The League of Notebook Wielders. * rubs hands together * An epic thought....

* gets on a handy soapbox that someone left lying around in the Theology Forum * Notebooks...the epitome of unstinted creativity and information combined. The friend of every one's thoughts and dreams and ambitions, respecting no persons, excluding no nationalities.

On the subject of the notebook one could spend hours, but unfortunately hours are not available, so...

* continues further in the estimable style of Thorin Oakenshield and Tertullus the Orator *

* for awhile *

* concluding remarks: * So it was my idea that this lack of a protector and advocate and exhorter for the humble but beneficent notebook should not continue – that sometime someone should do something about it somehow, in short. And having read too many many dramas than is probably good for me, my first thought was this: The League of Notebook Wielders.

This League I hereby – hereby – * is lamentably at a loss for the word * – er – go for. * looks up at the ceiling *


Since a lot of us use notebooks, and are very attached to them, and spend a lot of time with them...I had the idea that we could compare notes on what makes a notebook a good notebook, favorite brands, and what various things notebooks could be used for.

(And anyone who hints that the best kind of notebook is run by electricity will be expelled from the League... * glares *)

Any other ideas for what a League of Notebook Wielders could do? Other than Wield Notebooks, of course....

Oooooh! You started this! *Raises notebook*

I don't actually write stories in my notebook, though. I do use the computer for that, since I have a strong dislike of typing things up.

My notebook is a Hilroy brand. It has three sections. Random excerpts Where I write bits of other stories when I am on my fly, and sometimes world building. I type up these excerpts later., random thoughts Pretty much self-explainitory. I write down random thoughts on stories, things that I can't figure out (writing them down helps me figure it out) and ideas., poetry and other randomness Frequently I get poem ideas when not at a computer, so I scribble down whatever comes to me. Also for bits of art and things that don't fit into the other two sections.. So it is basically for random things I want to write down.

I like notebooks! I usually do my story-writing on the computer, though. I shall face my fact... I am a bit of a paper packrat. I just love anything that's recorded on paper - notes, facts, story excerpts, poems, doodles, questions, etc!

Right now, I have a few various notebooks for random things and my composition notebook that I use for a journal.

I found half a notebook of last Nano's novel a couple weeks ago. It was fun to re-read it.

So do I, for that matter...but in my situation it beats out trying to do it all on the computer in the first place. I write very fast by hand, and I can take my notebook with me wherever I go – so I write my stories in notebooks. * laughs *

Random...that sounds a lot like my organization systems. I've had to come up with an elaborate system for finding things again later that I want...especially since I go through an average of two large notebooks every three months or so.



So do I! I haven't figured out exactly what it is I like yet, but it is a fact.

I hate my writing, but I find myself rereading my Nano stories myself every once in a while...I still haven't figured out why. My notebooks bewitch me.


Does anyone have any pet peeves about notebook features you've come across?

*walks out of the room slowly with head bent heavily* I am afraid I must be expelled from the league. First, I have no specially designated writer notebook, though I do own notebooks. I have just never been fond of writing on paper. Secondly, more recently, when I do need to write down a thought or anything else, I lean towards using my wonderful companion, the IPad. But, as you all in the league have rejected this form of note taking, the Captain must now take her leave. I may enter and comment occasionally because I do note take on paper for writing, work, or sea purposes, but it is not my main medium in this field. *the Captain lifts her head in dignaty and stands tall, walking out with her IPad*

* giggles * * giggles again *

* clears throat and salvages dignity *

Farewell...and I hope your iPad doesn't have a power failure. * smiles *

Oh! I use notebooks for world-building and character fractalling, because I can't waste my computer time on that sort of thing. (Not that it would be a waste if I had more than an hour a day, but I need that hour for writing and HolyWorlding.)
I like Paperblanks notebooks, because they have pretty designs on them, and a nice pocket in the back for things like 'halfelven years compared to human years compared to elven years' or math reviews, or short story assignments, or anything else you might be carrying at the time, like spare Kleenex or a leaf.
Basically, I have a notebook for Kythen, a notebook for my Lost Civilizations, and a little one for recording on the go.

I am a member of the league with... odd tastes I suppose. Truly, I don't use notebooks. HOWEVER. I do use composition books.

If that is enough to dispel me from the league, I will gladly abide by the rules and take my leave.

I have a strong dislike for typing up what I've written, and I have a strong like for editing as I go... so I don't use the composition books as much as I'd like. But, I do on occasion use them for drabbles, short shorts, random comments-- I've even used them to write down notes when I was critiquing someone else's story. Basically, the composition book is my go-to when I don't have my computer. ...which can be frequently.


By the way... shouldn't this be in Writing Discussion?

I just wanted to say to anyone who is planning on buying a notebook anytime soon...there are a lot of things I go through for picking one – some personal preference – some nit-picky – but this one at least is important: don't buy one with square holes.

I spend a lot of time with my notebooks, and have had a great variety of kinds (still do – just cause I fill a notebook doesn't mean I'm finished with it ). That is mostly because none of them were perfect (except the very first ones I got after coming to Ireland – but that's another story...), and I want a perfect notebook. Of course. * grins * So, I have learned a few things...one of which is that square holes are diabolical. For me at least.

You see, even though it may sound like something as paltry as the big and little Endian divisions of politics in Lilliput, the shape of the holes on a ringed notebook do actually make a difference. If the holes are round, the pages turn all the way round to the back, so you can keep them out of your way. If they are square, the pages don't. They stick. And if you do about six or seven one after another, the sticks get piled up, and you can't even really turn them anymore. Then you have to take the book up by the binding, shake it back into order, and open it up at your place again. Which gets very annoying....




Eh...what's a ...composition book? * blinks and reddens slightly *



I think it depends on what a composition book is.... Does it have batteries?

*laughs* No, composition books don't have batteries.

They're like notebooks, but don't have holes. (I've never heard of notebooks with square holes. )

Composition book

Inside of composition book

Hehe! Yes, random works for notebooks. Basically, it's my general on-the-go notebook to write all sorts of stuff in.

I've never heard of square notebook holes either. I always use ringed ones, and with rounds holes, and Hilroy brand... Mainly because I can't find anything more interesting.

Oh, and here is a random picture of my notebook that I thought looked cool. No, I don't start stories with "Once upon a time" and actually write much smaller, but it looked cool. And my awesome pen is there too.

*points* What she said. (Including the parenthetical statement. )

Cool! I like your notebook....



You are fortunate.... They drive me berserk, and not many things drive me berserk. (Alright, concrete green donkeys...but that's the only one I can think of.)

Oooohh, notebooks! I love talking about notebooks!

I don't have a favorite brand (yet) as I'm still searching for one, but my ideal notebooks have specific requirements:

- bound by a stable spine (not ring-bound because that causes the pages to tear)--preferably glued or sewn to the cover
- interesting artwork that has a "writer's feel" on the cover (so it gives me inspiration, hehe)
- no lines, if possible, but if there are going to be lines, then there must be small spaces between the lines (because I write really small).

Probably... But I only discovered what Writing Discussion was for after I posted this, and I still don't know how to move a thread.

Interesting....

I use ringbound because I can flip the pages around to the back...I never thought of it being more sturdy to use a stable binding. I try to avoid them tearing by avoiding perforations.

Yeah, I wish I could get down to that requirement on my list...but there are so many it is only by sheer chance that I get a decent looking cover.

I write small too...but I couldn't write without lines because the words would start deciding that they wanted to dance jigs instead of stand drill. * grins * My words are ornery.

I know what you mean about ornery words! I have to write slowly in order to keep them from dancing all over the page...and even then, sometimes they slant up or down! I used to write with a guide behind the paper, but gave up afterwards. Oh well, they say practice makes perfect...but I still have a lot of practicing to do!

*thinks*

I might have to be dispelled from the League. I do have notebooks (comp books, actually), but I don't use them very often. My laptop, in my circumstance, is more practical. I could go into detail on why this is the case, but I'm not going to because that would become a long, rambled post that would be rather boring.

But I do sometimes lament the fact that I use my laptop, rather then my notebooks, though. I love writing in notebooks, and they're more portable and notebooks don't get viruses and they don't crash. But the laptop's benefits outweigh it's drawbacks so, alas, the computer wins this war.

But like I said. I have notebooks and I do use them occasionally. Can I stay?

If you can't, then, long live those who are expelled! And long live the rebellion! Perhaps I should create a thread where only those who prefer to use electronic means of note taking are welcome. *likes this idea very much*

Well... anyways. While I'm here I'll just say something right quick. I love notebooks that have pretty covers. If I did use a notebook, I would need it to have just the right type of cover, otherwise I wouldn't like it so much. I also like ringed notebooks better than composition books, but comp books are really cool, too, because they have that awesome Gateway design. Anyone else notice that but me? Oh yes, and I would need lines, otherwise my notes would go haywire and vary in sizes and such, even when I try to write neatly. But lines prevent good drawings... Oh the choices...

*takes self out of the thread again*

*sighs* *shuffles in with head hanging* *raises eyes in a swift glance around the room*

Hi, I'm Bushy. And I'm a notebookaholic. I admit it: I need help.

Okay, seriously though, I am a notebookaholic. I write everything from poetry, drabbles, six-word-stories, excerpts, to random things I have to remember or quotes I hear. I even write down all about certain people that I may use as a character someday. (Look out, I'm watching you. ) Practically anything short of a full blown novel.

I have a black spiral bound notebook I use for poetry and drabbles, a green spiral bound one for Biblical studies, the odd poem and drabble, and anything else I feel like writing, a journal, a pocket notebook for my handbag which I take notes on sermons in, a cloth kind of covered notebook I wrote/drew random things in whilst waiting for a plane, a new very unique notebook my friend Bek bought me, and I recently bought a leather bound notebook that has a magnetic flap that comes around and holds the book shut. I couldn't leave it in the shop! I simply had to buy it! It was too good to leave there, and besides, it could have been lonely...

Yeah... maybe I really do have a condition...

Notebookaholics unite! If this is a disorder, I'm glad to have it. J/k

* grins *

I've filled scores of notebooks...and I still am no good at keeping 'em in line. * sigh * At least not for long distances...I'm good enough that I can write while Papa is driving the van through a tunnel without lights, and they only look slightly messy when we come out the other end. But not pages and pages....



* thinks * Alright, if you want to. You didn't exactly say that your laptop was better than notebooks, just that it was more convenient in your case...which I completely understand. * nods *

And just 'cause someone's not in the League doesn't mean that they can't be in the thread. * smiles *

* agrees muchlier * Then I can go and whisper about notebooks while you all are discussing databases and OS's....

* waves * Come back soon!

Databases and OS's I didn't realize those were of such importance to writers who use computers xD


In the past I've tried to get myself to write in notebooks, but I can never seem to keep up the habit (the same way I'm quite bad at keeping myself in the habit of drawing in a sketchbook all the time). Thus, I fear, that this is all out of my league

I love notebook covers...they're like faces. I usually can't get ahold of a notebook with a very good cover...so I sort of try to make up for it by naming them. * laughs * That is also a practical thing, though, because I have so many that I need to be able to refer to them someway.

Yeah, I know...most of my drawings have lines in them (like here), because I started drawing rather suddenly and all my notebooks had lines because up til then I was only a writer...I got a different notebook for drawing now, though, so I am happy.

Naming your notebooks! What a fantasical idea! *Must find a name for her notebook now*

* grins *


Oh, another one... I was not aware that anyone else did that. Look out...we're both watching.


How could we let the notebooks be lonely? * pats notebooks * * pitying face *

Hello...I'm not sure if I belong in such a league or not, I'll explain.

I have a few notebooks, one of them I lost, the other two I have and they have some of my old/outdated ideas in them.
I wish I used real paper more often, because it's cool, and real, and...all that. But if I write it on paper I might lose it and if I put it on my ipod and google docs, it's available from anywhere.
Plus, I have terrible handwriting and am very slow and messy or sort of fast and even messier!
Also, I like to add stuff in the middle of ideas, and I can't do that on paper, I'd have to erase everything and rewrite it...and I dislike writing with pencils in notebooks and can't erase ink (and I have to erase a LOT). And...yeah. I wish I used notebooks more, though, and I really like certain kinds...*goes to look at books to see what they're called*...some of them are "Moleskin" brand and the others say "Picadilly" on the inside cover...do those count as notebooks at all? They are books for writing notes in...

I have tiny ones that I intend to carry with me to write idea scraps into to keep them safe until I'm near a computer or ipod...and the bigger ones for similar purposes, but in the bigger ones I could expound more. I'm planning on using the notebooks even more when I'm out backpacking and won't have an electronic device to use.

Can I stay?

Exactly.

May I join this league? When I first tried writing Penalty (back then it was 'The Pit' ), it was in a 70 sheet, spiral-bound notebook which I keep still. I use notebooks for world development as well.

Wolf, Moleskin notebooks are awesome! My sister has one for drawing. I just prefer spiral-bound for writing because I tend to rip things out, take it in trees, flips the pages to the back, etc.

Yeah they are! Cool!



Yeah I can see the value in that, too. By the way the part about ripping pages out...the pages are perforated so you can rip them out if you want to, in both the Picadilly and Moleskin ones. And I might make use of that sometimes...also, the Picadilly ones have a neat little pocket at the back that you can put notes in...I put a couple scraps of paper with weapon ideas on them, and just found that today, I shall have to develop that weapon... (imagine, I used to just put my ideas in little pockets in the back of notebooks, now I can put them on HW too! )

Yes, be afraid, Twinnie.

If you have a bad OS, loooots of troubles descend upon you...and believe me, if you lose all the information on your database, that is a serious blow to your writing, especially if you had a lot of progress on your story...

* grins * Fortunately, I have no trouble keeping myself in the habit.

* considers excuses * * narrows eyes thoughtfully * Hm.... Sure.

I have that problem with wanting to write things into the middle of other things too... I never said that notebooks were perfect. I've just had to learn to deal with it, in various ways.

Thankfully I really like writing with pencils, and can write fairly fast, though, so I don't have those drawbacks. My pencil is my friend... * smiles at pencil *

And so is my eraser...

Really? Yaya! *jumps*



Yeah I know...I mean, people have been using paper for a long time (no kidding, I know), so there are ways to make do, I just have to learn to do so.



Yeah...my other problem is that I don't like the way that pencil sometimes doesn't show up, unless I push really hard, then it dents the paper.



Yeah, me too! That's just it, I need one of those erasable pens...

Oh and another problem, I keep losing pencils...I told mom I need a pencil dispenser.

I always name my diaries on the very last page after I'm done writing in them.

Good idea, and great patience.

You need to use softer lead.

I tried one awhile back, and it wasn't very good. Maybe there's a good quality one out there somewhere, and I would like to find one, but a bad one is just annoying (and occasionally heartbreaking... one of the main problems with it was that it erased when I didn't want it to).

* laughs * Sometimes I lose my pencils too, but never permanently – it's hard to lose something permanently with nine people in the house looking for it constantly. I have a nice family.... Of course...they also know what would happen if I did lose it permanently, and I'm sure that affects their helpfulness slightly.

Cool! * is very excited *

* grins and laughs * I'm going to have to use that phrase sometime.

I've pondered doing that...especially with some of my notebooks...but I never got the time and I always used the notebooks up so fast it didn't seem all too worth it. That's a great quote for a notebook!

I have one like that in my bag, named Nial Wayne, and he is worn out. Almost full too – I need to find another one.... What's a Moleskine like? I've never had one, I don't believe.

Apparently square holes are more common than I thought at first...

Ooh, that might help!....But that brings up another issue...I also don't like it when the pencil lead rubs off onto the opposite page, making things even more illegible than my printing already is... Wouldn't softer lead do that more? Or would it?



Ouch, that would be bad. Mom got me some paper mate erasable pens and they at least partially erase...I haven't tried them actually in my notebook yet or had to fix an actual mistake (you have to do it before the ink dries, I think, or at least when it's been written recently), but I shall come and report when I have.



*laughs* Yes, I'm sure that helps...

Same! I had never heard of them.

I have a netbook computer now, but I'm way too attached to my notebook to stop using it. Yeah, the new laptop is super portable, but I think I will still take my notebook places and scribble in it.

Oh, and I named my notebook Hillary. Yes, that's also because the brand is Hilroy, but it seemed to fit. (And I also named my new computer... Look what you started, Juliet! )