For Christmas, I really wanted a Moleskine journal. I’m not sure anyone understood why because, 
well, it’s blank paper. BUT, my mother came through and bought it for me – which I had an idea she would because she called me the other day and said, “So, if you were going to buy a journal for someone, would you buy the three pack of smaller ones or the one bigger one?”
I got the bigger one. ;-)
Why am I talking about this, you may ask? Until this point, I’ve done all brainstorming, writing, etc. on the computer. Last night was the first time I’d actually taken pen to paper to forumlate ideas. I’d been struggling because I knew I had some glaring plot holes and I couldn’t figure out how to fix them. Well, within 15 minutes I had all of them sewn up, just by writing it down, playing with different things, etc. It was so empowering!
So my suggestion to anyone who may be stuck is to write it out – not type it out. It really helped me, anyway!
Hope everyone had a wonderful holiday! Time to start thinking about those 2010 resolutions!
Yay! You have the one I love. :) I’m so glad it worked well for you! I need to look and see if I have another blank one. I do need to write some stuff out in hope that it works better than the typing I’ve been doing. :P
I do all of my planning by hand. There’s something about putting pen to paper that really forces you to see an idea through to the end. :)
I’m glad that its working well for you! I’m currently using a moleskine notebook (the big one with lined pages) and I really like the texture of the paper. Part of the writing by hand process is discovering what feels best–the right paper, the right pen, etc.
I’m on the hunt for a good pen, next! Any suggestions?
I need a good pen too– let me know what you find! (My notebooks are all super exciting “made from recycled materials” college rule from Walmart :) ).
For pens, I swear by the Pilot Precise V5 Rolling Ball in Blue. The tips are extra fine–perfect for those with small hand writing like me! I do my journaling exclusively with these pens (and I have for nearly two years). They last for several months and I’ve never had a problem with the pens just not writing.