Lori Wade explains how writers can turn a paper notebook into a powerful writing assistant.

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Want to Scale New Heights as a Writer? Here’s How a Paper Notebook Can Help

Do you regard the written word as your creative weapon of choice? Perhaps you’re filled to bursting with ideas for your next novel, short story, stage play, or screenplay — only to find the process of pushing keys and storing files an inhibition rather than an inspiration.

Maybe it’s time to start writing in longhand, a time-honored practice preferred by Neil Gaiman, Joyce Carol Oates, Ernest Hemingway, and countless other successful writers.

Here are four smart approaches for turning a paper notebook into your greatest creative writing ally.

Tip #1. Use Your Paper Notebook to Reduce Distractions

Have you ever found yourself fiddling with your computer instead of actually writing? Many software programs steal your attention, however fleetingly, whenever things like spelling questions or font options come up.

Today’s electronic environment also blindsides us with other, even more, serious distractions such as email, instant messages, and social media. Even if you work on a typewriter, you may feel oddly constrained by the mechanical demands of the device, not to mention the formatting requirements of different kinds of manuscripts.

By contrast, a paper notebook doesn’t make any demands of you at all; simply open it to a blank page and start writing. It can’t distract you with real-time communications or the temptation of the Information Superhighway.

Let your mind roam free and unencumbered, enjoying the wealth of new creative ideas and insights that emerge. While you may eventually have to use the appropriate typewriter tabs or software template for your final submitted draft, the blank or ruled pages of a notebook lend themselves to whatever format you prefer to use while drafting.

Tip #2. Use Your Paper Notebook to Record Your Feelings (Not Just Your Words)

A typewritten or word-processed piece of writing can appear strangely distant to you after you’ve poured your heart and soul into it, with its clinically-perfect characters and spacing. A preliminary draft created in this manner may leave you scratching your head when you come back to it for revisions, asking yourself exactly how and why you arrived at this or that line.

That’s yet another great reason to write your non-final drafts in a paper notebook, and ideally one made of recycled paper to lessen the burden on the environment. As you write, let your hand express your emotions — switching among giant block letters, tiny cursive print, or even different colors of ink. You can scribble addenda to yourself in the margins, cross out lines, wedge new lines into their place, or even draw pictures to get your point across. This extra information makes your paper notebook a valuable creative archeological tool.

Tip #3. Use Your Paper Notebook as a Portable File Cabinet

Many writers find themselves rummaging through various hard copy files of paper notes even as they’re writing on a keyboard. Why switch back and forth between two forms of media when you can contain everything in one?

You don’t have to buy a big, heavy notebook with multiple pouches to achieve this goal. Staples, tape, or paste can easily transform your notebook into a kind of creative scrapbook, a portable file cabinet that includes whatever news clippings, photocopied quotes, or random scraps of ideas your project may require.

Tip #4. Use Your Paper Notebook to Change Your Writing Styles and Habits

The act of writing in longhand can produce very different results from that of hitting keys on a keyboard. Most notably, a 100-words-per-minute typist won’t achieve anywhere near that speed with a pen — which can be a good thing. Because writing in longhand naturally takes more time, you may find that you’re spending more quality time with your thoughts and feelings as you craft those sentences, resulting in more precise, skillful writing.

Doing your writing in longhand also serves to separate it from other, more mundane computer-based tasks. Your daily writing sessions may take on the feel of a special ritual that helps you calm your mind, focus your attention, and prepare you emotionally for your creative work.

Your Next Great Creative Breakthrough Is Just a Notebook Away

Now that you see the astonishing new creative and productive floodgates a paper notebook can open for your writing career, what are you waiting for? Pick out your preferred notebook format, and let the genius flow from pen to paper!

© Lori Wade

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Lori Wade is a journalist and content writer from Louisville, who has experience in small editions. She enjoys creating news and conceptual articles about efficiency and productivity in life. You can find her on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter.

Hope you appreciate Lori’s useful insights!

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