Cathy Mere: Notebook Mayhem

Digital OR Paper Notebook?  That’s Not the Question.
I have a confession to make.  I have not been keeping up with my writer’s notebook.  This isn't really the best place to make this confession since, if you are here, you likely use a writer’s notebook regularly.  I admire people who have a notebook habit.  Those who have kept notebooks since as long as they can remember.  Those who have their notebook with them at all times ready for inspiration.  Writers who have made it a routine to get something in their notebook each day.  I’m always fascinated by the things people collect in their notebooks and the habits they have for writing in them.

Sadly, my notebook habit has been slipping away for some time now.  I suppose it happens to everyone now and then, but for me it has been going on for far too long.  My writer’s notebook has been a place where I record memories, play with poetry, capture favorite lines from books, tell stories about my children, collect snippets of language, and pause from the busyness of life just long enough to write about this or that.  In the last few years, I've found my notebook habit unraveling as more and more often I find myself with a device in my hand instead of pen and paper.

Notebooks seem to spend 

more time in a basket 

these days.

There's something about putting pen to paper.

Being caught between a paper and digital print world has its challenges.  For me, the more I found myself with a device in my hand the less I was writing in my notebook.  The truth is, I've missed my notebook habit.  I miss having ideas ready when it’s time to write.  I miss having a place to play with words until they sound just the way I want them to sound.  I don’t want to think about how many ideas, stories, or poems have slipped away since my struggle began.

In the last few months I've been trying to solve this notebook dilemma by playing with a variety of notebook possibilities.  I've been playing with notebook apps for my iPhone and iPad.  I've considered different software on my laptop and have dabbled in web based tools like Google Drive.  I've even had my paper notebook and pen out along the way.  It’s been messy.     

Digital AND Paper Notebooks
Honestly, I’ve been wrestling with this notebook mayhem for months and going nowhere.  You see, I think I was going at the problem in the wrong way.  I was asking myself, “Do I want my notebook to be digital or paper?”  When, as Jennifer M of I hablo espanglish reminded me, I should be considering AND instead of OR.  In a comment on my blog one day Jennifer said this about my notebook question:

 “How about AND instead of OR?  I have a lovely, soft-and-smooth-on-my-fingers notebook on the couch at home (my main writing space), several small notepads scattered through the upstairs and my purses (including AquaNotes in the shower -- best invention EVER!), AND lists of ideas / links to inspiring slices that I want to use as mentor texts in Evernote.  It’s not pretty, but it works.”

This AND instead of OR really set me free to find a solution that worked for me.  First I asked myself these questions:

• Where do I get ideas for my notebook?
• What has got in the way of getting ideas down in my notebook?
• When do I want to write ideas in a notebook, but I don’t find it with me?
• What types of things do I want to collect?
• What tools do I want to have to record writing?

Then I began to play with different applications.  I knew there were certain features I wanted in an application.  It was important for me to be able to:

• create notebooks
• insert images
• create handwritten entries (preferably with a variety of colors and thicknesses)
• type (and change font size, color)
• share notebook pages with other applications
• tag or organize notes

I've created a spreadsheet with some of the applications I worked with during this time of exploration.  This is a shared document that I’m hoping will grow as others visit and share their knowledge about applications.  You are welcome to stop to add applications or improve information.

My Solution
For me the solution was using a variety of tools to record different kinds of writing.  Let’s call it a trifecta of tools.  I needed something I could use on the go because it is rare that I am at home when I think of something I want to add to my notebook.  It was important to have something on my device as I most often find it close by.  My solution:

1.  My paper notebook:  I’m still a little worried I will not always be able to get to digital applications.  Software changes and hardware updates sometimes make tools obsolete.  For this reason, I’m still using my paper notebook to create stories I want to hold onto for years to come.  These are the stories of our family, important events, and writing that I would want to be able to keep.  I also sometimes return to my notebook to write poetry or play with words.  Sometimes actually writing the words by hand helps me to compose, remember, and clarify thinking.  I usually go to my notebook when I have at least 20 minutes to work on an idea.

There’s something about the feel of the 

notebook - about pen in hand.

This soft leather bound notebook

was a gift from a friend and is

still my favorite.

I still use my notebook to record

family stories and memories. 

Here’s a list of things I remember

about my grandparents.

2.  Noteshelf:  I’ve decided my go-to writer’s notebook app will be Noteshelf.  Noteshelf lets me create different notebooks and put them on a shelf to view.  This application lives on my iPad and allows me to insert pictures (which I love!), type with a variety of fonts, and write by hand with two types of pens (and so many colors/sizes!).  Pages are automatically dated when you turn them.  Noteshelf allows tagging which makes it easier to return to ideas.  It also has sharing features (email, Twitter, Facebook).  A few improvements I’d like to see are the ability to view in a double page spread format, an easier share with Evernote (right now I have to send as a PDF), and it would be nice if I could access this from my iPhone too.  

My Noteshelf

Here’s a poem in draft form on Noteshelf.  
The final poem was Winter Wish.  
You have to love those pen choices!

I don’t often sketch in my notebook.

I wish I would do it more often.

Here I played with sketching and 

writing about something I noticed about

fireworks.

Here is an entry I wrote about noticing birds 

after reading a blog post at Irene Latham’s blog.

I’ve highlighted some of the features of

Noteshelf here. 

3.  Super Note:  I also needed a place to keep lists of writing ideas.  During the day I sometimes read something, have a conversations with someone, or see something that gives me an idea of writing.  I’ve been using Super Note to make lists for the types of writing I do most often:  poetry, Reflect and Refine (educational), Merely Day by Day (Poetry Friday and Slice of Life), Choice Literacy, and general notebook ideas.  I use this when I am on the go and do not have time to get the bones of the piece down in a draft.  

Here are the categories I have

on Super Note.  Inside each category

is a list of ideas and quick writes.

(Yes, I also have a few “to do” 

lists here.)

Finding Your Space

It seems we all have to find our place in the print world and the answers are likely different for each of us.  This is where I am today with my writing.  I needed to start to make some decisions so I could get back into the habit of collecting ideas and thinking.  My hope is you will find this in some way helpful.  Everyone needs to find the system that works for them whether it is a beautifully bound notebook, scraps of napkins from local restaurants, post-its scattered about, or digital tools.  Hoping you find your space.

Try It

Choose three different applications to download or use.  All writers have a special place they like to work.  For me, I enjoy writing on my patio.  There’s something about being outside that makes me want to put pen to paper (or fingers to keyboard).  Think of the space you like to use for writing.  What do you like about it?  What does it look like?  What does it sound like?  What do you like to have beside you as you write?  Write about this place in your notebook and try it in your digital applications.  You may want to try to write about different aspects of the space to keep the writing interesting and dig deeper into your love of the space.  What different ways can you compose using different tools?  Which feels the most comfortable?  

You might try this with other types of writing you do frequently to begin to find the tools which work best for you.  Maybe it’s an AND not an OR for you too.

Cathy Mere spends her days learning alongside first graders in Hilliard, Ohio.  In her spare time she can be found resting on her patio with a book or trying to find her way in a world of words.  She spins tales and dabbles in poetry at Merely Day by Day and joins the professional conversation about literacy, technology and education at Reflect and Refine:  Building a Learning Community.  

In the comments please share your favorite tools for collecting your ideas. What works for you?  What changes do you feel you might need to consider? Cathy will be giving away a free writer’s notebook app pack which includes a version of Noteshelf for the iPad, Super Note for the iPhone or iPad, and a copy of a newer notebook that looks promising:  Day One (Journal/Diary) to one lucky commenter whose name will be drawn on Sunday, September 1.

Please share a comment below if you wish.

Deb Lund: You Must Write Lots of Bad Stuff

Notebooks! Don’t you love them? I do, but I write books for kids, so maybe I can’t help myself.

I have friends who keep one notebook, so they can easily find anything all in one place. I love that idea. But it doesn’t work for me, at least not right now.

I use several notebooks, each for their own purpose…

The big notebook under the pile of smaller ones is actually a hardcover sketchbook. I mostly write in it, but once in a while I doodle something (you’ll discover one of those doodles soon). I meet with two amazing friends each month to write about whatever is on our minds. That’s what mostly fills that big notebook.

The spiral-bound black notebook is for another group. We’re a quintet of writers, each working on vastly different projects. I’m the only children’s writer in that group, and I write notes and ideas that come up in our meetings as we support each other in our writing lives.

The small book with shells on the cover was a gift from my sister-in-law. It’s the perfect size to jot down a writing idea on each page. It’s also the perfect size to stuff in a bag or my purse.

I’ve saved the plain old green composition book for last because it’s filled with first drafts, fun phrases, lots of doodles to go with stories, and more lines, crossed-out phrases, arrows, and margin notes than you can imagine. But, why should I make you imagine it? I promise to show you a couple of pages from that book, but first, let’s talk about those “special” notebooks. The ones you get for gifts. The ones you buy as souvenirs when you’re on vacation. The ones that are so pretty you hate to mess them up with your scribbles. Guess what? They’re not special at all until part of you is in them. But maybe that’s why I used a composition book for my messiest word play. I’ll show you a sloppy copy from that book in a moment.

These red and green journals are blank—but not for long. They’re gifts from an amazing woman who writes for PBS kids’ shows. She’s one of my creativity-coaching clients, and she sent me these books because they reminded her of me. She said she couldn’t pick between the two of them and had to get me both. I’m so touched and honored she feels this way about me.

Remember that big black sketchbook I use for a journal?

When I do school visits, I often tell students about my inner critic, who hovers above me and says things like, “Who do you think you are?” Here’s how she appeared in my journal…

At a school visit a few years ago, after telling several classes of fourth graders about my inner critic, a boy yelled out, “You should write about her!”

So I did. And here’s the sloppy copy (and perfect first draft) I promised from that green composition book…

When I meet you someday, I’ll read the final draft of the story to you. Until then, I hope you’ll write lots of sloppy copies. First drafts are always perfect because their purpose is to get the words on the paper. I often don’t know what I’m going to write until I start writing. If you want to write, you must write lots of bad stuff! You have to dig through mounds of rocks to find the gems. So, get a notebook, mess it up, and don’t quit!

Here is a notebook exercise to try:

Set a timer for 9 minutes (it feels much less than 10!) and write whatever comes to your mind. Don't let your pen or pencil stop. Give yourself permission to write the worst garbage in the world. If you don't know what to write, write that! ("I don't know what to write.") When your inner critic steps in with snide remarks, celebrate the fact that you recognize who's talking and that you won't be stopped any more. Call this free-writing your "practice" and do it often!

Let me know how it’s going, okay?

Deb Lund is the author of DINOSOARING, ALL ABOARD THE DINOTRAIN, DINOSAILORS, MONSTERS ON MACHINES, and other picture books. She's currently working on an upper middle-grade historical fantasy and a card deck for writers. She's been a music and classroom teacher, elementary librarian, school founding director, and a teacher of teachers. Deb frequently presents at conferences, workshops, libraries, and schools. You can invite Deb to your school, ask her about creativity coaching, or say hi to her here...

www.deblund.com
www.deblund.com/blog
www.facebook.com/DebLundAuthor
www.twitter.com/deblund
www.youtube.com/user/deblund1/videos

Deb has generously offered to give away a book to each of two people who comment on this post —a copy of DINOSAILORS and a copy of ALL ABOARD THE DINOTRAIN.  To be entered in this drawing, please leave a comment below.  I will draw two names and send each winner a book when I return home from summer camp in early August.  DINOSOARING was just released in June, and you can see and order it here at Amazon.  Thank you, Deb!