Jump to content

Journal - One Type Of Book? One Fountain Pen? One Ink?


Juli407

Recommended Posts

Dear community,

 

I like writing my journal. Until now I use different notebooks - different sizes, different paper, etc.

 

Since a few weeks I'm not sure if I would like to do this in this way in the future.

I've got the imagination of a bookshelf full of journals - all the same back. How beautiful will this look!

 

But on the other hand... What about testing all the notebooks? And which notebook should I use? Maybe I can change every year - but use the same size.

And I like systems - like Midori, RoterFaden etc. - for EDC. But I don't like writing my journal in these thin inserts... But I love leather! And it's not really comfortable for me to write in my Midori/Fauxdori with different inserts for a longer time in bed or on the couch.

 

The next question: Do you use always the same fountain pen? Or maybe always the same ink?

 

I just wanted to ask, how do you journal?

Do you use the same size of notebooks? Or do you only use Leuchtturms/LIFE/Moleskines... maybe in different colors? Do you use only one ink color? Or one fountain pen? Or...?

 

 

Thanks a lot :)
Julia

 

 

 

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Replies 14
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

  • TSherbs

    2

  • Juli407

    2

  • inkstainedruth

    1

  • furious

    1

Only things consistent in my journaling is that I write at all and I tend to stick to A5 size, with a few A4 for research notes. Mostly I use Leuchtturm, but I have some Tomoe River journals on standby. Any and all inks I have inked up (usually 15 colors across 30 pens or so. No... I don't have a problem...).

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Took me a while to find my perfect journal but since then I use the same one every year. Excompta with a leather cover. I use whatever pen and ink is on my desk and inked up to write in it.

PAKMAN

minibanner.gif                                    Vanness-world-final.png.c1b120b90855ce70a8fd70dd342ebc00.png

                         My Favorite Pen Restorer                                             My Favorite Pen Store

                                                                                                                                Vanness Pens - Selling Online!

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I use 8 x 11 arc system and smaller sizes, A5 and A6 in Moleskine, Miliquerius, clairfontaine, leuchtterm, and others. I use rollerballs, BP, FP and pencils. I mix it up.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

After much trial and error, I've settled on A5 notebooks (Leuchtturm, Nanami, Hobonichi) and whatever pen and ink combo I have available and feel like using.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks for your answers!

I think A5 or B5 is the best size to use. But the pocket notebooks like FieldNotes etc. are really cute and tempting...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I use A5 journals. I like Rhodia although right now I'm using Seven Seas. Always blue ink, primarily waterman Florida (Serenity Blue) blue. Always different fountain pens. For my first few journals I used loose A5 sheets of paper then had them bound with leather! Vince

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Been journaling since 2007 when I reentered the world of FPs. All over the map as far as what size and type of journal and same for pen and ink usages. The beauty of journaling is that there are no rules. You do what suits you. Lately I have settled into a Midori-styled notebook but alternate between the two sizes.

I use lined and unlined refills as the mood strikes me. I have almost 50 pens inked right now and try to write with all of them frequently. That being said, I sometimes use several different pens on the same daily entry. I also have another passport-sized leather cover that I got from Pella that I use for a travel

journal.

Pat Barnes a.k.a. billz

Link to comment
Share on other sites

.....

I use lined and unlined refills as the mood strikes me. I have almost 50 pens inked right now and try to write with all of them frequently. .....

 

yowsah!!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I started in this little hobby of ours with one cheap Parker cartridge pen, merely to have a "nice" pen to write in a morning pages journal. I was buying journals that were pretty, but the paper wasn't all that great for fountain pen nibs. The journals were all over the map -- spiral bound, fancy beaded covers, hardbound, you name it. And they didn't stack all that well, or box up well. I even had one that was an 8-1/2"x11" notebook, but I quickly switched to a smaller size format because of how long it took to fill 3 pages every morning. Now that I know more about pens and inks and paper, I've settled on the 300 page Miquelrius journals with the leather-look covers, which are relatively inexpensive and I don't have to buy them as often (an issue when you're writing 3 pages a day pretty much every day). The paper is fairly FP-friendly, and I appreciate the minimalist look and practicality. I ordered 6 of them, in different colors; I think I'm currently working on the third volume since the beginning of last year (it just worked out as it happened that I started the first of the 300 page journals on January 1, 2015, after finishing up a 200 page one). I use the "medium" size journals, which are 6" x 8-1/4" in size (not sure if that ends up being A5 size).

As for pens and inks, that's where I can have fun: "Hmmm, what pen should I write with this morning?" (mind you, sometimes I'm not entirely awake when I'm making that decision... :rolleyes:). So, for example, this morning it was the Vac Red Shadow Wave and Waterman Mysterious Blue; yesterday was one of the Vectors, and Akkerman #10 iron gall ink. Tomorrow? Who knows? B) (Occasionally, I run out of ink in one or more pens in a morning, so the pages sometime get a little more colorful than I had planned for; usually though, it's one ink per day for the entries.)

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

"It's very nice, but frankly, when I signed that list for a P-51, what I had in mind was a fountain pen."

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have been using the long discontinued Exacompta Sketch Books as my journals for years and am presently on my last one :(

 

Thanks to FPN I discovered Tomoe River paper and the Seven Seas Writer, which I just ordered yesterday. Can't wait to start it out!

 

I use Field Notes for daily store lists, reminders, affirmations, etc. but all the heavy, deep stuff goes into the journal.

 

Regarding pen choice, I use whatever is handy and I generally start out with 4-5 pens per week. Usually a Sheaffer Autograph Balance, Waterman 52 or close variant, at least one "51", and a Conway Stewart.

Edited by furious
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I use the same notebook. I buy them 20-30 at a time, so I don't have to worry about running out, and I can write as much as I want to. They are CHEAP, 17 cents US, during the 'back to school sale' at Staples (one of our office supply chain stores) during the summer. OK they are not the best paper, but with M or F nibs, they work fine.

 

As for pens, different story. I have several pens inked at one time, and I will rotate thru different pens during the day, and even during one writing session. I start each pen off with a line; pen name, nib size, ink. That way, months or years later, I will know what I wrote an entry with, rather than wondering which pen and ink it was.

Edited by ac12

San Francisco Pen Show - August 28-30, 2020 - Redwood City, California

www.SFPenShow.com

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Each journal I've used since 1996 has been different from the one before. On one occasion, I had a beautiful, leather bound, gilt edged journal given me by a stepdaughter, and I was anxious to get through the one I was using at the time so I could begin writing in it. Imagine my disappointment to find that its paper was totally incompatible with any fp/ink combination I would want to use for journaling!

 

Anyhow, I don't use just one particular brand or style, but I have found that my preferred size is about an A5, and I really like to have stiff covers so that I can write in any situation, including handheld. I would much rather have a nice, wide expanse of desk or table, but there are times I need to write when that's not there.

 

I like the paper, and some of the various bindings/covers they've offered over the years, by Eccolo, but they are rather pricey, and I'm not sure worth it when compared to some others. Clairefontaine, Rhodia, others from Europe make notebooks of various sizes and configurations that are really good.

 

In the end, if you're not at death's door, and have the time to experiment, do it and find your own preferences. I'm almost 67 years old now, and I'm still looking, enjoying the search.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now


  • Most Contributions

    1. amberleadavis
      amberleadavis
      43844
    2. PAKMAN
      PAKMAN
      33494
    3. Ghost Plane
      Ghost Plane
      28220
    4. inkstainedruth
      inkstainedruth
      26627
    5. jar
      jar
      26101
  • Upcoming Events

  • Blog Comments

    • Shanghai Knife Dude
      I have the Sailor Naginata and some fancy blade nibs coming after 2022 by a number of new workshop from China.  With all my respect, IMHO, they are all (bleep) in doing chinese characters.  Go use a bush, or at least a bush pen. 
    • A Smug Dill
      It is the reason why I'm so keen on the idea of a personal library — of pens, nibs, inks, paper products, etc. — and spent so much money, as well as time and effort, to “build” it for myself (because I can't simply remember everything, especially as I'm getting older fast) and my wife, so that we can “know”; and, instead of just disposing of what displeased us, or even just not good enough to be “given the time of day” against competition from >500 other pens and >500 other inks for our at
    • adamselene
      Agreed.  And I think it’s good to be aware of this early on and think about at the point of buying rather than rationalizing a purchase..
    • A Smug Dill
      Alas, one cannot know “good” without some idea of “bad” against which to contrast; and, as one of my former bosses (back when I was in my twenties) used to say, “on the scale of good to bad…”, it's a spectrum, not a dichotomy. Whereas subjectively acceptable (or tolerable) and unacceptable may well be a dichotomy to someone, and finding whether the threshold or cusp between them lies takes experiencing many degrees of less-than-ideal, especially if the decision is somehow influenced by factors o
    • adamselene
      I got my first real fountain pen on my 60th birthday and many hundreds of pens later I’ve often thought of what I should’ve known in the beginning. I have many pens, the majority of which have some objectionable feature. If they are too delicate, or can’t be posted, or they are too precious to face losing , still they are users, but only in very limited environments..  I have a big disliking for pens that have the cap jump into the air and fly off. I object to Pens that dry out, or leave blobs o
  • Chatbox

    You don't have permission to chat.
    Load More
  • Files






×
×
  • Create New...