not just any old notebook. a writers notebook! and nope its not a journal or a some girly diary. ack! those just say whats happening all day in your life and for sure it could be pretty boring unless you got a real exciting life. a writers notebook is something real special and every word in it is exciting and could end up in a neat story.
miss shannon odonnell sent me a set of three cool writers books and heres what mr ralph fletcher wrote in on of those books called a writers notebook …
“Writers are like other people, except for at least one important difference. Other people have daily thought and feelings, notice this say or that smell, but they don’t do much about it. All those thoughts, feelings, sensations, and opinions pass through them like the air they breathe. Not writers. Writers react. And writers need a place to record those reactions. That’s what a writer’s notebook is for. It gives you a place to write down what makes you angry or sad or amazed, to write down what you noticed and don’t want to forget.”
wow! how cool is that!
whats neat bout having a notebook is you got it with you all the time so you dont need to get panicked out and run round looking for a pencil and some paper when theres something cool that jumps into your head and you wanna jot it down.
whats the best kinda notebook? any kind you could want cause it just only for you and its gotta be a fit for you. some writers got all fancy flowery ones or got stuff they like on the front. some got just plain old paper with lines or not with lines. some are small and some are big and some are computer notebooks. you gotta find what could works best for you. for me i got lined paper cause I write crooked if I don’t got lines. ha ha.
keeping a writers note book is a big help for ideas and characters and lots of other stuff. whats neat is its not a time thing and you could use a idea today or next week or in ten years and its still fresh like you just wrote it.
i love my writers notebook!
do you use a writers notebook and if you do what kind is it and how do you use it?
hugs from... lenny
Yay, Lenny! I'm so glad you are enjoying your books, and I'm super glad to hear you're keeping a writer's notebook. Ralph Fletcher is my favorite writing teacher. I have lots of his books! :-)
ReplyDeleteI absolutely use notebooks! Too many actually, because I have them lying all over the house, and sometimes I forget where I wrote what. But at least I always have something handy to write that last bit of inspiration! :)
ReplyDeleteI love notebooks. I like the composition notebooks or the spiral bound kind that I can get on sale during back to school time. I go through them so quickly that they have to be a good price. Glad to hear you like your notebook.
ReplyDeleteI do have a writer's notebook, and it's covered in soft brown suede. Sometimes, when nobody's looking, I grab it and sneak a few hugs. Sometimes I write in it, too. :)
ReplyDeleteIt's so exciting that you've decided to use a writer's notebook! I love mine. I have...well, a few. Hah... Make sure, after you fill this one up, to keep it always. You never know when you'll be able to use what you've written.
ReplyDeleteYay!
I can't believe I don't have a writer's notebook, and I want one so badly after reading this! I usually jot my notes down on post-its or napkins or the backs of envelopes from mail that gets left in my car...it makes for a mess :) If I got one, I'd want something covered in leather with one of those long, thin leather straps that can wrap around it 5 or 6 times (to keep all the thoughts safe, of course).
ReplyDeleteHi Lenny! I do have a writer's notebook...I actually have a few! I keep them in my purses or bags for school. I even have one in my car. That way when I want to write something down, I have a place to write it! I'm sure you'll have a great time filling up you new book! :)
ReplyDeleteI have several writer's notebooks - I just use leftover notebooks from school. I'm so glad you have a notebook, too!
ReplyDeleteHey Lenny! That's really the difference between writers and non-writers. I use small, hardback journals for my writing, although I sometimes resort to a simple spiral notebook. Glad you have some cool new writer's notebooks.
ReplyDeleteI don't use a paper notebook. I put everything down on my laptop computer. And then every once in awhile I panic, thinking about what might happen if my computer goes POOF!
ReplyDeleteAnd then I do a backup.
Come to think of it, I'm not sure when I did my last back up. Oops! Gotta go take care of that!
A writer's notebook is one of the most precious things you can own! I'm glad you have such a cool set of them to keep you going!
ReplyDeleteJai
Hey Lenny! I have a small notebook that i carry in my back pocket along with a mini pen. It's perfect for jotting down a quick note. Cool post!
ReplyDeleteI keep a notebook with me all the time. I love to write snippets of conversations, descriptions of things and people around me, and even sometimes a grocery list :) I'd be lost without my notebook!
ReplyDeleteI have a variety of writer's notebooks and journals. I keep season notebooks where I keep track of things I notice in nature during different seasons. I have idea notebooks for different genres. I even have a cool word notebook and a travel notebook where I write down about trips we take. Having a notebook is a great thing when you are a writer!
ReplyDeleteI love notebooks, all sizes and shapes. I like to pick bright fun looking ones to jot down story ideas. I also use one for blogging ideas. Glad you are enjoying yours!
ReplyDeleteHi Lenny .. how wonderful to receive those three notebooks - what a lovely present. Writers need notebooks for notes, quotes, ideas and creative thoughts - jottings .. so fantastic you've got three with your name on ..
ReplyDeleteEnjoy their use .. fun to read, write in and just look at! Cheers for the week .. and it's sunny yellow in your part of the world! Hilary
I love my notebooks! I jot down just about anything I need help with. Love it! I just have so many of them! I should learn to only use one. =)
ReplyDeleteI love notebooks! I have tons of them. I like them to be colorful and fun. When stores are in a back-to-school frenzy is the best time to get the fun ones. Then they're on sale after Labor Day!
ReplyDeleteHope you have a great week, Lenny! :)
I'm afraid I'm not very good at using a writer's notebook. I've tried in the past, but then I find that I never go through and reread what I wrote. But I know they're a very good idea, and almost every other writer seems to use one. Good luck with yours, Lenny!
ReplyDeleteWhat cool notebook and it's sunny yellow! My favorite color. You're so lucky. I do use notebooks a lot and have many around the house. Have a great week!
ReplyDeleteI just started using a notebook. I do most of my stuff on the laptop (I lose random bits of paper!). I now keep a notebook by my bed though because of all those thoughts and ideas that attack when I'm supposed to be sleeping! My favourite one has Tigger on it :)
ReplyDeleteI start a new notebook for every writing project I take on. It helps me so much! All my brainstorming goes into it. :) I also have one for random ideas that come to me. This one I call 'future project ideas.'
ReplyDeleteAngela @ The Bookshelf Mse
Hi Lenny! Hope all is well in your world ~ :) You know, I have these notebooks..even cute ones. But, I forget to use them. *bad writer sigh* So, I end up with notes on receipts or the backs of letters, or any scrap of paper I can find when an idea hits. I really should get more organized one of these days...ha!
ReplyDeleteBelieve it or not, I keep it all in my head. The trouble with that is, for me, that I simply don't use it. I don't worry about forgetting....I've got tons in there....
ReplyDeleteBut, I've been a bad, lazy writer lately. I think a notebook would help me to be more disciplined, which is what I need.
So, thanks for the reminder. Now, I just have to figure out what will 'fit' me....
Hope you're having a great week :)
PS - Sometimes I write crooked even WITH lines!!hahaha
I actually do this. I carry a pad with me in my bag. I should mention my regular companion is a tote so I have lots of room for my pads, pencils and iPad. Which I never leave home without. Great advice.
ReplyDeleteHi, Lenny. I use little notebooks and I use index cards. It kind of depends on how much other stuff is in my purse at the time. Then my notes go into a file until I go back to them.
ReplyDeleteI'm a notebook addict and have them all over the place! But if I had one like that awesome Lenny one above, I'd never put it down. :o)
ReplyDeleteHave a great weekend, Lenny!
I keep a grid tablet with me so's I can take notes or make a word puzzle whenever I get an idea. That's 'cause I make so many word puzzles that I couldn't keep up with 'em, otherwise.
ReplyDeleteThis is some great advice, Lenny. Thanks. My good hubby buddy keeps a very small notebook that he can carry in his shirt pocket. Then, when each notebook is full, he puts it in a box with alla' the others. He has about fifty of those notebooks, now. He has written some great stuff, using the information from his notebooks, though.
~ Yaya
Love your writer's notebook graphic.
ReplyDeleteI confess I never had one until this November. It's a cheap spiral-bound with pretty metallic patterns on it from Rite Aid. I wrote in it the day I got it, but haven't done another writerly thing in it since!