How to Create A Writer’s Notebook

A while back, I talked about how much I wanted to get back into writing. And to that end, I challenged myself to the thirty day writing challenge that you might have noticed here on the blog. I did my upmost to write and post every day for thirty days. And that really proved to me that I could write every day. But I do want to start getting into creative writing, and so I have created a writer’s notebook.

Choosing the Notebook

I decided to buy a nice, large spiral notebook. I headed to Indigo because they sell both books and notebooks. And their notebooks are beautiful. They have simpler ones, but you can find a nice hardcover one with a pretty pattern or quote, or illustration or all of that combined! I just love notebooks. Anyway, Indigo is my dream store, and it’s where I got my notebook. After I purchased it, I decided that I didn’t just want to start writing on page one. I wanted the first page to be a page that was inspiring because writing doesn’t always come easily.

I created a cover page for my notebook. I had big aspirations, but after trying a couple of things I remembered that I am not an artist, and that simple might be best. So I settled on a simple design, and I gave it my best effort and while it’s pretty basic, I’m pretty happy with the way it turned out.

Writing in the Notebook

I actually have a plan for writing in the notebook. It’s not going to be as simple as sit down and write, although it’s also that simple. I want to be as creative as I can be, and just express myself, so I plan to write a story that has been brewing in me, and also write poetry, as I used to do in my late twenties. I will be numbering pages for each story and writing a short form of the title (or temporary title) as well. That way, I can write three or four pages and if a poem comes to me, I can write that on the next page and then pick up the story again on the following page, continuing with the number and code so that it is sequential. It’s an idea that makes sense to me and I think will allow me to be more creative.

How to Create Your Own Writer’s Notebook

The wonderful thing about creating your own writer’s notebook is that is all your own. Get creative. Do you want a cover page like I did? Include one. It could be something you draw, or something you print and paste in. Whatever it is, it should inspire you. You can divide your notebook into sections using sticky notes or by creating other cover pages in the book. A section for brainstorming, a section for writing, a section for revisions. Or a section for stories, a section for poems, and a section for non-fiction pieces. The possibilities are endless here. The one thing I do recommend is a notebook that is a at least 8 by 11 inches so you have lots of space to write, and that has a good page count as well. I chose spiral because it’ll be easier to write in if I’m just sitting on couch, so that might be something you should consider as well. Once you have your notebook set up, you are ready to go.

Sharing Your Writing

I started writing at very young age, around the age of eleven. I wrote stories, and a lot of them I never finished. But I kept writing, because I wanted to be a writer. By high school, I was convinced that I couldn’t be a writer. I didn’t include symbolism in my writing. I must be a bad writer. Also, writers didn’t make money according to my dad. In all that time, I had never really let anyone read my writing because what if they didn’t like it? My advice to you is this if you are looking to seriously get into writing: keep practicing your craft. Share it with trusted friends, a writer’s group. Writing is deeply personal, but difference now as opposed to when I first started writing in the early 1990s is there are places online you can publish to, and learn more about your writing, how it’s received, and grow as a result. I hope to share my writing with you and others but I know it’s going to be a slow progress. But regardless, my plan is to keep writing.

Are you a writer? Share your thoughts below.