Journal Fail

[oldmatekev]

I've been using (semi)hard cover journals for many months, size A5 in my bag and A6 for pocket carrying. I like the way they work and how good the paper is, but I think I like them as objects much more than as funtional note keepers.

My Espresso coloured Leuchtturm medium journal with a blue and gold Conway Stewart pen in the loop is a thoroughly beautiful object to look at and to hold and feel. I do like writing in it and I do like leafing through previous entries.

But for capturing a stream of thought or transferring ideas I find that it's completely out-classed by a keyboard. I know this is a highly personal thing, and the exact opposite of a lot of peoples experience, but that's how it is for me.

I'm a very experienced keyboard user. I can't claim to be a good typist, but when I get a thought going (such as right now) I can type faster than I can write, even though I write quickly. I use software that can sync over every digital device I use so my notes are always available and editable.
And I can go back and correct mistakes and insert words, which really helps me to organize and clarify my thoughts. Even with piddling little tablet on-screen keyboards, a phone is a bit slower but Swype for one handed use is great once you get used to it.

I thought I was on to something with my pocket notebook. It's a red Leuchtturm pocket with a Burgundy Parker 17 or 45 in the loop depending on my mood, and again it's a lovely object. I used it many times a day to capture quick thoughts, make lists, jot reminders, etc. Before I bought it I used Spirax No. 560 spiral bound pads that always looked tatty and rough after just a few days and the pages weren't big enough.

Then I got some Rhodia #13 pads and a vinyl cover and I haven't looked back. It seems to be the perfect size, have fully removable pages and great quality paper. It looks a bit industrial and the pen loop is so small that it only fits my Parker 45 pencil but that's been an unintended bonus. The soft 2B leads I like to use are perfect on that paper and it's re-invigorated my interest in mechanical pencils.

I was really hoping I would take to bound journals, I admit mainly because of the aesthetic, but they just didn't work for me. I gave them a good long trial but there's no point flogging a dead horse.

Are there any other philistines out there that just can't make some kinds of old tech work for them?

[Behike54]

I think this is a realization that has come BECAUSE of your use of journals, which in and of itself, is a good thing. I learn by trial and error more often than I care to admit, but I am probably not alone. People use fountain pens and they work for them for a multitude of reasons. I am more mindful when writing, especially using a FP. Throw in the fact that I am a good speller and a terrible typist, and FPs work for me in a way that has been missing for a long time.

 

Don't get me wrong, I don't think you need, nor am in any way validating your experience, but I am grateful to think about it and realize why and how a FP does the trick for the ADD-strained mind of mine that gets order and an opportunity to hone what is going on in the grey matter that floats around in my noggin.

 

Good post.

 

p.s. I think aesthetics and the ritual of FPs is huge for everybody, just not in the same way.

[Aurko]

I'm a fairly fast typist, and an accurate one too, but I still prefer the experience of physical journals. For me though, it's because I have more freedom structuring what goes where on the page, and I have more freedom to draw things and doodle around!

[de_pen_dent]

It depends on what i am trying to do. I write my magazine articles on a computer for the same reasons as you - if i am putting out something that is going to be a final, polished version for external consumption, a computer gives me flexibility. However, for generally organizing my thoughts, making notes, etc. I find computers absolutely terrible - there, pen on paper uber alles.

[oldmatekev]

I think this is a realization that has come BECAUSE of your use of journals, which in and of itself, is a good thing.

 

Exactly, and I'm glad I tried even though it wasn't a success.

 

I still write a lot at my desk at work, and use several fountain pens every day. Handwriting can't be beaten for convenience and speed for short notes, as long as the materials are at hand (even a finger in dust). It's just that bound journals don't do it for me. Looseleaf, tear-off pads, post-its, scraps of paper, it's all fair game though.

 

Funny thing is, I keep hand-written daily running sheets, often several pages long, and a desk diary for appointments and reminders. But I prefer to capture my longer thoughts by typing.

[oldmatekev]

I'm a fairly fast typist, and an accurate one too, but I still prefer the experience of physical journals. For me though, it's because I have more freedom structuring what goes where on the page, and I have more freedom to draw things and doodle around!

 

I hear you. It really is a personal thing, I find journals restrictive because the pages are fixed in place so 'permanant'. Not that it matters of course, no-one else is looking at what I've written, but for me that stifles my creativity.

 

 

It depends on what i am trying to do. I write my magazine articles on a computer for the same reasons as you - if i am putting out something that is going to be a final, polished version for external consumption, a computer gives me flexibility. However, for generally organizing my thoughts, making notes, etc. I find computers absolutely terrible - there, pen on paper uber alles.

 

I believe there's often a psychological effect where writing by hand helps to form thoughts into useful structures. But fingers moving over a keyboard has the same effect on me.

[cpark2005]

For me, as for de_pen_dent, I write articles, longer reports, etc., on the computer. I'm a very fast typist, and very accurate, so it just works better. I do a little bit of journaling, though only of a personal nature. For me, the fact that writing requires me to slow down is actually a good thing. It makes me process my thoughts more, forces me to think a bit more about what I'm putting down. Basically, it puts me in a different gear that I find helpful--though admittedly this certainly won't be the case for everyone. Keeping a journal has always been something I wanted to do, and having the added incentive of using my fountain pens has helped me to maintain the discipline when I might have given up on it otherwise. So for me it's a bit of a two-way street. To each their own, however.

[Bookman]

If it's been awhile since one has composed long passages by hand, then those neural pathways between the writing hand and the creative center of the brain, which were well developed in one's youth, must have lost effectiveness through nonuse and become bypassed and supplanted by newer ones created and developed during all the composing one has since done by keyboard. I'm no scientist; this is just my layperson's speculative take on how neural pathways work. I would suggest that those old pathways would become useful again if one spent a longer time in the reëstablishment phase.

[de_pen_dent]

I believe there's often a psychological effect where writing by hand helps to form thoughts into useful structures. But fingers moving over a keyboard has the same effect on me.

 

I dont think it is just a psychological - writing on paper gives me a lot more freedom in how i list my ideas/thoughts etc. using diagrams, charts, bullets, etc. I find that flexibility in structuring to be far more effective (yes, it can be done on a computer as well but not nearly as efficiently, atleast not for me).

[Polanova]

I use very nice A5 blank notebooks for journaling,

but for "creative writing" of any kind I prefer cheap ring notebooks,

because here I can rip out pages & it does`t matter how I write.

I also use it for when I want to compose a text for print - first I write a rough in analogue form before transcribing & editing it digitally.

[Aurko]

For me, as for de_pen_dent, I write articles, longer reports, etc., on the computer. I'm a very fast typist, and very accurate, so it just works better. I do a little bit of journaling, though only of a personal nature. For me, the fact that writing requires me to slow down is actually a good thing. It makes me process my thoughts more, forces me to think a bit more about what I'm putting down. Basically, it puts me in a different gear that I find helpful--though admittedly this certainly won't be the case for everyone. Keeping a journal has always been something I wanted to do, and having the added incentive of using my fountain pens has helped me to maintain the discipline when I might have given up on it otherwise. So for me it's a bit of a two-way street. To each their own, however.

 

I definitely have to use a computer for typing up longer things like academic reports though! Can't imagine doing those without the help of a computer. The ability to move everything around is absolutely amazing. I feel like the permanence of journals lend themselves well to freewrites though, and to brainstorms. It lets me continue a line of thought and go places with it.

I don't know if anyone else has a process like this, but my writing process on academic stuff is basically:

1. Brainstorm, Handwritten

2. Brief Outline, Handwritten

3. Rough Draft, Computer

3.5 Peer Revision (sometimes)

4. Second Draft, Handwritten (it forces me to be REALLY thorough as I transcribe it)

5. Final Draft, Computer (A final check for any mistakes).

 

For some of the REALLY long works though, instead of doing the whole rough draft at once, I do this for every two or three pages that I type. It helps me though!

[CoolFool]

I find that the way I'm thinking about something dictates the technology I use. I'm not really sure why, but when I am thinking in very general terms about something I am going to write, I prefer pen and paper - to jot down an idea that comes to me unexpectedly and even to create an outline. But when it comes time down to sit down and actually write the first draft, I go to the computer. Maybe you can find some aspect of writing that works better for you with pen and ink, so you can at least feel a little justified in writing the old fashioned way.

 

Also there's just writing for the joy of it. I enjoy, for example, writing out the works of Shakespeare in long hand. I find it interesting, relaxing, and kind of fun. I also find that I have a better grasp of the material that way.

[Algester]

I'm a fast writer than I'm a typist but I normally use my speed writing techniques when I write which is why I write faster than I type even when getting that "writer's high"

[slide13]

I, too, can type significantly faster than I can write, but that isn't always a good thing for me. With typing I have a tendency to become excessively verbose. Writing by hand forces me to cull my words to express my ideas more succinctly and eloquently than the train-of-thought mental dump that can be the result of typing quickly as the thoughts spring into my head.

[Hallel]

I, too, can type significantly faster than I can write, but that isn't always a good thing for me. With typing I have a tendency to become excessively verbose. Writing by hand forces me to cull my words to express my ideas more succinctly and eloquently than the train-of-thought mental dump that can be the result of typing quickly as the thoughts spring into my head.

 

+1 to this.

 

I like how I express myself better on paper than I do on a keyboard. I think you hit the nail on the head with this. There is no filter for me when I type, everything just comes out and then I have to sweep up and rearrange things. Somehow my thoughts come out clearer on paper.

[WateryFlow]

It may be an idea to type everything into a jotter on your smarphone when you're out and about, but use your notepad when you're at home, perhaps using it for journaling, learning stuff(writing everything out to solidify what you know), and random thoughts and ideas. Then amass all your notes into a central repository like onenote or evernote or whatever. That way everything is kept organised and you still get lots of time with your FP

 

I've tried using a notepad and pen when out and about but it just doesn't work for me.

Edited September 8, 2014 by WateryFlow

[Runnin_Ute]

I will often put it together by hand and then edit when typing. It seems to work better for me, when I do it this way. It seems much less efficient if I type up what I think I want, then edit as I go. A lot of time seems like it is wasted that way.

[tinysnail]

I, too, can type significantly faster than I can write, but that isn't always a good thing for me. With typing I have a tendency to become excessively verbose. Writing by hand forces me to cull my words to express my ideas more succinctly and eloquently than the train-of-thought mental dump that can be the result of typing quickly as the thoughts spring into my head.

This perfectly articulates why I love writing things out by hand! I have a natural inclination towards being overly verbose. Journaling and letter-writing by hand forces me to slow down and choose my words. Effective language often means being more thoughtful and economical with word choice!

[oldmatekev]

This is generating some good responses and I can see a few patterns emerging.

 

1. A few people use keyboards for certain tasks because of the editing capabilities even though they'd prefer not to.

2. Some people feel that keyboards can be too free-flowing and unfiltered, making their writing verbose.

3. A lot of people like handwriting because it makes them slow down and refine their thoughts before transferring them.

 

I like the idea of collecting thoughts one way then transcribing later, but I dislike more the idea of doing something twice.

I received 100 A4 sheets of Tomoe River paper as a birthday present last month and I don't know what I'm going to do with them......

 

I notice there's only been one response that vaguely agrees with my point of view, which is totally fine and kind of what I expected, but let's broaden this out a bit from just journals.

 

Has anyone tried something 'old skool' because it seemed to be more interesting or aesthetically pleasing only to find that it really wasn't that great after all and there's good reason it was superceded?

For example, a split cane fly rod that cost 10 times more than a carbon-fibre one but was traditionally made. Or Vintage clothing that looked great but was hot, itchy and uncomfortable.

[blINK]

I tried journaling on my computer and I just couldn't get into it. I see from the thread the advantages and disadvantages, but it just isn't for me.

 

My handwriting is terrible - always has been. But I get some kind of relaxation from actually writing. I use my computer all day for work. The break from it is a nice change of pace.