Journal Writing – The Tools

Of all the hobbies and things we do, I think journal writing requires the least investment in tools and toys. Which is not to say that you can’t spend a boatload of money if you put your mind to it.

So today we will explore the various types of journals and assess their merits. The first ones that come to mind are the journals which often have pictures or quotes in them. They never worked for me, as all to often the quote had nothing to do with what I wanted to write about. In fact it was a major distraction. However, I know for some people those kinds of prompts work well.

Next, we have the journals sold everywhere: beautiful covers and lined pages. Again, they don’t work for me as the lines make me think of being in school and that stifles any creativity or thoughts I have. Yet I have a friend who only wants to have lined journals. He says his writing is so bad that without the lines he could never read what he’s written. The other downside to these journals is their sheer beauty puts people off from writing in them. It is as if the cover creates expectations they don’t think they can meet.

Then there are people who keep their journals on any and all scraps of paper and just stuff them into big brown envelopes or stick their thoughts in drawers. Wouldn’t work for me and it does for them. Some also write on foolscap and then put their writing into a binder. That way if they are out writing and lose a page they haven’t lost the whole journal.

There are those of us who use blank art sketchbooks. We decorate the covers, or not, and write and stick what we want into the pages. This is my preferred journal. I particularly like the big ones, bigger than 8 1/2 x 11. However, they are far too cumbersome to carry around, so I normally use the standard size. I save the big one for my Spiritual Art journal.  It stays at home.

There is another category of journal and that is one kept on a computer. I am a poor and reluctant typist so I don’t enjoy this type of journal. It just feels too much like work. If, however, you are a speedy typist then you may enjoy that method of recording your thoughts. As a Mac user you might consider the app Day One – I have been using it and find it fun. It has a feature that allows you to insert a photo into your journal entry and I really like that. I use it for brief check ins, saving my more wordy thinking for my handwritten journal.

The quality of the paper in your journal will determine what you use as a writing instrument. If the paper has a lot of tooth, you will find it hard to use a fountain pen. If you like to draw or paint then you need a  heavier bond.  Those are things you need to take in to consideration when you chose your journal.

And when it comes to writing instruments there are so many choices: pens, coloured pencils, chalks, charcoal and water colours. I think pencils aren’t a good choice as they fade over the years and cause your writing to disappear. There are also stickers, embellishments and ephemera to add to the pages. My favourite is my fountain pen. It has a fine nib and I can change the ink colour as I go along and it has the advantage of being portable.

At the end of the day, it does not matter what type of journal or pen you chose, try them all – one will work for you.