Reflections On A Lifetime With Writer's Notebooks

 I understand, not every writer has a notebook in the traditional sense, but many do. I am one of the many. My relationship with writer’s notebooks winds all the way back to September, 1983. I am approaching the celebration of a 37 years partnership.

Across the intervening years, my notebooks have been various. I have an extensive collections of notebooks. Notebooks documenting my journey as a writer across more than three decades provide a rich paper trail from which I am able to mine some writing wisdom.

My notebooks have evolved over time with respect to shape, form, and content. However, there are elements of that notebook/writer relationship which have remained consistently unchanged. Each notebook has been sturdy in its design. All my notebooks have had strong spines and hardy covers. Most have had ruled lines, but occasionally I have consciously chosen a new notebook with totally blank pages. I enjoy the variety such decisions bring to my life as a writer. Spiral bound notebooks have never been a consideration. They just don’t inspire confidence that they possess the qualities to enable them to go the full journey. Ask any left hander if they like spiral bound notebooks and they’ll tell you how annoying they are. It can be a tough life for a notebook. 

Each notebook has been quite transportable. They are required to travel with me on journeys of varying length, so they need to fit conveniently into a bag. Some of my notebooks have been quite thick- chunky even, while others have been somewhat slim volumes. Each notebook is a place where writing begins. It is after-all, a ‘writer’s notebook. Each notebook contain a multitude of ‘beginnings.’ Each writer and each notebook is unique. I have consistently promoted that belief through my words and actions. 

I have always viewed my notebooks as a place from which I launch writing ideas. The analogy of a launching pad is one I quite like. My notebooks are not merely used to begin thinking and planning writing, I actually write in that space. I expand on my initial thinking. All my writing projects begin here. I roll up my sleeves and write. All my published works began inside one of my notebooks. I have never felt the need to own a secondary notebook, or a draft book -a practice I encounter in some classrooms I visit. When I lift a writing piece from my notebook, my next stop is a digital platform –computer, phone, iPad. 

For me, the notebook isn’t just a place where I collect so called ‘seed ideas.’ It’s a place where my raw words emerge. Alongside lists, quotes, drawings, maps, and fragments of ideas, there are initial drafts, introductions, fragments and probationary poetry.  My notebook remains a designated place to practice my ‘writing.’ It is also where I experiment and risk take. It is here I engage in deliberate wordplay.  In this space I am also assembling memories of things I never want to forget.  My notebook is where my delicate ideas gradually develop. My aim is for them to grow into writing pieces. Pieces I can eventually lift into the full glare of public scrutiny.

My notebook is a tool. I employ it to assist me to become a more competent writer. It is not a 'workbook.' It is a book I cherish. I view it as a special place where I am constantly engaged in writing, reflecting and rereading. I go to this place eagerly. These messages I have just shared with you, I have shared many times with student writers. I always hope they will elevate their notebooks to a place where they have integrity and worth as a writing tool.

I spend a lot of time adding to my notebook. The more I write, the more likely I am to improve. Keep writing until the good words appear I tell anyone who feels they must write. The more time I spend writing, the more likely I am to find pieces with the necessary appeal to grow into more significant works. A teacher once said to me ‘It’s okay for you Alan, you have the time to do this.’ Well, no. In reality I make time for this because it sits at the heart of my teaching.

So, along with remembering to take out the rubbish and thinking about what to cook and going to the supermarket when it’s my turn and being there to help make the bed each day and a host of other shared household responsibilities, I quarantine time for writing. Everyone has a day of 24 hours. We all make choices. We all have priorities.

I write in my notebook almost daily. It is always close by, just in case a potential idea bobs up unexpectedly. I strive to give voice to my writing ideas every day. The more time I spend in generating thoughts and ideas for my writing, the more likely they are to present themselves. 

Over the years I have developed a keen eye for observing my world. I am well supported by my ever alert senses. I am a scanner, a logophile, a gongoozler, an active listener, a living, breathing image catcher.

I must ensure I apply these acquired understandings and beliefs about notebooks to my teaching.  The notebook behaviours and processes I have developed over these many years have become integral to my engagement with teachers and student writers alike. Each time I enter a classroom I need to bring these collected understandings with me. Writing is essentially problem solving. I am able to share my various responses to these writing problems. Writing entries of any size- long short, a single magic line, can be employed to teach an aspect of writing. 

My notebook is without doubt a most valuable teaching tool.  My writer’s notebook is consciously positioned as a tool for writing rather than a task I have been assigned. It’s a TOOL I use to confer, share, reflect and revisit. It can spark amazing collaborative dialogue & offer a paper trail of writing growth over time.
It is a form of portable magic.