Slice of Life Tuesday: Writer's Notebook -Beginnings and Endings

A new writer’s notebook…

I hold mixed feelings about commencing a new notebook. I am quite excited about the prospect of filling the fresh pages of a brand new book. I embrace the challenge. To see my words spread out and over the sparkling white pages is a buzz for a writer. It is exciting. I’m involved in the act of capturing the raw stuff of my writing life and bringing order to my messy mind. The harvesting of words and ideas adds to the energy of writing in this new place. I am like the farmer who ploughs a new field.

I make a conscious decision to choose a new notebook with different dimensions to its predecessor. The notebook I have chosen this time is smaller than the one just completed. Its covers are sturdier. It will, I expect take less time to fill. I embrace its unique shape and form. I am keen to shape each new notebook in a way that establishes its difference from previous notebooks. The contents will add further to the individuality.

I am also feeling a sense of loss…

I am saying farewell to a friend. I am saying goodbye to a travelling companion. The notebook I have just completed has been with me every day for the past few months. Everywhere I have been, it has been there too. When I leave the house, I go through the same routine in my head –keys, phone, wallet, writer’s notebook. This notebook now bulges like a well fed belly. -A notebook crammed with gathered thoughts, ideas and potential treasures to spark more detailed writing pieces.

It will gradually cease to be my travelling companion. As my new notebook begins to fill, it will reach a point where it will contain sufficient content to travel solo. The retired notebook will continue to play an active role in my writing life though. It will join an ever expanding library of notebook that I periodically revisit and reread. I am conscious of the vital role rereading plays in informing my writing ideas. It is from reading old entries new ideas frequently emerge. I will adopt the role of treasure hunter while I reread. It will be a reunion with an old friend.
My completed notebook





Comments

  1. elsie30 October 2013 at 08:07

    I love the image of the notebook filled like a well fed belly. I envy the rhythm you have with your notebooks. I have yet to develop that rhythm. I have notebooks but they are not my constant companion who holds my thinking/observing. I need to be more intentional in collecting my words. Thanks for sharing, you push me to try a bit more.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Linda B30 October 2013 at 09:58

    I enjoy looking at my old notebooks, too, and find surprises often, or they call me back into old times. Nice to hear, and see, about your old friend, and wonder what the next one will hold.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Anonymous30 October 2013 at 11:06

    If the cover is an indication of the pages inside, I think when you reread as a treasure hunter your search will uncover some gems. I like the photo of your notebook... I think it's great that it says "just listen" and "U turn permitted." I like the strip of photos at the bottom. I wonder what the D in the circle means and why there is a bar code.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Stacey Shubitz30 October 2013 at 11:20

    The notebook you're giving up is like a traveling companion: worn and trusted. Moving to a new one always gave me pause. I can relate to that sad feeling, but yet there is so much to look forward to with the next one.

    I recently started using digital writer's notebooks with Noteshelf. I'm wondering if I keep it up and don't go back to paper, do I run the risk of losing the feeling of never finishing another notebook again?

    ReplyDelete
  5. Anonymous30 October 2013 at 11:57

    You make me think that I should gather "by hand" instead of always on the computer. I hold new notebooks fresh and blank, afraid to soil them with messy work. I am inspired.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular With Other Visitors

Writing Opposite Poems

Image
 O pp o s ite  P oem s In his book, ' How To Write Poetry,'  Paul Janeczko presents the idea of opposite poems. Paul suggests they could also be referred to as antonym poems. This is wordplay and it's fun to try. Here are some examples Paul provides to help us see very clearly how these short little poems work. I think the opposite of chair Is sitting down with nothing there What is the opposite of kind? A goat that butts you from behind Paul Janeczko You will  notice the poems are written in rhyming couplets. They can be extended so long as you remember to write in couplets. Paul shows us how this is done. What is the opposite of new? Stale gum that's hard to chew A hot-dog roll as hard as rock Or a soiled and smelly forgotten sock You might notice that some of Paul's opposite Poems begin with a question. The remainder of the poem answer the question posed. Opposite poems are a challenge, but it is a challenge worth trying. Not every thing has a
Read more

Writing About Reading - Reading Reflection Journals:

Image
UPDATED February 2022 Writing in response to literature can be a great way for students to organize their thoughts, explore what they think, and generate ideas. One of the strengths of writing in journals is that it allows students to capture all of those great ideas that generally float off into the air during the discussion.  Journal writing can also become drudgery if students are asked to write too often, given little choice or inspiration in what to write, or if they simply don't have anything to say. While some students eagerly share their impressions about selections they have read in class discussions, others are less comfortable and keep their thoughts to themselves. In an effort to encourage all students to think more about what they read and confidently share their observations and opinions, some teachers are turning to the reading reflection journal and are gaining insights they never anticipated.  The Value of Reflection Journals   Journals assist teachers to gain i
Read more

Learning How to 'Zoom In' When Writing

Image
It is important for young writers to understand that not all parts of a story are equal. There are parts through which a writer moves quickly, and important parts where the writer slows down and lingers a while. This is where the writer might intensify the action or reveal the character’s reactions in greater detail. Young writers need to know that this is a deliberate strategy on the part of the author. The author consciously zooms in. The writer uses a magnifying glass to view a part of the story more closely; to focus on a moment and to slow down time. When an important part of the story is enlarged upon, it   is a signal to the reader, that this part of the story is important. The strategy of ‘zooming in’ goes by many names: ‘exploding a moment’ ‘magnifying a moment’, ‘hotspot’ ‘snapshot’, ‘adding detail’ or ‘slowing the action.’  What ever the name, the idea is the same. The author writes in a way that expands a significant part of the story with the intention of drawing t
Read more

Answering Questions Posed by Young POETS

Image
UPDATED, May 2020 As a frequent visitor to schools I have the great pleasure of working with groups of young, enthusiastic poets and their teachers. When I arrive in a classroom, young poets are often pre-loaded with questions, and most keen to have them answered.  I try to answer as many as I can, but we frequently run out of time, and the poetry caravan moves on to the next classroom. So I am here to answer some of those questions -right here, right now. So here goes: When you were little did you love writing? The short answer is yes. I have always enjoyed words and language. I can't recall a time when I wasn't doing some kind of writing. When did you write your first poetry book? I have had poems published over the years, but it wasn't until 2014 that I had an entire book of poems (an anthology) published. When I looked back through all my notebooks I realized I had hundreds of poems from which to choose. So, 'Searching For Hen's Teeth-Poetry From The
Read more

Slice Of Life Story-The Trials Of A Left Handed Writer

Image
Amazingly I learnt to write using my left hand. An achievement against the prevailing beliefs of the day. My very first teacher saw it as her mission in life to ‘fix’ the poor, wretched little boy suffering from what she clearly diagnosed as left handed disease. She must have thought, 'This child must be re formatted! If he remains left handed he will be forever condemned to writing in a scrawl that no one will be able to read. Ugly hand, ugly hand.' ...They tried to say it couldn't be done, it mustn't be done. They took the pencil out of my left hand and placed it in my right hand. It felt unnatural. It felt weird. It was not right. More to the point it was not left. I was not about to conform. At least they didn't try tying my hand behind my back. Watch me I said. I may be an oddball, left handed scribbler but I am a determined oddball. I mean how boring would the world be if everyone wrote with their right hand? So I dug my toes in –and my hands to
Read more