How to Start a Writer's Notebook

Decide what style and size of notebook you want., Purchase a notebook., Personalize your notebook., Decorate the notebook with craft supplies.

4 Steps 3 min read Medium

Step-by-Step Guide

  1. Step 1: Decide what style and size of notebook you want.

    Notebooks come in a variety of sizes, from the small pocket-sized variety to large composition notebooks.

    Notebooks also come in both lined and unlined varieties—and lined notebooks can be found in both wide and college ruled.

    If you don’t want to use a paper notebook at all, you could opt to start a digital writer’s notebook by using documents or memos on your tablet, phone, or computer.If you’d like your notebook to be portable (in a shirt pocket or purse), a small notebook may be better.

    However, if you plan to be prolific and to fill every page with writing, a larger notebook may be more practical.

    If you’re notebook shopping on a budget, size will be the single factor that most determines the price—smaller notebooks, and notebooks with more flimsy covers are usually cheaper.

    If you plan to draw in your notebook, you may also want to find a notebook with graph-paper pages.
  2. Step 2: Purchase a notebook.

    Visit a local office-supply store or bookstore, as these businesses will have the most variety in notebooks.

    Look through the selection, and find a notebook that appeals to you.

    It can be a spiral notebook, a composition notebook, or whatever kind you like.If you write a lot, and don’t want to constantly buy new notebooks, consider buying a three, four, or five subject notebook, so you have ample space to expand.

    Buying multiple notebooks will also be helpful if you want to categorize your writing into multiple subject categories. , To make your notebook unique to you and your writing, you may want to divide the notebook up into different sections.

    For example, if you’re planning to write different genres, you could have poetry in the front, fiction in the middle, and your creative brainstorming in the back.If you like, these sections can be marked with adhesive tabs to make them easier to find.

    You can also personalize the notebook by writing your name in the front, doodling pictures when you’re bored, or taping in a couple pictures of you and your friends.

    Your personalization doesn’t have to be messy or showy; it just needs to make the journal feel like it’s yours. , This step is optional, but if you have something decorated, it often makes you more likely to use it more frequently.

    Visit a craft-supply store and purchase glue, and pick up some colorful items that appeal to you.

    Get pictures, gems, feathers, strings, whatever you want to create your own personal writing place to escape.

    You can also decorate the cover of your writer’s notebook with stickers.

    You don’t have to do this all at once; build up a collection of stickers over time (through visiting local businesses, for example) and use them to make an appealing collage on your notebook’s cover.
  3. Step 3: Personalize your notebook.

  4. Step 4: Decorate the notebook with craft supplies.

Detailed Guide

Notebooks come in a variety of sizes, from the small pocket-sized variety to large composition notebooks.

Notebooks also come in both lined and unlined varieties—and lined notebooks can be found in both wide and college ruled.

If you don’t want to use a paper notebook at all, you could opt to start a digital writer’s notebook by using documents or memos on your tablet, phone, or computer.If you’d like your notebook to be portable (in a shirt pocket or purse), a small notebook may be better.

However, if you plan to be prolific and to fill every page with writing, a larger notebook may be more practical.

If you’re notebook shopping on a budget, size will be the single factor that most determines the price—smaller notebooks, and notebooks with more flimsy covers are usually cheaper.

If you plan to draw in your notebook, you may also want to find a notebook with graph-paper pages.

Visit a local office-supply store or bookstore, as these businesses will have the most variety in notebooks.

Look through the selection, and find a notebook that appeals to you.

It can be a spiral notebook, a composition notebook, or whatever kind you like.If you write a lot, and don’t want to constantly buy new notebooks, consider buying a three, four, or five subject notebook, so you have ample space to expand.

Buying multiple notebooks will also be helpful if you want to categorize your writing into multiple subject categories. , To make your notebook unique to you and your writing, you may want to divide the notebook up into different sections.

For example, if you’re planning to write different genres, you could have poetry in the front, fiction in the middle, and your creative brainstorming in the back.If you like, these sections can be marked with adhesive tabs to make them easier to find.

You can also personalize the notebook by writing your name in the front, doodling pictures when you’re bored, or taping in a couple pictures of you and your friends.

Your personalization doesn’t have to be messy or showy; it just needs to make the journal feel like it’s yours. , This step is optional, but if you have something decorated, it often makes you more likely to use it more frequently.

Visit a craft-supply store and purchase glue, and pick up some colorful items that appeal to you.

Get pictures, gems, feathers, strings, whatever you want to create your own personal writing place to escape.

You can also decorate the cover of your writer’s notebook with stickers.

You don’t have to do this all at once; build up a collection of stickers over time (through visiting local businesses, for example) and use them to make an appealing collage on your notebook’s cover.

About the Author

A

Ann Simmons

Creates helpful guides on pet care to inspire and educate readers.

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