Writer’s Block Part 3 - Notebook Intimidation
So far, we know it exists, and we also each have our own ways of working through it. (Or we’re working on developing our own ways to get through it.)
I can’t tell you what to do to get through it - though I can make suggestions - because different things work for different people, especially with the creative arts. I can, however, impart something you should not do. This is one of the most valuable things I’ve learned as a writer.
Being a writer from a young age, I, of course, received a lot of fancy journals and such for presents. I found, however, I was more likely to write in my school notebooks than the fancy journals.
The key of the matter was that with the fancy journals, I was a bit intimidated. Yes, intimidated by paper bound with a hard (sometimes soft) cover. Bear with me a moment, though.
With those types of journals, I would sit down and know that I couldn’t cleanly rip out any pages, so I wanted what I wrote to be pretty good right off the bat. Then I got to thinking that I shouldn’t used the pens I usually use because they smudge sometimes and I want my handwriting to look nice in such a fancy book.
And so on, and so on. By the time I was finally ready to sit down and write, I’d scared myself out of the ability to write one word in such an expensive book. I’d crawl back to my crappy Snoopy notebok and doodle away until I could write again.
My piece of advice, if you’re writing, especially a first draft and especially if it’s a means to get through writer’s block, get a ten cent notebook from the store. Get a notebook that says to you (and you can write it in the front cover if you like) that you can write the most horrible crap on this earth, and it won’t matter because you just want to write.
It helps, believe me.
Has anyone had the problem of Notebook Intimidation? Has anyone not? Let me know. I’d be interested to hear what you think about this, seeing as I haven’t heard a lot of people talk about it.
writer’s block, creative writing, notebooks
November 25th, 2006 at 3:57 am
You are absolutely right about the notebook.I have a beautiful notebook with golden threadwork and handmade paper and its still there…empty.You just can’t bring yourself to write in beautiful books.
Typing it all out on the keyboard is much better.
November 25th, 2006 at 3:13 pm
Giving yourself permission to write crap is so important. Turning off that internal editor is step one for finishing your first novel in anything under three years. Because it is so easy to keep tweaking and never making progress.
November 26th, 2006 at 3:19 am
Neelima - It makes you want to write something in another notebook first before you write it in your fancy book, doesn’t it?
Sara - Oh, yes. Getting caught up by the internal editor is so easy to do, especially if you are a perfectionist writer.
August 27th, 2008 at 12:03 am
[...] Importance of Having a Crap Notebook by JM I don’t like fancy journals. Hardbound is great for books, but when it comes to things I write in, spiral bound please. No fancy [...]