous energy in the air.  As the evening wore on we got hungry.  Dave announced that we should order Chinese food from Katrina’s favorite place.  Since there were no scratch pads (damn you progress!) we all wrote our orders in my Notebook.  After we ate Dave got down on one knee into the “half-begging position” and got engaged to Katrina.  Dave later explained that in lieu of fancy restaurants and tall buildings, all Katrina wanted was her close friends present and a full happy belly.  I immediately wrote in my Notebook, “The night Dave and Katrina got engaged they first dined at home with friends (I listed all of us) on China Hut Mongolian Feast II.

I knew then that this Chinese food order had become a Written Souvenir.  I even toyed with tearing the page out and including it in my wedding card to them (If you’re wondering, I got them a 4 foot tall pepper mill because I am either the best or worst gift giver of all time!).

The danger with allowing yourself to use your Notebook as a scratch pad is that it is a slippery slope that can end with carrying around a scratch pad that looks like a notebook.  The best policy here is to try to avoid it, realize that some scratch pad utility is inevitable, and be open to the possibility of its benefits.

 

A very awkward name for a very intuitive thing

Adventures in Notebooking, Tips & Tricks

I used to think Notebook organization was antithetical to good writing.  I would tell myself, “Creativity can’t be constrained by rules from weak minded theory crafters!” or “When a creative muse whispers in your ear, shuffling though checklists and charts will scare it away!”  This is obviously nonsense.  The more I was “creative” the more I learned that “creative” is just an adjective.  The more you put the work in to anything the more you get out of it.  A simple equation that doesn’t need a mythical use or throws of delirium.

Thus, organization isn’t the enemy.  In fact, “organization will set you free”1.  It IS true, however, that too much organization could leave little space in your Notebook for being creative.

So I set about finding small techniques that would help me without being so much work or formatting as to stifle me.  I wanted, also, something that would break the “put in, get out” equation in my favor.  This is where the Tips and Tricks section of NotebookingNerds was born.

One such tip is the “Page Set Aside.”

A page set aside is simply setting aside a page for the things that either come up often or things that you want all together but doesn’t come up often.  Examples might include pithy phrases or phone numbers.  After some experimentation I found a few things that kept getting a “page set aside” in my Notebooks.  I also found that they could, in general, be divided into categories.

The first category could be described as the “Just for Fun” pages:

  • Pithy Phrases  Any time you hear something or think of something that distills the essence of a thought or concept, write it down!  You never know when it will come in handy.  For instance, I was recently in what could only be described as “The most unwanted conversation ever” with a person who gloated, “I only roast my cauliflower because I’m a purist.”  At that eye glazing moment I realized that saying “I’m a purist” is synonymous with saying “I’m boring.”  At my first chance I wrote that down in my Pith Page.  I also stopped calling myself a purist about coffee and I lightened my stance on what people should be allowed to put into their coffee.
  • Quotes  Obviously quotes are fun to write down.  A good quote can inspire us to write incredible entries or laugh uncontrollably or strive to be a better person.  It’s really nice to have them in the same place.  Additionally, having quotes strewn around your Notebook can lead to occasionally being next to a completely unrelated entry.  A quote about capitalism followed by an entry about snow can be a bit jarring.
  • Recommendations  This used to happen to me all the time.  Someone would recommend a book to me and I would think, “Next time I’m in a used bookstore I’ll look for it.” (I love used bookstores)  I would write down the title and author.  Then I would lose it.  That doesn’t happen anymore because I have a “Used bookstore recommendation page” set aside2.  I, now, have a few “Reco” pages:  Books to check out, Diners (I like diners), Music etc.  I even have one that I use to write down things I have no intention of following up on but I want to make the person I’m talking to feel heard.  “Yes I like to read.  Your favorite book is called, ‘Baby Mama Drama’?  I’ll have to give that a read.” (This happened.)

The next category, let’s call it “Not for Fun,” is for utility:

  • Phone numbers  On the rare occasion that you need to write down one of these down, it’s best to confine them to a “page set aside” so they are easy to find (and put in your phone) later.
  • Scratch Pad  Grocery lists, math, to do lists, etc. are like weeds.  One or two and it’s no big deal but if you’re not careful they will take over and ruin your lawn (or Notebook).  Speaking as someone who once had their lawn taken over by chives (try mowing THAT without goggles!), I now keep a scratch pad page in my Notebooks to protect the rest of my Notebook.
  • Sticky Notes  Related to the scratch pad page, I like to keep a page tiled with sticky notes.  This page acts as my scratch pad page.  What I love about this is that they are removable and replaceable.  I keep lists, appointments and other reminders on it.  Since sticky notes come in several colors, you could even color code your tiled page!  That’s a bit much for me but, you do you.

Finally we come to the last category of “pages set aside”.  Notebooking pages:

  • Writing prompts  When we post writing prompts, we hope you find a few that you find interesting enough to write.  We also hope that you are writing them down in your Notebook for later instead of writing immediately, by the light of your computer’s monitor like a maniac.  Keeping these prompts on one page will be handy.
  • Jot Points  As mentioned in our Jot Points article, you CAN put these in your Notebook.  Personally, I use a Spartan.  The key being that you write Jot Points down and expand on them later.  Having a “page set aside” for this will ensure you can find it quickly.  As with writing prompts or phone numbers, keeping them in an easy to find place is helpful.

Pages set aside also allow you to “break in” a Notebook very quickly and easily.  Simply put your “pages set aside” in the beginning of your notebook.  Between your Table of Contents and Pages set aside, you’ll be 10 pages in to your Notebook before you know it!

I hope you find a “Page set aside” as helpful and effective as I have.  Enjoy!

How to Re-frame a bad experience into good Notebooking

Adventures in Notebooking, Benefits of Notebooking, Tips & Tricks

One of the greatest powers that Notebooking puts in your hands is re-framing.  Re-framing sounds like one of those “self help” jargon-y terms whose definition is so nebulous as to be, essentially, meaningless.

Not to worry dear reader, it isn’t.  In fact it’s way easier to explain than to do.  And with Notebooking, doing it is pretty easy too!

So, what is it?

Re-framing is, very simply, looking at something a different way.  The term “re-framing” derives from the effect that a painting can look completely different depending on what the frame looks like.

Considering that titles are most emblematic of a literary frame, let’s try some examples.  A Notebooking entry about going to a crowded grocery store could be titled as follows:

The agony of egg acquisition

This definitely sets a tone of a bad experience.  The word “agony” usually has that effect.

-or-

Today I discovered a new kind of crazy

This title sounds fun and it might be a less serious or more humorous take on the same experience.

Here we are talking about the same experience but in two vastly different ways.  The latter title sounds like reading the entry will be a fun romp through people’s absurd behavior in public.  It says, “Let’s all laugh together at the absurd goofiness of all of us.”

The former title says, “Buckle in, I want to complain and whine while displaying a complete inability to cope with everyday tasks.”

Which would you rather read?  Which would you rather write!?

So, how do we re-frame?  Simple.

Here are a few ways in which re-framing while Notebooking becomes easy.

  1. The title method.  I don’t normally entitle Notebook entries but there’s no reason not to.  In fact, I find that when I do use a title, re-framing happens easily and almost automatically.  Also, it can be fun.
  2. Ask a question.  Most Notebooking entries can be summed up as the answer to a question.  Whether that question is specifically asked or simply implied, the question frames the entry.  If you write a whiny entry the implied question is probably something like, “What made you mad?” or “What went wrong?”  Where as, in the case of a good entry the implied question might be, “What was funny?” or “What makes it interesting?”  You can take control of your framing by simply asking yourself a good question before you start writing.
  3. Build a tone.  This one is the hardest to start but the easiest to continue.  The tone of your writing and your notebook has the potential to be a carefully curated master class in re-framing.  Or it could be whiny drivel.  That’s a choice you make every time you put pen to page.  In the beginning you will have to be mindful of the tone you create.  Eventually it will flow very naturally.  Vigilance is key in the beginning.

See?  Pretty easy for the most part.  Also, totally worth it.  When you take control of your framing you get to decide whether or not something is a good experience or a bad one.  You can be in charge of how you think and how you feel about nearly anything!  Gone will be the days when someone else can determine what kind of day you have.

This is the power or re-framing and Notebooking makes it easy!

Everyday, I’m Notebooking

Adventures in Notebooking, Benefits of Notebooking

As you probably already know we recommend that you write daily in your notebook.  20 minutes to be specific.  Taking something that you like to do or want to do or simply want to do better;  then making it a part of your daily routine makes sense.  Right?  Making a daily habit of Notebooking makes such intuitive sense that we almost didn’t question it.  Almost.

When we finally did question it we realized that there’s a lot more going on than we originally thought.  Here is just a few good reasons to make a point of Notebooking daily:

  • It’s Fun!  Whether you enjoy finding new and interesting ways to write creatively or enjoy the challenge of recording experiences in a cool and dynamic form or simply enjoy the tactile experience of putting pen to page, Notebooking is fun.  If you didn’t enjoy it, you wouldn’t be here.
  • It keeps you Mindful  When you write daily you will tend to become more aware of things to write about.  Writing daily puts you and your mind in the position of either “going to write in a few hours” or “just wrote a few hours ago” at all times.  This mentality will keep you more “on the lookout” for good things to write.  This will help your writing flow better and faster.  Being open to a cool quote or an interesting idea you heard will also help your content to be better.
  • Habit of Creativity  Every time you Notebook, you are being creative.  When you write daily, you are creative daily.  Getting into a creative state can be difficult but like any other skill, practice makes perfect.  Being able to jump into a creative state of mind at a moment’s notice is helpful to much more than just writing.  Everything from problem solving to small talk benefits immensely form a creative mind showing up.
  • Become more Insightful  Another side effect of daily Notebooking is that you spend more time thinking.  This might seem obvious, and I suppose it is.  What isn’t readily obvious is the effect this has on the Notebooker.  When you spend more time thinking, particularly thinking in regards to notebooking, the better you get at deeper reflection.  Add to this the inherent reflection you do when you assess your notebook, you end up becoming more insightful.  In this day and age where people bury themselves in devices and social media being insightful is basically a superpower.  A superpower that allows you to think differently, effectively and to be the best conversationalist in the room!
  • Habitual Humor  If you try to write humor daily, something very interesting will happen… You will succeed.  What do I mean by succeed?  I mean that you will, eventually write things that you find funny.  Once that begins happening something else very interesting will happen; you will begin to see things through the lens of humor.  This is fantastic because in addition to becoming quicker with a joke, this will tend to give you a happier and more positive disposition.  Take THAT whining!

Finally, and simplest.  If you Notebook everyday you are much less likely to forget all those good things you want to Notebook!

A Fistful of Sticky Notes

Adventures in Notebooking, Tips & Tricks

If you have read our Spartan article or our Pocket article  you’re no doubt aware that we recommend putting a note card with sticky notes on it in your Notebook.  There’s a good reason for this:  They’re super useful!

Now, before we begin to wax quixotically through our list of our most common uses for sticky notes just remember; you will end up finding uses for these things simply by having them on you much like we did.  Just do yourself a favor by not googling “uses for sticky notes.”  It will only lead you to sadness at the stupid ideas out there.  I looked it up in preparation for this post and I’m sad now.  Flip book!?  Really!?  Don’t be sad like me.

So without further ado, here’s a few uses that we have found fun, useful or both:

  • Leave a note  This one is obvious and arguably the original purpose of the sticky note.  Not that there’s anything wrong with that.  In fact, if it ain’t broke…
  • Notes in a book  Have you ever wanted to write something in the margins of a book but you’re not a monster?  Look no further than that note card in the pocket of your Notebook!
  • Bookmark  I can’t use bookmarks because the god of Murphy’s law makes me drop any book I throw a bookmark into.  Well, problem solved.  Plus, I can write notes on them (I’m not a monster).
  • Reminders  Another common use that’s too useful to ignore.  Pro tip:  Put your reminders on door knobs, that way you can’t leave without seeing it.
  • Lists  Shopping list, to-do list, etc.  Plaster them on a page in your Notebook then get rid of them when you’re done.  Unless you want your cool, dynamic Notebook to be filled with reminders to buy toothpaste.

2 fun bonus uses!

  • Foreign language labels  I like to put these in other peoples homes when they aren’t looking.  Imagine finding a sticky note on your dog that says “Perro.”
  • Who/What am I?  This is a sticky note based game similar to “20 questions”.  Here’s what you do:  Write the name of a person, place or thing on a sticky note.  Also, have someone else do the same (you can have as many players as you have sticky notes, really).  Then stick the sticky notes on each other’s foreheads.  This way everyone except you can read what is on your note.  Then take turns asking Yes or No questions until someone wins by guessing what is on their note.  This is actually more fun than you might think and especially entertaining for kids.  I realize that a sticky note is technically optional but it is definitely easier to clean up than scrubbing marker of your forehead…Trust me.

We hope those are enough uses to convince you to try keeping some on hand.  Already carry them?  We’d love to hear how you use them! Let us know!

Post Scriptum:  I would be remiss if I didn’t at least mention that brand name Post-Its are the best and worth the extra 35 cents.  The knock-offs tend to either not stick, leave sticky residue, or somehow both.

Raindrops on Roses and Whiskers on Kittens

Benefits of Notebooking, Filling Your Notebook, The System

These are a few of Julie Andrews’ favorite things.  And now that I’ve got that song stuck in my head, let’s talk about a few of MY favorite things…to write about.  Or your favorite things to write about.  Well, really, we’re taking about the Content List.

Ultimately, that’s what a content list is, a list of favorite things to write about.  An evergreen well of inspiration you can return to time and time again.  Kind of like one of our writing prompts, right?

NO.

Writing prompts and a Content List are like opposite sides of the same coin.

If writing from your inexhaustible well of a Content List is like coming home then writing from our writing prompts is like going on a trip.  A trip directly away from your comfort zone and away from any plans or preconceived notions you may have.

Your Content List is custom built by you to create a feel and identity for your Notebooking content.  You can use it as inspiration to challenge yourself or chronicle your growth.  You can use your Content List as a checklist to help ensure the dynamic diversity of content you envision.  Ultimately, your content list should serve as a guide to creating the kind of content you want in your notebook.

If your Content List is like a guide then a good writing prompt is like a muse, inspiring you to strike out into the creative unknown.

Hard to believe though it may be, we work very hard and discuss at length what writing prompts we put out.  There’s a good reason for that.

A quick google search will yield some of the worst writing prompts you can imagine.  Prompts like:

“Write about your summer vacation.”

or

“Write about something that frustrates you.”

REALLY?!

Our goal with writing prompts is a little more productive and, dare I say, much more useful.  I’m sure that you could, with very little forethought, write about your frustrating coworkers but what does that get you?  Frustrated.

In the Notebooking Nerds method, a writing prompt is designed to nudge you out of your comfort zone and down the road to growth and creativity.  Of course a good writing prompt is only half of the equation.  How you use it is the other half.  Actually, come to think of it, how you use it is more than half.  Way more.  Here’s why:

The best way to use a good writing prompt is to follow it out of your comfort zone.  This means it’s something you haven’t thought about very much before and certainly something you haven’t written about, at length, before.  Ideally, the first time you see it is the first time you’ve thought about it.  It may not be the best thing you’ve ever written but going along for the ride with a good writing prompt is the best way to train your creativity to flow quickly and on command.

Does that mean that you can only use a writing prompt once?  Not exactly.  When I use a writing prompt I try to not use it again until some time has passed.  That way, when I go back to it, it seems fresh.  You don’t have to though, you could try it on for size again and again.  Of course, after a while, it isn’t nudging you out of your usual writing because it has become your usual writing.  At that point simply add it to your Content List and enjoy it!

As you can see, there is a big difference between writing prompts and your Content List.  Both are helpful in creating dynamic content and fostering well-rounded growth as a writer and a thinker.  Just remember, the quality of the writing prompt you use is just as important as the quality of your Content List.

Ode to the small yet kind

Adventures in Notebooking, Tips & Tricks

I have a personal philosophy to do something “small yet kind” for someone everyday.  A small gesture here, a kind word there.  While most people like it when you’re nice to them, this isn’t entirely altruistic.  I do it because I like it.  It puts me in a better mood.  It turns out it’s hard to be grouchy when you’re being nice to someone.

Occasionally I’ll even do something “small yet kind” for myself.  Especially when I’m Notebooking.

The phrase, “small yet kind” is a term I tend to use when talking of the simple luxuries we can afford ourselves when Notebooking.  I believe they can make all the difference in the world when it comes to your Notebooking experience.

There are many reasons to have a few “small yet kind” luxuries in your Notebooking pursuits but most of those reasons can be boiled down to 2 values:

  1. Notebooking is enjoyable so go ahead and enjoy it.
  2. It could help your Notebooking.

Let’s get into some specifics:

  • A Good Writing Implement  While you could spend A LOT of cash getting expensive pens or pencils, you certainly don’t have to.  And to reap the benefit we’re talking about here you could spend almost nothing if you want.  Let’s start with the example of a nice pen.  Many would argue that you really can’t get a really good pen for less than 100$.  These people are insane.  It’s true that if you want a pen with more weight or girth than your standard cheap ballpoint you will likely have to spend more than you would on a Bic Cristal.  Many people love the weight and feel of a fat and heavy writing implement and if that sounds appealing to you then you could get a Pilot Dr. Grip for less than 10$.  Another way to go is to try for a light weight writing implement that seems as if to disappear in your hand as you write.  I prefer this most of the time, in fact, right now I’m writing with a surprisingly smooth pencil that cost less than 7 cents.  Whether you want your writing implement to be comfortingly weighty or disappear leaving only your mind and the page, there are options for you.  And you don’t have to go to your piggy bank when you want them.
  • A Quality Notebook  This one is obvious and probably doesn’t require any explanation.  Don’t worry, I won’t let that stop me!  Being in the “preferring lightweight writing implements” camp has another advantage.  Since I prefer wood-case pencils and ballpoint pens, I can get away with using some very cheap paper.  I don’t do that though.  Why?  Because, even when using something as universally successful as a Bic Cristal, better paper feel…well, better.  Considering I can get a good notebook for less than a Moleskine disaster, there’s no reason I would use bad paper.  Excepting, of course, when some well-intentioned loved one decides to “gift” me one thinking they are good since they are sold at book stores.  Luckily, a buttery smooth Mars Lumograph HB or F works well on those disasters (at least until the binding breaks so… page 10?).
  • A Comforting Aroma  Another tiny luxury I appreciate is having a pleasant, contemplative smell in the air when I write.  You might think of this as an endorsement for scented candles or incense.  Well it is, but there’s more to it than that.  My favorite aroma to Notebook to is coffee.  I suppose I could find a candle that creates a passable facsimile of freshly brewed coffee.  Instead, I simply brew some coffee.  Paying attention to the olfactory extravaganza around you can be something of a double edged sword, however.  So, make sure you get rid of those pizza boxes or clean the litter box or whatever you need to do.  As a side note, if you decide to do something more proactive than making a cup of Joe, I recommend Japanese incense.  I find it to be the least reminiscent of that guy at the bookstore cafe who doesn’t “believe” in showering and wears sandals all year round.  If you’ve never tried Japanese incense I recommend Nippon Kodo’s Mainichi-Koh or anything in Shoyeido’s Daily line.  Both are great values for the money and readily available online.  Avoid Nippon Kodo’s Morning Star line as it is of very low quality.  You might as well get your incense from Wal-mart!
  • Music  You knew this was coming.  Most people put on music when Notebooking, right?  Of course they do.  I’m sure most people have preferred Notebooking music and so do I.  Lately it’s been Yo-yo Ma but, like most people, my tastes go in phases.  Then only real advice I would offer is to try something instrumental if you haven’t already.  Vocals tend to demand attention, that’s why they’re there.
  • A Tasty Beverage  Aside from the obvious, “because you might get thirsty,” having a nice beverage waiting beside you while you Notebook can be a very kind luxury indeed.  Depending on the beverage you choose it can have a powerful effect on your Notebooking.  No, I’m not talking about an “adult beverage” but so long as you’re not driving afterwards, go ahead.  What I’m talking about, instead, is the powerful effect having a “set aside” experience can create.  For instance, having a certain tea “set aside” for Notebooking can help put you into a Notebooking state of mind when you drink it.  Making that tea something you only drink when you Notebook can increase this psychological effect.  Another really fun use of beverages in Notebooking is to “cash in” on sense memories.  As an example, if I want to write about my childhood summers I would maybe make some sugar-free Kool-aid because that was what my parents allowed me to have when I was a child.  It might bring back some memories or sharpen existing memories.  Being intentional in what your “tasty beverage” of choice is might be something to think about.
  • Comfy Writing Area  Obviously taking the time and the modicum of effort required to get comfortable is worth it, right?  Personally, I almost never do this.  I’m usually too busy searching for a fun and unique place to Notebook to find something comfy.  Much like flossing, I should do this more.  I am surprised, every time, when after a couple pages my back doesn’t hurt or my hand isn’t getting tired or some other thing.  I know I should try to find a comfortable writing area more.  Each time I do I am more productive.  The way a Notebook and pen seem to disappear and my thoughts just flow into existence on the page when I’m comfortable is pretty incredible and should be more than just a rare treat.
  • Good Lighting  There is a difference between good lighting and bright lighting.  What defines “good lighting” for you will be different from someone else.  Maybe it’s natural light, maybe candlelight.  Maybe you’re the coolest person on the planet and you prefer to write by oil lamp!  Personally, I like bright light.  The point is, find what you like and do it.

And I suppose that’s the point of all of this.  Find what you like and enjoy it.  Don’t be afraid to explore the “small yet kind” luxuries in an effort to enjoy your Notebooking a bit more.  After all, that’s why we Notebook in the first place, to enjoy it.

Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m off to go find a well-lit, comfy spot with a coffee and my favorite pencil and notebook  to start Notebooking!

No, I Don’t Have Too Many Notebooks!

Adventures in Notebooking, Nerd Misadventures, Notebooks, Reviews

Unless you’re very new to Notebooking, you probably have a stash of empty notebooks somewhere.  Don’t feel bad about it, we all have them.  In fact, it’s very practical.  It simply wouldn’t do to finish a notebook and have to wait for the next one to come in the mail.

But, how about a few of them?  Maybe you have a shoe box or a shelf full of them.  Is this bad?

Of course not.

Because of our Notebooking Method I never have to worry that I won’t get to a notebook in my collection1.  In fact, having a collection is a bit encouraging, empowering even.  I find great comfort in knowing that I can finish a notebook with reckless abandon because as soon as I’m done I get to choose a new one.

Comfort isn’t the only reason for keeping a collection, however.  There are practical reasons as well.  The most important, as I see it, is the notebook dud.  A notebook dud is when you go to your collection, pull out a notebook you were excited about only to realize after a bit of writing that the notebook is bad.  Maybe the paper quality isn’t what you thought it would be.  Maybe it doesn’t play nice with your current favorite pen.  What if you’re a quarter of the way through a notebook only to have the binding fall apart on you (Moleskine!)?  If that’s your only notebook or only brand of notebook then, buddy, you’re out of luck.

Another reason to have a variety of notebooks in your collection is to help you better discover what you like.  There was a time when I insisted that any notebook I had must be Pocket size (A6).  This made sense since I carried my notebooks in my back pocket.  Then I changed jobs.  All of a sudden I couldn’t jot down notes at work and I ended up only Notebooking at home.  Eventually, a company I really like (Blackwing) started making notebooks but only in Steno size (A5).  Thanks to a gift card, I finally caved and bought their A5 offering (Blackwing Slate).  I’m glad I did.  Steno size (A5) is my new favorite format for Notebooking!  I would have never tried them if it wasn’t for having a collection2.

While we’re on the subject of having a lot of different notebooks, let’s talk about filling out your collection (as if any Notebooker needs a reason to buy more notebooks!)

As far as size is concerned, it simply makes sense to have notebooks in every size you use.  For me, that means passport size, Pocket size (A6), and Steno size (A5).  I have tried a few Letter size (A4) but they haven’t “grabbed me” yet3 but someday they might be just the thing.  Having a wide range of sizes means more situations where you can Notebook, and that’s almost always good.

Speaking of variety, let’s talk about binding.  The most common binding by far is sewn hard-cover.  That makes sense because it tends to be most durable.  That said, if you are someone who likes to keep your Notebook in your back pocket then hardcover can become uncomfortable.  This is where soft cover Pocket size and passport style really shine.

Another consideration when building your collection is ruling.  This is especially true if you’re new to Notebooking and are not yet sure what works best for you.  That said, I’ve been Notebooking for years and I still like to mix it up every now and then.  In addition to ruling style (ruled, grid, dot or blank), size might play into it as well.  For example, I have small handwriting so I could use almost any size but I’ve found that any ruling sub-5mm to be so small that it stifles my writing flow.

Then there’s paper quality.  It’s true that you could only collect notebooks that have good paper and never worry about it.  The difficulty here is that while there ARE grading systems for paper thickness (or “weight” to be more exact), there are no such systems to measure things like tooth (the comparative roughness of a paper) nor how fast a paper absorbs ink.  My only advice here is to find a ballpoint pen you like since I have yet to find a paper that a good ballpoint pen won’t work well on (the best being the Fisher Space Pen).

If all these options feel a bit paralyzing, don’t worry.  Let me assure you, no matter how many notebooks you have tried there will always be the one that piques your curiosity.  Might as well enjoy the ride!  Enjoy building your collection, enjoy trying them out, and especially enjoy perusing your collection every once in a while.  You’re not a hoarder but a connoisseur.

Not every night can be “Dark and Stormy”

Adventures in Notebooking, Filling Your Notebook, Tips & Tricks

Popularized by beloved Peanuts character Snoopy, “It was a dark and stormy night…1” has been the opening of so many bad stories over the years that is has become a laughable cliché.  To be fair, there was a time when setting such a dark and broody tone so early in a story was considered a bold move on the author’s part2.

There’s a lesson to be learned here but, I’m afraid, the clichéd masses have learned the wrong one.  The wrong lesson is that “a dark and stormy night” is the best/only way to begin a scary story.

The right lesson is that, properly described, mundane details can weave a descriptive tapestry that communicate so much with so little.  In this example, the mundane details are that it was raining (fairly common) and that it is dark at night (duh).  A writer could say, “It was raining, as was common in spring, and this happened at night.  That’s when the sun goes home and its dark outside.  Humans have a naturally occurring fear of the dark.”  For as much I would love to read literally ANYTHING by an author who writes like this, this sets a very different tone!

Whether writing or talking, whether a story or a joke, mundane details can set an extremely specific tone.  Setting a specific tone in such an efficient manner is a fun and creative way to get where you want to go, narratively speaking.

Consider some examples:

  • The embarrassingly 90’s carpet
  • Faded red polo shirt and a matching faded enthusiasm
  • The smell of hot copiers and dusty metal shelves

With these examples it shouldn’t surprise you that I went to Staples today, you probably even guessed it.  Let’s unpack these examples a tiny bit, shall we?

Embarrassingly 90’s carpet reminds us that, in the 90’s, before e-commerce took over, Staples ruled the office supply world. This also shows that Staples, sadly, still remembers too.

Faded red polo shirt and a matching faded enthusiasm is a visual detail that communicates how demoralizing working in retail can be.  It can also serve as a useful reminder that people working in retail are still people and should be treated as people.

The smell of hot copiers and dusty shelves. Like many good descriptions, there’s more than one thing to unpack here.  First and most obvious, describing a smell that is identifiable by the reader (and everyone knows these smells) can serve to put the reader right there in the Staples.  Second, this detail hints at the history of the once giant office supply juggernaut now scraping by through imitating Kinko’s.  Last and while not a huge thing but worth mentioning, hot copiers and dusty metal both have a smell.  If we were to write, “The smell of defeat,” that would be stupid.  There is no smell of defeat.  Neither is there a smell of “childhood,” “comfort” nor “contemplation.”  There is, however, a smell of “crayons,” “hot cocoa” and “libraries.”  The lesson here being that you shouldn’t be so eager to get to the tone you want to set that you tumble into “purple prose.”

So, how do you do it?  Easy!…well, kinda.

Practice!

Simply choose a detail and describe it.  (go ahead I’ll wait)

Now, read your description and see how it makes you feel.

Then describe another detail.

How does that one make you feel?  Getting better, right?

Keep doing it.

You see how this goes.  The more you do this, the easier it will be for you to home in on the exact detail that is most emblematic of the tone you’re going for.

Like any hard-won wisdom, the ability to use a mundane detail to say a LOT is worth the work.  Especially since it isn’t a lot of work.

Ideas, not rules, about Notebooking in public

Adventures in Notebooking, Nerd Misadventures, Tips & Tricks

Notebooking in public is a bit of an issue for me.  I love all the varying stimuli and I adore the hunt for a great spot to Notebook.  The problem, for me, is two-fold.

I don’t want to seem like a crazy person who is having a quiet yet feverish “episode.”  I, also, don’t want to be the guy who brings out a notebook only to have people begin whispering, “Where’s his man-bun and ill attempted beard?” “Where’s his chunky bracelet and thumb ring?”

Maybe I’m being self-conscious.  Maybe everyone is awash with the light of their smart devices and doesn’t even know I’m there.  Unfortunately, I have evidence to the contrary.  Allow me to explain:

Thinking that there were 2 pitfalls to avoid, let’s call them “Quiet psychotic episode” and “Man-bun poet,” I decided to attempt to strike a new image of the Notebooker.  The Notebooker is not scary like “Quiet psychotic episode” nor cringe-y and off-putting like “Man-bun poet.”

With these 2 stereotypes to avoid, I, as if using a checklist, attempted 2 things: 1.)  Since Notebooking is fun and writing humor is VERY fun, I would laugh more while writing.  2.)  In an attempt to subvert my perceived expectation that feverishly writing in a notebook is scary, I decided to actively open up my posture.  Spread out my body and belongings thus making me less scary and more approachable.

In what should have been obvious to me before my ill fated attempt, I was now a new stereotype.  I was the crazy person cackling to himself while taking up a rude amount of space!

So I did what I always do when faced with a social dilemma.  I talked to friends and I observed people.  After a time, I found what seems to work.

I stand before you, dear reader, with a contrite heart and a half-empty notebook to offer a few ideas.  Not rules!  I think I gave up that right when I invented a whole new way to be obnoxious in public.  What follows are just some ideas.  Ideas that have worked for me since that embarrassing day:

  • Don’t laugh at what you wrote  Seriously, I cannot state this enough.  Cackling at what you wrote will clear the room!
  • Keep your body language open  Try to keep your posture more “affable/approachable” and less “crazy person scribbling”  This is easier than you might think.  Warning:  This tends to cause people to approach you, more on that later.
  • Look up often  If you’re waiting at the DMV or something similar, look up often.  You don’t want to miss your turn1.
  • Find a good spot  Try to find a spot where someone won’t be looking over your shoulder.  It may happen anyway.  It does to me.  When I have a notebook out people tend to find reasons to sit next to me.  Not only is this distracting but, trust me when I tell you, the person who looks over your shoulder while you write isn’t one you want to be around.  A little bit of looking around really helps.
  • Don’t take up a rude amount of space  It’s easy to forget you’re in public when in the throws of creativity.  Don’t be that person.  I was that person and I’m still cringing.
  • When someone talks to you  If/when someone talks to you (particularly about your writing) be friendly and polite yet brief.
  • Be aware of your surroundings  And finally, pay attention to what’s going on around you and keep an open mind and page.  You never know when the next interesting to write about will happen.

…And the livin’s easy!?

Filling Your Notebook, Writing Prompts

If you’re anything like me, you hate Summer.

I always thought it was cruel giving kids the Summer off.  The one time of year when you’re supposed to enjoy not being in school and play outside instead.  And then the weather decides to make most of those days inhospitably hot.

Cruel.

Well, now that I’m an adult I don’t get Summers off but the weather is still gross.  I clearly have a hate affair with Summer.  On the plus side, Notebooking while firmly stationed by an air conditioner is a much better option than venturing in to the hemisphere sized sauna called Summer.

Maybe some Writing Prompts will help me to re-take the cruelest of seasons!

  • What is the perfect Summer beverage?  Why is it so perfect?
  • In Summer, the rhythms of life are different.  What do you notice?
  • Write a list of things you look forward to in Summer.  Whether creature comforts or events, the list is yours.
  • What was your favorite “Summer game” from your childhood?  If you were to play it right now, who would you play with and why?
  • In the days leading up to Summer break there was a general excited anticipation in the air.  What is your “Adult Equivalent” to that feeling?  What are you anticipating?
  • What traditional Summer activity just doesn’t make sense to you?  Feel free to rant a bit for fun! (Corn on the cob?  Are we animals!?  We don’t eat raspberries “off the bush”!?)
  • If there was a Christmas tree analog for summertime, what would it be and how would you decorate it?
  • Go somewhere air conditioned.  Listen to Christmas/Holiday music (earbuds please) and drink a hot beverage.  Then relax.  Maybe Notebook or maybe just read, it’s up to you how you relax.  Then, when you leave and walk out into the wall of heat, take note of what you’re feeling.  Notebook that feeling.

Well, I hope these help you beat the heat.  And if not, just remember, you asked for this heat sometime in February so it’s your fault.  Thanks a lot!

Over 200 Writing prompts!?

Adventures in Notebooking, Filling Your Notebook, Tips & Tricks, Writing Prompts

I play table top RPGs 1.  I know they’re just about one of the most painfully nerdy things someone can do but I don’t apologize for it, they’re a ridiculous amount of fun and almost always lead to deepening friendships around the table.  That said, this post will likely contain some terms you might not be familiar with.  Don’t worry, it won’t matter.

Years ago I played a game with some friends that was “Setting Neutral”2, that means the game can be set at any time whether historical or sci-fi or any combination thereof.  Because of this, my gaming group had some difficulty deciding what setting to set our RPG in.  We eventually landed on a novel idea.  We each wrote down 6 setting concepts each on 3 different note cards.  Then we rolled 3 six-sided dice (3d6) and played the setting that came up.  We did this twice, the first time we ended up playing a game that was Post-apocalyptic, Super powered, zombie wasteland.  The second game we played was a wild west, noir, monster hunter game3.

I mention this not because I want to tell the world how nerdy I am4 but because I was recently talking with a longtime friend I met during this game.  We were reminiscing about this wacky game and it got me thinking…Why not Writing Prompts?

What follows is a method for coming up with your own writing prompts and having a little fun along the way.

First, you will need 3 6-sided dice (those are the ones that come in every game and are shaped like cubes).  Or one of the hundreds of dice rolling Apps for your mobile device.

Second, you will need something to write on.  I, obviously, recommend you use your Notebook.

Next, you roll those 3 dice and match up their result to the corresponding charts to see what your writing prompt/storytelling prompt will be.

Style of writing

  1. True story
  2. Fictitious account
  3. Hyperbolic ranting/raving
  4. Humorously understated
  5. Gleefully detailed
  6. Blurring the lines between wit and snark

Superlative

  1. Best
  2. Worst
  3. Weirdest
  4. Most comforting
  5. Most boring
  6. Craziest or Most exciting

What to discuss

  1. Meal or Meal time or Social meeting
  2. Travel or Means of travel
  3. Day
  4. Dreaded event
  5. Anticipated event
  6. Conversation

Let’s give it a try.  I’ll roll 3d65.  (6-5-5)  The writing prompt for that would be, “Blurring the lines between wit and snark, write about the most boring anticipated event.”  This immediately makes me think of the time I attended a “tree trimming” party where, due to hilarious incompetence, there was no tree but lot’s of waiting for a tree.  Which never came.  I could write about that night for days!

That was fun!  Let’s do another:  I’ll roll again (4-2-1).  “Write a humorously understated account about the worst meal or meal time or social meeting.”  This sounds fun but it could easily turn into whining.  In an effort to avoid whining I would write about the first time I tried authentic Indian food.  At the time, I couldn’t handle anything spicy but, of course,  I tried to play it cool because I was with a girl I had a crush on.  That was also the night I learned that capsaicin6 sticks to fingers even after washing.  I learned this by taking out my contact lenses at night and found out, in a very visceral way, why they use the stuff in self defense spray!  Turns out water doesn’t help much.  Writing about that night could be VERY fun.

Feel free to copy this into your Notebook to use or you could come up with your own.  If you’re a true gamer you probably have other dice and could come up with more prompts.  Using 3 6-sided dice you get a little over 200 combinations.  Using 3 20- sided dice you can get 8000 different combinations!  Each one a writing prompt and each one has the potential to be a great Notebooking entry!

So, do yourself a favor.  Next time you sit down to write and nothing is flowing and your Content List feels stale, look at these lists.  You don’t even have to roll any dice if you don’t want to (although you should because rolling dice is fun!).  You could just pick some that feel right.  Or you could pick some that feel downright weird.  Doesn’t matter.  Whatever you pick, once you put them together, they are bound to bring up a thought or experience you can write about.

Enjoy!

Do you smell what I smell?

Adventures in Notebooking, Filling Your Notebook, Tips & Tricks

When I Notebook, I often describe smells.  Not because I’m particularly aroma obsessed but because I’m lazy.  I’m lazy and describing a smell in the right way is an incredibly efficient way to set a mood or to paint a word picture or even to subvert expectations.

The reason this works as well as it does is because a sense of smell is, for the most part, a universal experience.  This causes most of us to have our entire lifetimes to accrue experience smelling things.  When someone reads about an aroma they can often place it in their consciousness.  For example, petrichor (the smell after it rains).  When we think of the smell after it rains we can immediately recall that smell in our memories but that’s not all.  More than that, we have memories attached to it.  Remember, for a moment, being a child waiting for the rain to end to play tag and the sense of anticipation petrichor can evoke.  Perhaps we, as Notebookers, could associate the smell of rain with spring and that could evoke a sense of renewal and optimism or of chilly days filled with warming lunches of hearty soup.  We could even use petrichor to subvert expectations, while people often associate rain with sadness I have had many a day off where I should have mowed the lawn but rain made it impossible so I went to the movies!  A very happy rain indeed!

Now you might be thinking, “Well, people have been writing about the smell of petrichor forever, of course there’s a lot to say about it!  Sure, you’re right; but not because lots of people have written about it but because lots of people have smelled it!

Luckily, the list of things that a lot of people have smelled is limited to basically everything!  Every aroma you can write about has been sniffed before by countless others.  Fragrances have a power because of their universality.  Whether you’re writing about the smell of whiskey, Play-doh, or pine trees; writing about the smell of anything can take your writing where ever you want to go.

That’s not to say that there aren’t pitfalls along the way.  It’s remarkably easy to go too far into purple prose or worse.

Here’s a few guidelines to bear in mind when writing about aromas:

  1. Don’t be too esoteric  While both are very evocative, the smell of bacon cooking and the smell of your grandmother’s coat tree have VERY different numbers of people who can identify with it.
  2. Two simple paths  There’s 2 basic ways to describe a fragrance.  First being adjectives and a noun.  For instance, “A hot and dusty used bookstore.”  Now, that’s pretty good.  It’s pretty universal.  Not too esoteric.  It gets the job done.  The other way is to use a descriptive sentence such as, “Smells the way sunlight bakes a dusty room.”  That works well too.  This second method is especially useful when you teeter towards esoteric so bear rule #1 in mind.  As an example, “The stale aroma of microwave popcorn made a week ago.”  Here we’ve gone quite specific but since microwave popcorn is a pretty common thing I think we’re safe.
  3. Be Authentic  Writers fail this simple thing so often it’s hard to pick an example.  Fear, desperation, defeat, etc. don’t have smells.  Only write about real smells.  To do otherwise is bad writing.  Consider:  “She smelled of morning” vs. “She smelled of dew on grass and blueberry muffins.”  If you find yourself describing smells that don’t exist just know, you can easily do better.
  4. Weird can be fun  Now, just for fun, let’s turn the last rule around.  Just because you can’t describe a smell that doesn’t exist doesn’t mean you can’t describe something other than aroma with a smell.  Sound confusing?  Here’s an example, “His thoughts were like the acrid smell of an electrical fire.”  Now, this is VERY evocative but it is also quite meaningless.  That said, while meaningless, it depicts a very specific sort of jarring panicked emotion.  If that’s what you’re after then have at it.  Otherwise, this is best avoided because it is basically purple prose.
  5. Don’t overdo it  One of the worst things you can do is describe how everything smells!  Much like salt when you cook, too much or too little are problems.  When in doubt, try to limit yourself to 1-2 per Notebooking entry.

Even if you’re not as lazy a Notebooker as me, we hope you found this helpful..  It’s not only efficient to write about aromas, it’s fun!

What to do with that pocket at the end of your notebook

Adventures in Notebooking, Filling Your Notebook, Tips & Tricks

Most notebooks worth using have a little pocket at the back.  That pocket is part of the mystique of a notebook.  A place to put mementos and other ephemera.  I am always saddened to see the pocket go unused or worse filled with ticket stubs and receipts.  We’re better than that.  Here’s a few ideas of useful things that aren’t sad reminders of way back when you thought The Hobbit was going to be good.

Money

It’s obvious but true that sometimes you need cash.  In this increasingly digital era it’s rare that you can’t use a card or even your smart phone/watch.  However, when it happens you’ll be glad of that extra fiver for those farm stand strawberries.

Post it notes

Bear with me here, a long time ago I put some post it notes on an index card and slipped it into the pocket of my notebook.  I had no idea how often a post it note is useful until I had them on me.  And, when in doubt, they’re great for jokes.  One of my favorites is to write, “DON’T MOVE THINGS!!” in angry scrawl and hide them behind things at other peoples homes.  It may take someone a while to find them but when they do…

Stamps

Here’s another one that comes in handy rarely but when it does, you’ll be glad.  In fact if your notebook is A5 or larger, you can also slip some postcards in there and bring back postcards as a thing.  Let’s bring back postcards!!!

Blank check

Picture this:  You’re out to dinner with a friend.  You decide to split the bill.  He says, “I’ll just put it on my card and you can give me cash.”  Is he serious?  Cash!?  Even if you have cash, is he using you as an ATM?  Teach him a lesson.  Write him a check.  So now, while he was planning on selfishly saving a trip to the ATM now he has to go to the bank to deposit your check!  (Also, if you lose your wallet you could use the check to buy groceries.  Which is good but less fun)

Reference sheet

Perhaps a cheat sheet of Strunk and White’s rules or a list of books to look for next time you happen upon a used bookstore.  Shopping lists of any kind tend to change often and writing them in your notebook is a waste of pages and a really boring use of such a nice notebook.

Index cards

If your notebook doesn’t have those tear-away pages at the end and you want to write something down and give it to someone you have 2 options.  You could tear a page out of your notebook like an animal or you could use an index card you insightfully placed in that pocket.

Bookmark

While a bookmark is a great and useful device, you could just use an index card, post-it note, or even a dollar bill.  So, why a separate bookmark?  Basically, this is just a chance for me to mention my favorite bookmark of all time, the Book Dart.  These things are awesome.  They’re small, they stay put, and they can even point to a specific line if you want.  I just love’em!  I suppose you could also use a paper clip which is possibly more useful but less fun1.

Wallet stuff

Nowadays, its pretty common to see people’s smartphones with cases that can hold cards, ID and maybe even a little cash.  The idea being that you’re less likely to leave your smartphone at home than your wallet.  While this might seem sad it is definitely true.  Turning that logic on its ear, if you put that stuff into your notebook you’re more likely to bring your notebook with you.  Which is good.

Bonus item: Box cutter blade?

Wait, wait!  Don’t leave yet!  Hear me out, this one is REALLY specific.  If you do a lot of sketching there’s a good chance you sharpen your pencils by blade.  Doing this allows you to control how much graphite is exposed and to shave it in whatever fashion is most useful for the job at hand.  If you learned to do it with a box cutter blade, as is taught in many sketching classes, having a spare isn’t such a bad idea.

 

How to test a new Writing Implement

Adventures in Notebooking, Tips & Tricks

Ah, the Notebooker’s conundrum.  You get a new pen (or pencil) and can’t wait to get to scribbling!  Then the old creeping, fearful questions appear: “Will this work in my notebook?”  “Should I try this on other/ cheaper paper first?”  “How do I know if this is good in the first place?”  “Why can’t I remember what I had for breakfast?”

Well, we can’t help with that last one, but we might be able to offer some insight on the others.

When I get a new writing implement the first place I write is in my current notebook.  There’s a few reasons for this but the main reason is that I want to see how it does in my notebook!  It, obviously, doesn’t help me to start on a legal pad which, usually, has terrible paper.  Since I want to know how it will do on good paper, I try it on good paper.

So, what to write?  I used to write that old familiar sentence about an acrobatic fox and a sedentary dog1.  While that sentence is great at its intended purpose (testing typewriters) it doesn’t really help me with a pen (or pencil).  Additionally, if I’ve got a lot of new things to test my Notebook begins to resemble a crazy fox obsessed person’s activity log!

The first and most important thing to write is the make and model of your writing implement.  That’s important data.  If you want to remember what you were writing with, write down what you were writing with.  After that, write whatever you want.  If you want to see how it responds to your handwriting, write words.  If you want to focus on feel, squiggles and loops free up your concentration for paying attention to the feel.  The key here is to write enough.  Write until you have enough to know the new pen (or pencil).  It usually takes me at least a page to really get to know the implement in question but if it takes longer that’s fine too.

That’s about it, honestly.  If, however, you’re not quite sure what you are looking for or what to pay attention to, here’s a few things we tend to focus on when testing.

Pens ballpoint:

  • Whether or not the pen skips  This is when, as you’re writing, the pen stops writing mid letter and then begins writing leaving a small portion of the letter blank.  This is super annoying.  We’ve found that this happens on pens or cartridges that are either low quality or simply old.
  • Color and tonal quality  There are a lot of colors of ink out there and making sure it performs the way you want on the paper you choose is important.  There’s even a huge amount of variance between different blues or blacks.
  • Feel  Gone are the days when a ballpoint pen worked really but felt sticky.  Even the Bic Cristal feels pretty great but there are some really bad feeling ballpoints out there
  • Ink Blob  One of the nicest things about ballpoint pens, for a lefty like me, is that the ink dries immediately so there’s no chance of smudging.  Unfortunately, some bad ballpoint systems leave a blob of ink when you start writing with them.  This blob seems to never dry and it’s the worst.

Gel pens or other roller ball:

  • Ink drying time  While they’ve gotten really great, some gel pens might as well be fountain pens!  If you’re right handed and only write one line a day this is fine.  Otherwise, it’s a good idea to pay attention.
  • Bleed through  If you’re using a particularly thin paper or a bold pen you might find that you can see an image of what you wrote on the other side of the page.  Depending on how pronounced this effect is, it could render the page useless.
  • Color and tonal quality Same here as above only more so.  The number of different colors available with gel pens is staggering.
  • Feel  Gel pens are often smooth as glass and some people really like that while other’s find that level of smoothness detrimental to good handwriting.  It’s your preference.

Fountain Pen:

  • I have no idea.  I’m not a fountain pen person.  The good news is that if you find a fountain pen person they will happily talk to you for several hours on this very subject…whether you want them to or not.

Pencil:

  • Point retention  Sometimes called Point Durability, this is basically how long the point stays sharp for.  This can depend on a lot of factors such as the hardness of the graphite core, the tooth of your chosen paper, your writing style, and the type of point your pencil is sharpened to.  The main thing to pay attention to is how often you sharpen your pencil and whether or not you consider it to be too much.  Personally, I love sharpening pencils (it’s satisfying!) and if I didn’t I’d probably use a Kuru Toga Advance mechanical pencil and be done with it.
  • Smudging  Also a result of paper, core and writing style.  Some pencils/paper combinations seem so smudge resistant that it’s like you’re writing in pen while others feel like your hand could erase them entirely.
  • Tonal quality  Since there are many grades of pencil and there is no industry standard for those grades, there is a huge difference in tonal quality among pencils.
  • Ghosting/ Talk back This is where the writing on one page will transfer to the opposite page once your notebook is closed.  If your pencil/notebook combination is good and smudge resistant it won’t be a problem.

We hope this will give you the tools you need to find your favorite writing implement.

Is there something we missed?  Are there other factors you consider?  Let us know in the comments!

How Notebooking teaches you to ask good questions

Adventures in Notebooking, Benefits of Notebooking, The System

We’ve all heard hundreds of times that good questions are open ended and insightful while bad questions are yes or no questions, Blah! Blah! Blah!

You know what no one ever does?  Teach how to ask better questions.  Want to know why?  Because it’s really hard if not impossible to teach.  Luckily, it is possible to learn.  Luckier still, a Notebooker does this automatically!  Here’s how…

Every time you write a notebook entry about an experience, you are answering an unspoken question.  If your entry was insightful, you’re asking an insightful question of yourself.  Then answering it.

Every single time you write about a bad experience and re-frame1 it into a good or, at least, interesting experience, you are asking yourself some re-framing questions.

These questions you ask yourself are nearly always unspoken but make no mistake, they’re there!  This happens automatically and naturally.  In fact, the better you get at writing insightful, entertaining and dynamic entries the better you become at asking insightful, entertaining and dynamic questions!

This is a very good skill to have because better questions allow you to effortlessly become a gifted conversationalist.  People love the sound of their own voice and people love talking about themselves.  Ask someone a good open-ended question and they will talk and talk.  You won’t have to say much if anything at all!  Then later, when they think back to that conversation they enjoyed so much, they will remember how much they enjoyed talking to you.  Not that you only asked a few good questions and let them talk.

Ask someone an insightful question that goes to the heart of a story and they will think they had some grand epiphany!

If someone is having a bad day or telling you a whiny story (ugh), ask them a re-framing question and watch, with confidence, as their story transforms from a complain-y mess to a smile inducing anecdote!

And that’s just the beginning of it.  With an arsenal of great questions you crafted through Notebooking you can have great conversations that go as long or as short2 as you like.

Are you ready for the best part?  Even though this happens naturally through good Notebooking, it is really and intuitive to speed up the process.

How?

This is my favorite part, probably due to its shocking simplicity:

You ask yourself a good question!  Just one, “What questions am I answering?”  This may seem simple because it is.  You might be skeptical because it’s too simple.  Allow me to assure you with a few examples:

Let’s say you take a trip to a store and have a bad time.  Let’s say you then Notebooked about it and tried to re-frame the experience into a funny story.  Whatever you come up with when you answer, “What questions am I asking myself?” will be re-framing questions.

Maybe you write an entry about an experience you had and at the end of the entry you found an insightful realization.  “What questions do I answer?”  Your answer is going to be some very good and insightful questions.

Faster than you think, this will turn into the habit and talent of asking good questions.  Enjoy!

Ask The Nerds: My Cocker Spaniel pees when I pet her. What do I do?

Ask the Nerds!

Abby from West Hartford, CT asks:   Every time I pet Sindy (my Cocker Spaniel) she pees on the floor!  Help!

 

That’s called Submissive Urination.  Bend at your knees instead of your hips so you’re not looming over your dog.  Face yourself at an oblique angle instead of straight on and pet her on the chin and chest.  Also, talk quietly but not in a high-pitched voice.

This coupled with basic obedience training will usually take care of the problem.

 

Ask the Nerds: I have a lot of ink colors. Any ideas?

Ask the Nerds!

Thom T. from Concord, MA asks:  I love using lots of different colors of ink.  I collect every new shade I find, especially green inks!  Can I use them in my notebooks?

 

Well sure!  Maybe it’s the nostalgist in me but I LOVE my Bic 4-Colors.  I know that fountain pens have LOTS of colors available but I know precious little about them.  I remember reading that author Neil Gaiman uses a different color each day so as to help him differentiate when a thing was written.  Another option is to use a different color for different topics.  This one could be limiting, though.  I, personally, tend to just use whatever suits my mood.  Lately, it’s been a dark green or pencil (usually 2B).  Let us know what you decide and how it works out for you!

Ask the Nerds: What can I do to improve my handwriting?

Ask the Nerds!

Crystal W. from Wethersfield, CT asks:  I love Notebooking and I write all the time!  I have bad handwriting.  When I tried to do the assessment form I couldn’t read half of what I wrote.  What can I do?

 

Far be it for me to give anyone advice on improving handwriting as my handwriting has been compared to a psychotic 5 year old’s!  Thankfully, I asked a friend who dabbles in calligraphy for a few tips.  Here’s what she came up with:

  1. Posture  When you write, sit comfortably but also upright.  A desk or table is also a necessity.
  2. Slow down  Take the time to form the letters and pay attention to what you’re doing.  This makes a bigger difference than you might think.
  3. Use ruled paper  Ruled paper is very helpful if you use it right.  The right way being, make sure your letters reach the bottom line and they are the correct height.  As an example, an “h” should reach the top while a “t” should reach 2/3 to 3/4 the way up the space.
  4. Use a slow implement  Using a slow writing utensil like a pencil or pen that doesn’t lay too much ink.  Even writing on a stack of paper can help slow things down.  When things are slower you have more control.
  5. Practice Obviously.

Bonus thing!  Get a handwriting workbook.

Why I want to love Moleskine, but can’t

Adventures in Notebooking, Nerd Misadventures, Notebooks, Reviews

Like many people, I first discovered Moleskine notebooks years ago in a bookstore.  After reading the propaganda on the back, I believed that buying the notebook would turn me into the next Hemingway.  It didn’t, but I won’t begrudge a company for having good marketing.

It was, however, a very nice notebook.  By the end, it was still in good shape so I bought another.  That next one was terrible.  The binding split in a week and the cover began to de-laminate in a month.  The paper would bleed and show through with a G2 1

I tried to hang on to that thing 2 but eventually gave up in disgust.  What’s worse, they were the only game in town so to speak.  I wanted to give up notebooking.  In fact, I kind of did for a while.  Some time later the same thing happened only this time with their passport-style notebooks.

After some research I discovered the problem.  Inconsistent sourcing.  You never know what you’re going to get.  I suspect they don’t care since their marketing is good enough to get their notebooks sold anyway.

At this point every name brand notebook I’ve tried is at least as good as Moleskine at their best and often has better features to boot!

All this to say, I want to like Moleskine.  I want them to be high quality.  I, even, want their “history” to be factual.  I want all these things but to paraphrase a rock star with scary lips, “I can’t always get what I want.”

 

The completionist in me is like, “Yeeaaahhh!”*

Adventures in Notebooking, Tips & Tricks

My wife is a video gamer.  She can spend countless hours playing the same game over and over again.  There’s a common feature in video games where they tell you what percentage of the game you’ve completed.  Like many video gamers, my wife is a completionist.  She works very hard to reach 100%.  Hell, in some games a player can even reach 105% or 110%!  If anyone can reach that, she will.

I, on the other hand, used to be a bit of a completionist but in other ways.  I used to have to finish any book I started reading, even if it was terrible1.  Luckily, I’m kinder to myself now.  If I don’t like a book after a reasonable number of pages, I’ll stop.  No hard feelings.  I, also, used to fill up every last bit of every page in every notebook before I considered it “done.”

Since I “practice what I preach”, I still assess my Notebooking even after more than a decade doing it2.  It didn’t take long for me to realize that being a completionist, when it comes to filling pages, sacrifices clarity.  No notebook is so expensive that I will fill each square inch with writing if it ruins the flow or clarity of my content.  That would be a disservice to all those who work so hard on designing and manufacturing those wonderful notebooks that we love so much.

So, I implore you, let a page go half filled if it means a better notebook.

  • If you finish one topic and want to move on to another, turn the page.
  • If you got a new pen and want to try it out, give it it’s own page.  It usually takes at least a page for me to get to know a pen or pencil anyway.
  • Want to write down a funny or poignant quote?  Have at it!  But unless the next thing you write is about that quote the transition will be jarring to say the least.  Let the quote have it’s own page by writing it VERY LARGE or better yet make that page a “quote” page.

Even if no one else ever reads your notebook keeping the format clean is a gift to the future you.  And if at some point you have someone else read your notebook just remember…A clean notebook is a happy notebook.  And a happy notebook makes for a happy reader.

So for all you completionists out there, I am officially giving you permission to leave some blank space in your notebooks for the sake of clarity.  Enjoy!

 

*The title of this article is a quote from one of my wife’s favorite games, Borderlands 2.

That time Looney Tunes lied to me

Adventures in Notebooking, Tips & Tricks

We all have the image of the reporter on the go writing in their reporter style1 notebook.  These images come to us from the age of shorthand or, in my case, from cartoons made during the age of shorthand.  I loved the idea of writing on the go.  An intrepid writer, ready for anything and ready to write anywhere.  Then I bought a reporter style notebook and I hated it.  There’s a good reason for this.  Reporter notebooks are terrible to write in.  Well, at least they’re terrible in your hand.  In fact, all writing in the hand is bad.  It takes someone exactly once to realize that handwriting suffers incredibly and the physical act of writing itself isn’t nearly as enjoyable.  In fact, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that once recording devices became halfway portable the reporter style notebooks went away (for reporters at least).

What does that mean to us?  Do we need to learn shorthand?  Sounds cool but, no.  Does that mean that we should never write in our notebooks while holding them?  Of course not.  That said, we should probably stick to Jot Points.  Jot Points are perfect for this type of Notebooking.  Jot Points are a gift to the future you when you finally sit down to relax and Notebook.  Once we do, we would do well to try to find a nice surface to write on.  When you have a nice, stable surface to write on your writing is smoother and your handwriting is better 2.  In fact, if you use a hardcover notebook many more surfaces open up to you as a viable writing surface.  Such as the arm of a comfy chair or your lap3  Taking the time to find a surface to write on is always worth it and occasionally affords you an interesting experience in and of itself.  As an example, a few months back I was staying in a hiker’s lodge and found myself with some time on my idle hands.  I wandered around the lodge looking for a good place to Notebook in since my bunk room was far from ideal.  I ended up finding a small, empty lounge with a roaring fire and free coffee!  Who knows what I’ll find next time!

 

Buy Some New Pants Already! (a.k.a. The Power of Progress)

Adventures in Notebooking, Benefits of Notebooking

I was talking with a friend recently and the topic of notebooks came up (because, of course it did, I’m obsessed!).  He told me that he had gotten a notebook with the hopes of filling it with his burgeoning artistic drawings.  He then told me he filled it, and I could, in no uncertain terms, never see it!  Apparently it was bad.  “Cringe-y” he said.  “Embarrassing” he said.

I didn’t understand.  It was his first try.  Of course it was bad.  Everyone, also, sucks at walking on their first try.  I said he should keep it and refer to it often.  It is the first step in a journey towards drawing well.  That’s something to be proud of.  “Imagine how satisfying it will be to go back and see how much you’ve improved!” I said.  “What a dynamic way to record your progress!” I exclaimed.

He wasn’t so sure and understandably so, his notebook could be a very embarrassing and vulnerable thing to hang on to.

This got me thinking about those absurd pictures of people wearing GIANT pants after weight loss.  Why are they still wearing those pants!?  Why do they still have them?  Don’t they know where to buy pants!?  Do they need some VERY basic help?

Obviously, I know they do it to show progress and, with weight loss, progress is to be celebrated.  The problem here is that creative progress, whether drawing or Notebooking, is something people tend to be ashamed of.  There seems to be this idea floating around where if you lose fat, gain muscle or redecorate your house for basic cable, you should show off how bad things were before.  Yet, in creative endeavors, you’re expected to already be perfect!  Hogwash, I say!

No one is great at anything they try for the first time!  Don’t believe me?  Think of literally anything you do.  Now think of the first time you did it.  I’m not even talking about hard stuff!  Eating, walking, or doing your taxes.  Hell, we even need a little help breathing for the first time!  Everything takes practice.

If you fear being bad at something, you will end up avoiding getting better at it.  This fear can paralyze us.  So, what do we do?

Embrace it!

Embrace your flaws the way you would embrace a close friend as you’re saying goodbye.  Because, that’s what you’re doing, saying goodbye to your flaws.

This is the Power of Progress.  Not only will Notebooking about a learning process help you to progress in your studies faster, Notebooking it will make for some REALLY interesting and dynamic content.

Want to learn to cook?  Notebooking about what you made, how it tasted, what you will do different in the future and what you learned will make you a better cook much faster than following recipe after recipe and not pausing to think about it.

Want to start distance running?  Good for you1!  Notebook your progress!  That way, when you finish your first marathon (hopefully while resting your tired legs) you can look back at that first day running.  When just half a mile threatened to turn your legs into jelly and your lungs felt like they were on fire!

With anything you do, as you progress you get better.  Notebooking your journey of improvement can not only help you to get better faster, it can also be some really amazing content too!

If it’s better, I WANT IT!

Adventures in Notebooking, Notebooks, Reviews, Tips & Tricks

A common sentiment among people, Notebookers included.  I think it’s natural but I’m not so sure it’s always helpful or even sane.

I often fall into this exact sentiment when looking at notebooks.  When I look at a notebook like the Sigel Conceptum I get so excited about all the features1 that I just about break my wrist reaching for my wallet so fast.

But should I?  Should you?  What follows is a list of features that are common to notebooks that you might want to ignore:

  • Elastic closing strap For as much as I wish they weren’t, Harry Potter books are fiction.  Never have I had a book that, when left to its own devices, pops open and begins wreaking havoc all over the place.  When you throw a notebook into a bag or pocket it won’t usually open of it’s own accord.  I suppose if you throw it into a very loose bag some other things in the bag may make their way into the pages but most of the time, I find, the elastic closure is simply decorative.  A nice decoration no doubt, but a decoration none the less.
  • Ribbon bookmark  Some notebooks even come with 2!  Pretty cool, huh?  Honestly, I often forget to put them in the page before I close my notebooks.  Then, of course, when I see the ribbon dangling like a tassel I decide to open back up the notebook and replace it.  I never have had a hard time finding my place.  Don’t get me wrong, I do like the bookmarks.  Especially when they add a bit of color to an otherwise monochromatic landscape.  I must admit this though, more than once I have filled or nearly filled a notebook before noticing it was ribbon-less.
  • The pocket  Whoa there cowboy!  The pocket is as much a part of the identity of the notebook as the paper, you say.  Well, sure.  And I like a nice pocket in my notebook.  I even use mine.  That said, you can’t put too much in there without straining the binding and making your tome hard to close (at least your elastic closure will be useful until the spine cracks).  But not everyone uses these pockets.  Do you?  According to a recent survey I found, most people don’t use the pocket.  Some don’t even know it’s there.  If you don’t use it then there’s no reason to obsess over how it’s constructed or even whether it’s there.
  • Paper  OK.  Obviously a notebook has to have paper.  Even I know that!  But… A lot of fuss is made over paper quality.  Of course, if you use a fussy pen like a roller ball or its fussier older sibling, the fountain pen, then paper quality can definitely matter.  To be sure, I LOVE the small but kind luxury writing on good paper affords even when using a pencil (my weapon of choice).  Make no mistake, however, I don’t use fussy pens so I don’t HAVE to be fussy about paper quality.  I still am sometimes.
  • Lay flat construction  Now here is one feature that is VERY important to me.  I hope, for your sake, it doesn’t matter to you.  There are so many notebooks I get then immediately hate because they won’t lay flat.  If this happens to you and it doesn’t ruin your day then I’m very jealous of you.
  • Pen/Pencil loop  More and more notebooks are coming with little elastic loops to hold your pen or pencil2.  This is, presumably, because pens and pencils are historically so huge and heavy that they’re hard to carry around on their own!  I don’t mind a place for a pen or pencil but a lack of a loop is far from a deal breaker for me.

I’m not saying these features aren’t important or worth seeking out.  When push comes to shove, it’s your notebook and it should have the features and aesthetic you want.  But don’t be trapped by an assumption about what you “need.”  Don’t let yourself forget that your writing is what makes a notebook special and not some goofy feature that you don’t use.

Are there any features you love but never use?  Let us know in the comments!

Well, it won’t help your tennis game but…

Adventures in Notebooking, Benefits of Notebooking

More than 10 years ago I read an article in a magazine about the unexpected exercises that professional athletes do.  I don’t know why I read it since I really don’t care about professional sports.  Maybe I was stuck in a doctor’s waiting room or something.  Either way, one of them stuck with me.  Apparently, tennis players practice focusing their eyes on things far away and then things very close.  Back and forth.  This makes sense considering that tennis ball moves from far away to very close quite quickly1. This was something of a revelation to 10 years younger Kevin.  The idea that tennis players would try to get better at tennis by doing something other than playing tennis was new and almost bizarre to me.

For reasons that are as much a mystery to me as why I was reading the article, I began doing this while I was sitting at traffic lights.  I’m not sure what I expected to happen.  I didn’t play tennis then and I still don’t.  Needless to say, it did nothing for my non-existent tennis game.  In fact, it only succeeded in giving me a mild headache.

Remembering this recently made me think of Notebooking (most things make me think of Notebooking).  I realized that Notebooking can help someone get better at other things2.

 

Notebooking is an exercise in quick thinking and fast wit

When you Notebook, you spend time each day engaging in creation.  Creating content, but not just any old content.  Most Notebooking is essentially creating humor, wit, insight and fulfilling aspirations on a daily basis.  The more you do it the better you get.  The better you get the faster and easier these things will come to you.

We’ve all been in conversations where someone comes up with a joke so fast that we’ve been floored (even fast puns can be impressive!).  If you’re human, you’ve probably felt a twinge of jealousy as well.  That little voice in the back of your mind that says, “I wish I could’ve come up with that.” That’s a natural reaction.  Luckily, there is something you can do to be the one who comes up with the fast joke or insightful remark.  Luckier still, you are already doing it!

Good news!  You can!

Every time you write something funny in your notebook, you’re practicing your style of humor.  When you then write some meaningful prose about anything, you’re training yourself to be insightful.  This switching between topics yet still creating quality content is the goal of Notebooking.  When you do this, you’re also training yourself to be quick witted without even trying!

Any time you look at one of the items on your Content List (or any of the writing prompts we’ve posted) and begin writing straight away, you are getting better at being that quick witted, interesting jokester.

Habitual Notebooking is like building a switch in your mind that allows you to be “on point” whenever you want!  Eventually, you’ll be in a conversation and you will bust out some quick witted joke or insightful comment or question without even trying.  Or even noticing, honestly.

And won’t it be nice to have other people to be jealous of your wit?

 

Don’t Force It!

Adventures in Notebooking, Filling Your Notebook, Nerd Misadventures, Tips & Tricks

The act of writing in a notebook is enjoyable.  Embracing the analog, eschewing the digital.  I find the very act of putting pencil (or pen) to page calming and it brightens my day and disposition.  In fact, studies have shown the act of writing on a page to dump dopamine all over your grey noodle.  But what about those days when your words simply won’t flow?

I’m glad you asked!  While I hesitate to call is something so dramatic as “writer’s block” every Notebooker knows the frustration of not being able to think of anything to write.  Maybe no Content List item nor writing prompt is capturing your imagination.  What if nothing is coming out right?  Perhaps there’s some stress or anxiety in your mood that is preventing you from writing, thus preventing you from reaping the calming benefits of some graphite therapy (or ink therapy)!

I have been known to find myself in this exact situation while attempting to write for this humble blog!  Here’s a few things that have been known to work for me:

  1. Look back at what you’ve already written  Often, I find that looking back on previous entries will get my writing going.  Sometimes looking back will create new thoughts or insights on an earlier topic.  Other times looking back will create a new idea to write about seemingly out of nowhere.
  2. Pen/pencil testing  Trying out a new writing implement (or an old one), seeing how it does on different papers or even just enjoying the act of writing can help loosen my mind up a bit.
  3. Handwriting practice  Whether you are learning Spencerian script, Copperplate or simply slowing down and paying attention to how you write, handwriting practice can offer much of the quiet pleasure of writing while taking the pressure of “what to write” off of you.
  4. Take a break.  Give up for the time being.  Whether an hour or a day or a week, stepping away for a bit can help you to come back later with renewed fervor.  That said, it’s the hardest for me to do.  I’d like to say it’s because it seems unfair that the thing that relaxes me is causing me stress.  I’d like to say it’s because taking a break isn’t effective.  It is, though.  Unfortunately, the reason taking a break is so hard for me to do is that I am needlessly stubborn at times.
  5. Write a letter  This one’s weird but, boy howdy, it works!  I like to keep vintage post cards in the pocket of my notebooks (A5 at least, obviously).  Even if you don’t have stationary on hand just write a letter to someone, then copy it to some stationary later.  Unfortunately, I don’t have many pen-pals I correspond with.  Fortunately, I am exactly the type of person who will send unsolicited post cards to nearly anyone who’s address I have.  This is really fun and I highly recommend it1!

When you find yourself in the unenviable position of not writing when you want to write, I hope these help.  If they don’t, go have a snack!

Rory’s Story Cubes review

Other, Reviews

If you’ve read my bio (and I haven’t changed it to add more jokes yet) you’ll know that I enjoy table-top RPGs.  Wait! Wait! Don’t leave yet!  I promise BuzzFeed will still be there after you read this review!

Aside from the “Power Nerd” stigma associated with table-top RPGs, they are an unbelievable amount of fun, a barrel of laughs and a great way to spend a couple of hours without the need for WiFi.

While there are many different games out there, they can all be summed up with one unifying factor.  They are, essentially, collaborative storytelling.  A lot of different games have a lot of different rules and charts and varying complexity that act as tools to help facilitate the narrative of this group storytelling.

This is a review of one such tool that dovetails incredibly into Notebooking.  Rory’s Story Cubes.

To say that Story Cubes are a RPG tool is, perhaps, a little misleading.  Originally, they were used as a storytelling game for children.  Then one famous RPG related writer named Mike Shea1 recognized their utility for creating story elements and/or characters.  It didn’t take long for other gamers to latch on to Story Cubes and now they even make some specifically for table-top RPGs.

But this review isn’t about those.  I, sadly, don’t have those.  I was an “early adopter” of Story Cubes and got my set before specialized sets came out.

As you can see, Story Cubes are a set of 9 6-sided dice with simple images on them instead of pips2.  Here’s how they work, or at least, how they work for Notebooking.

First, you roll them. Although you don’t need to roll all of them or use all of them once rolled.

Let’s see.  Here we have a footprint, a bridge over water, a turtle, a lightbulb, a flower, a Harry Potter scar (kidding), a flashlight, and a rainbow with a cloud in front of it.  Now, that’s not a lot of help as is but we’re not done yet.

Let’s start easy.  We’ll pick 3 and since the lightning bolt, the key and the flower all landed on the bag, that seems like as good a reason as any to chose those 3.

We could simply go with the 3 images and turn it into a story or writing prompt such as:

Write about the time you were in nature (flower) and saw a thunderstorm (lightning) and how it felt to get back inside (presumably using a key).

-or-

We could go a little more abstract:

Write about an epiphany (lightning) you had while doing something mundane (like locking up using a key) and what growth (flower) or change this epiphany caused in your life.

-or-

We could come in from way out in left field, as it were, with:

Invent and describe a fictional plant (flower) that was aptly named after Ben Franklin (Lightning and Key) and why it was so aptly named after him.

Well, there you have it.  That’s 3 VERY different writing prompts from 3 dice.  Each die has 6 images on them and out of a set of 9 dice, you could write FOREVER with these dice!

I really love these things!  If you try them, let us know how it went!

How Notebooking will make you a better story teller

Adventures in Notebooking, Benefits of Notebooking

When I first started notebooking I was a pretty good story teller.  Or so I thought.  I could tell a few funny stories and I could tell someone about my day.  I was often told I was a good storyteller.

What I learned, through notebooking, was that people were more polite than I was engaging.  I learned good story telling and here’s how it happened.

I started by telling stories like everyone else, recounting what had happened.  That worked well enough but in retrospect I think I left a lot of people unsure of whether my story was done or not.  Of course, in my naive delusion, I probably thought I was leaving them speechless!

Like most adolescents, I basically vomited the details of a story.  Eventually I started writing in a notebook.  Not Notebooking as we talk about it here, mind you.  I would write down things in a way that I felt was clever.  It was not.

Basically, I was more, “Brevity is the soul of wit” and less “specificity is the soul of narrative.”  Eventually, my storytelling suffered as I lost the most important part of a story, the point.

Thankfully, through notebooking, I learned that stories weren’t stories without a point.  More specifically I learned this during the assessment phase.  Most specifically, it was that someone else had gotten a hold of my notebook (it happens).  She asked what these “stories” were about.  That floored me.  I had a notebook full of stories that she had read and had no idea what they were about!

Everyone knows that a story needs a beginning, middle and an end.  Notebooking taught me that a story needs a point.

Notebooking also taught me that a story needs an audience.  In your notebook, that’s you during assessment.  In your jokes, the audience is the listener.  If you’re reading Dr. Seuss your audience is most likely children.  Notebooking allows you to re-read a story of yours.  To hone it and focus it for a purpose or a point.

I knew I had improved my story telling when people stopped telling me I was a good story teller and started asking me to re-tell stories.

A not so final word about whining

The greatest gift notebooking can give you is to destroy that complaining little child that lives inside all of us.  This gift takes the form of re-reading your notebook and it making you cringe.  That cringe is the feeling of whining leaving your storytelling.

What I learned about Notebooking at the Joe Dodge Lodge

Adventures in Notebooking, Benefits of Notebooking, Tips & Tricks

My wife is a hiker.  In the White Mountains of New Hampshire there are 48 mountains over 4000 feet and she decided to hike all of them.  No easy feat to be sure.  Recently she hiked her final “4000 footer” as they’re called and she wanted me there.  Graciously, she decided that the last mountain would be Wildcat D which has a ski lift gondola that I could ride to the top as there’s no way I could hike up there under my own locomotion.

While there we stayed at the Joe Dodge Lodge, which is a very cool place with lots of fireside lounges and scenic outdoor sitting spots.  Pretty great for Notebooking. Here are a few things I learned (or re-learned) while there.

  • Finding a nice surface to write on is easy but very important, especially with small passport style notebooks.
  • Notebooking in situations where being social is expected can be a burden.
  • Recording the day’s events for posterity at the end of the day can be difficult.  Writing Jot Points in a Spartan or Passport Style notebook throughout the day helps immeasurably.
  • Things to notebook happen while times to notebook must, at times, be created.
  • Finding a Notebooking area, whether scenic or cozy, is always worth the effort.  Especially in the White Mountains since it’s pretty easy.
  • I love the combined sounds of a roaring fire and pencil scratching.  Not profound but a simple pleasure none the less.
  • Good writing prompts can also make excellent conversation starters.

How to Notebook a Recipe

Adventures in Notebooking, Filling Your Notebook, Templates, Tips & Tricks

Writing down a recipe is really very simple and if you’ve ever used a recipe you probably know all there is about how to do it.  However, Notebooking exists to make everything better.  Here’s a few ways to make your recipes or even cooking better through Notebooking.

Even with the standard model of recipe (ingredients in list form first then method) there are a few ways Notebooking could improve the form.  I suppose it depends on whether you’re copying the recipe from a book or magazine to use later or not.  If you are, then just copy it.  Simple enough.  If, however, you’re writing a recipe from watching someone cook then draw a line 1across the center of the page and begin by writing the method under the line.  Adding the ingredients at the top in list form as they come up.

Another way Notebooking can help your recipes is with the oldest of writing tricks: stealing.  Let’s say you went to a burger joint that had a burger with only caramelized onions and peanut butter on it.  It was fantastic, wasn’t it?  Write it down!  No need for long-form recipes here.  Just write it down and try making it later.

Notebooking a cooking method is probably best shown in an example, so here’s one from a notebook of mine a few years ago (and, yes, I do tend to Notebook with parenthetical notation):

Making a post steak pan sauce.

  1. After cooking, set steak aside and add some liquid to the pan to deglaze.  (Nearly any water-based liquid will work but heavy cream is fastest2.)
  2. Scrape the bottom of the pan to dissolve the fond.
  3. Flavor with whatever you want (dried herbs should be added early)
  4. Reduce until texture is where you want it. (usually by half)
  5. Season (salt AND acidity) and serve poured over or on the side in a ramekin.

When Notebooking a cooking method, the specific ingredients and amounts often matter less than the method.

Finally, there is the “Speculative Recipe.”  I came up with this system a few years ago when I realized that the majority of recipes I come up with follow a certain pattern.  Notebooking, specifically “Now & Later Notebooking” really shines here.  Here goes:

  1. Hero ingredient This is the most important flavor or ingredient of the recipe.  This can alter the finished food considerably.  For instance, when making a Grilled Cheese sandwich the hero could be the cheese e.g. using a melty cheese or a nice blend of cheeses.  In this example, the butter could be the Hero by using a milder cheese but browning the butter.  Then end result would be 2 VERY different sandwiches.
  2. Accentuating flavor notes  Ingredients that balance saltiness, sweetness, acidity, bitterness, and umami3 To go back to the Grilled Cheese example, maybe caramelized onions4.
  3. Wild card  This is the contrasting flavor or texture that helps the “Hero” be a hero.  To go back to the Grilled Cheese example, something like thin slices of Granny Smith apples.

There you have it.  Speculative recipe Notebooking.  I could probably say more about it but I’m going to go make a Grilled Sandwich with brown butter, caramelized onions and Granny Smith apples!

 

Ask the Nerds! What are some ways I can set a nice Notebooking atmosphere?

Ask the Nerds!

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.

Using a Table of Contents, the Lazy Way

Filling Your Notebook, The System, Tips & Tricks

Someone recently approached me and asked about something she had read in an article here.  I think it was in one of our notebook reviews.  In it I mentioned that I like when a notebook has a Table of Contents in the front.  She asked me, “How do you use a Table of Contents?” and that’s a great question!

If you’ve been Notebooking for any amount of time you, no doubt, have a few topics that you write about often.  Maybe it’s a hobby or a project your working on.  Maybe it’s a topic you’ve been thinking about for a while.

Whatever the reason, your notebook may end up with lots of pages about a topic that are separated by pages of unrelated content.  Unfortunately, you can’t just tear pages out and stick them back in where you want them (that’s no way to live!).

If you google ways to organize your notebook, you will find all sorts of colorful and somewhat complicated systems.  Any of those might work fine for you but I’m lazy.  In fact, I would rather have an unorganized notebook than have to keep highlighters and sticky notes on hand or learn some code.  What I do is much simpler albeit possibly less efficient.

The first thing I do is number the pages in my notebooks if it isn’t already done1.  As I already said I’m lazy, so if you think I number every page then you don’t know lazy!  At most I number every other page.  Honestly, every 5th page will get me where I need to go just fine.  I should mention that if a notebook doesn’t have a table of contents I’ll just write “Table of Contents” on the first page or three.

Then I write.  No need to fill out the table of contents yet.  Just write.

Eventually, there will be a topic I want to write more about.  So I do just that, write more about it.  Notice that I haven’t done anything with the table of contents yet nor looked at earlier writing.  There’s a reason for that, I don’t want the thing I’m writing now to be affected by the thing I wrote earlier.  There’s always time for that later.

Once I’ve written about a subject twice or so, it’s time to put it in the table of contents.  Here is when I go back and find the earlier writings.  Once I find it, I write the topic and the page numbers in the table of contents.  Finally, after looking at both the current and previous entries, I find that sometimes the comparing of the two can lead to new insights.  Obviously, I write those down as well.

Now that the topic is in the table of contents, any time I write about it, I add the page number to the growing list in the table of contents.  Then, if I feel like it, I’ll go back and look over the previous entries because that could yield some interesting insight.

Let’s recap for clarity’s sake:

  1. Number pages (maybe leave some empties for a Table of Contents)
  2. Write
  3. After returning to a topic, add it to your Table of Contents
  4. Write
  5. Add the page number to your Table of Contents
  6. Occasionally look back at previous entries on a topic for new insights

That’s it!  Simple? Yes!  Easy?  You bet!  The best thing ever?  Maybe not, but it’s good enough to work and do so with the least possible effort.

Have you got another way you like to organize your notebooks?  We’d love to hear it!

A few thoughts on pencils

Reviews, Writing Utensils

The pen is mightier than the sword.  Where does that leave pencils?  In grade school?  I hope not.

Many of us think of pencils as the stuff of children and math.  Sure there was a time when engineers used pencils and slide rulers to get to the moon but now it’s all on computers.  There was a time when pencils were cutting edge!  I mean, it was the 1600s.  But they didn’t have cat memes so it was easier to get excited about pencils back then.

When I use a pencil everything from the sound of it gliding around a page to the smell makes me happy.  I know many people don’t like the smell of pencils as it reminds them of annoying math homework or practicing their handwriting.  I used to be one of them, I hated the smell.  Then I tried to put that away and just evaluate the aroma.  It’s really nice.

Many a pen person will wax Quixotic on the joys of a big, heavy, fat barrelled pen.  I was one of those pen people once.  Tilting at fat barrelled windmills!  Then I tried a pencil again after years of ink.  It turns out that a lightweight wood case pencil with its easy writing, effortless balance and thinner hex barrel just about disappears in the hand leading to a much more fluid creative process (for me, at least).

I’m not here to talk about smells or fat barrels.  I’m here to talk about creativity.  Writing.  Here is where, I think, the pencil has some magic all its own.  No sword required.

Most of us used pencils when we were young and impressionable.  Back when getting up to sharpen a pencil was the childhood equivalent of a smoke break.  Before our minds began to close with the cynicism of age.  Pencils evoke open-mindedness.

They’re also erasable.  Sure, graphite can be more permanent than any ink (it’s just carbon after all) but any time you want you can drag that familiar piece of pink rubber over the page and it’s gone.  Like magic.  Or, more specifically, a magic trick that teaches you that it’s okay to make mistakes.

So, a pencil puts us in a place of open-mindedness and remind us that mistakes are a part of life.  That’s better than an episode of Sesame Street!

 

Pencils, mightier than the sword?  Maybe not.  But a worthy addition to your arsenal? Absolutely!

The Now & Later Notebooking method

Filling Your Notebook, Templates, The System

I make soap.  The process of making soap is simple but chemically complex.  One of the stages in soap making is something called curing.  This is where, after making the soap, you let it sit and occasionally turn the soap bars for even drying.  All of the soaps that I make need time to cure in order to harden and become milder.  (Bear with me here, this is going somewhere)  The time it takes to cure is anywhere from a month to a year.  As I make different soaps I sometimes experiment with different “Oil Bills”, that is the ratios of oils in the soap.  Between the time I make the soap with the new, experimental oil bill and the time I get to test the soap I used to forget which oils went into an individual soap.  This was an unbelievably stupid oversight on my part.

“Wow! What a great soap! I wish I knew what was in it.”

Or

“Just awful.  I wonder what I put in this one.”

Enter Now & Later Notebooking. 

Now & Later Notebooking is quite simply drawing a line half way down the page.  Writing on only one half thus allowing you to return to it at a later time.  While this works very well for soap making, it’s uses aren’t limited to hobbies inspired by Fight Club.

In fact, Now & Later Notebooking is useful for any time you want to come back to a particular topic.  Everything from a creative project to an enhanced planner can benefit.  The thing that makes Now & Later Notebooking so useful is it’s versatility and simplicity.  No complicated or too specific templates.  Just an easy line and the knowledge that you can come back to it if you want.

Still not convinced?  Here’s a few examples of where Now & Later Notebooking can help:

  • Recipes
  • Writing about events before and after they occur such as with a planner
  • Discussion notes for any kind of book club (which, I guess, includes church)
  • Contact information
  • Writing projects
  • Gardening
  • Restaurant review
  • Ongoing projects or contemplative musings

While it may seem exceedingly simple, you might find Now & Later Notebooking very useful.  What have you used it for?

 

Ask the Nerds! Help, I’m left-handed!

Ask the Nerds!, Uncategorized

Jennifer W. from Middletown, CT asks, “I’m left-handed. It causes all kinds of problems with Notebooking. Any suggestions to make my Notebooking experience better (aka less messy)?

Greetings fellow southpaw!  I have some good news and bad news.  As far as notebooks, you can use just about anything those elitist righties use.  That said, depending on your writing implement of choice, the paper in your notebook could become more important.  Let’s go through a few:

  1. Ballpoint pen The great thing about ballpoint pen is that it is so lefty friendly.  I, honestly, can’t think of a notebook it wouldn’t work on.
  2. Pencil  This can be tough since smearing could be an issue.  Most of the time, however, it won’t be.  As for recommendations, General’s Layout 555 is my favorite as it is pretty smear resistant, round barrelled and slightly thicker than most pencils.  This is good in case you hold your pencil all weird (as most lefties do).  It does have scratchier feedback compared to other premium pencils, so I hope that’s not a deal breaker.  Additionally, Apsara Platinum, Mitsubishi Hi-Uni HB, and Blackwing 602 are some of my favorites.
  3. Fountain Pen  I have no idea about the pens themselves.  I would think something fine point.  As for notebooks, Rhodia seems to be a favorite among fountain pen people.  Also, Lemome seems like it would be really good as they use 125 gsm paper (I think).
  4. Gel/Roller Pen  These will fall somewhere along the spectrum between ball point and fountain.  G2 seems to be the most popular but there are SO MANY better options.  Even a Leuchtturm has decent enough paper for these.  Just avoid Moleskine.  They’re crap.

I hope that helps.  Have fun and good writing!

7 More Content List items

Content List Ideas, Filling Your Notebook

Funny Lists Edition

  1. Top 10 nicknames that make no sense.
  2. Funniest ways to quit a job (this one’s cathartic).
  3. Funny things you’ve overheard in public.
  4. Worst times to Notebook (I’m looking at you “while skydiving”).
  5. Favorite episodes of the Simpsons (bonus points if you invent them).
  6. Invent some oddly specific holidays.
  7. Things that should happen to people who whine!!!!!