I enjoy writing in a notebook or journal and my favorite are Moleskines. These days you can get cheaper version where you have inside pockets and elastic strap to keep all the pages together. I've found a version in Sainsbury's for half the price and are great to write in. Do people still buy them or buy them as gifts for others? As I am hard to buy for, this is one gift you can never go wrong with for me as long as the color isn't too bright.
My favorite version is from a company in South Africa: Scholar Manuscript Book A5. It is described as having sections sewn for extra strength. Its by a company called Feint and Margin. They are not expensive but once you buy them I do not think you would ever want to use anything else. I buy the 192 pages one, not sure how many varieties there are but I have seen pocket sized as well as larger.
I buy my notebooks and journals at TJ Maxx or Marshall's because they have cool notebooks by Kate Spade or Jonathan Adler for a fraction of what they would cost at a department store.
I have several notebooks that I use for different purposes. In my job, I still like making notes by hand instead of using my computer. That way I have more time for my clients, and they often tell me that it makes them feel more connected with me, which is an important factor in my work. I also have a notebook for all my appointments, as a backup to my computer files, and a diary in which I like to draw and write down my thoughts.
I wish someone would give me a Moleskine as a gift, hahaha. But maybe it’s not such a great idea, because I only use notebooks semi-frequently. I enjoy collecting cute ones (my favorite is a Yoga Cats spiral notebook), but I used to let them accumulate and then never write in them. I’ve filled a couple up since then, usually with creative writing and ideas along those lines.
Well as someone who is fond of writing, I sure wouldn't mind receiving notebooks as gifts. You have to be cautious when gifting someone with a notebook because not everyone has an interest in writing. They might prefer something more flamboyant or mundane. Little kids are particularly receptive to notebooks, though, so if you give them one, they'll be able to develop a fondness for writing. This was what happened to me in the past. My grand aunt gave me a blank notebook made from recycled materials. I thoroughly loved it and it became my first official diary slash journal.
To be honest I don't really buy notebooks or journals that often, but I do like using one for either writing down ideas or random thoughts that I have sometimes. I usually just end up using ones that are laying around, usually as gifts or ones that you receive while at conferences or at events.
If you look back in history with authors old notebooks it's amazing. I saw an exhibition with David Bowie's old notebooks of the original lyrics for most of his early work. Some of the lyrics were crossed out and others changed around. Just imagine seeing Shakespeare's notebooks, they would be worth a fortune and also fascinating to read.
I agree, writers’ notebooks are utterly fascinating. Back when I was more active on Tumblr, I think I had a tag dedicated to scans of notebooks from some of my favorite songwriters. I definitely reblogged quite a few posts of that nature. I’d even go so far as to say it’s a big part of why Manic Street Preachers are my favorite band; Nicky Wire never hesitates to share various parts of his writing process, as well as other writings outside of the band. Personally I’d love to read Tom Robbins’ notebooks. Boggles my mind how he comes up with some of the stuff he does.
I love receiving notebooks/journals as gifts. I love writing down stuff. Aside from my daily journals, I write down quotations I like, words that catch my eye, schedules, to-do lists, etc. I also like collecting cute notebooks.
I think some of my family members still like receiving physical notebooks or organizers, and I also find them very nice to have, although admittedly I don't really use them much and I don't think they do either. It's why I don't think it's very practical to buy any of us notebooks anymore since we end up just leaving them to collect dust pretty much.
I have a bad habit of collecting notebooks I don't even need. I have a thing with notebooks and journals that makes me want to buy it if I find it adorable or nice. The sad thing is, it just end up blank since I don't have a lot of thing to write. I make notes with my phone since that's handy. I just recently used my old planners as a notebook where I can list random ideas to search on the net and read about. I also jot down notes of infos I get on the internet that I think I would need in the future.
My mother does that! She uses old diaries as a notebook and journal as she doesn't like to waste them. I have found it's nicer to go back and read what you have written, rather than what you have typed because when you write, you can add the colloquialisms and expressions that you can't do online. It also encourage me to think about my spelling, because when you use spell check too often, you get lazy and forget.
It's nice to know that someone else does that too! Now I don't feel that weird. hahaha! I've had my old planners organized, 2012 planner is for quotes I've read in books, seen in movies or in the internet, 2014 is for journals while I used my 2013 planner to take down notes for a certain class.
Hehe H C Heartland, it's so funny you should say that! I also like those and have used them for the longest time. They're very durable and have many pages. But because I love to mix it up, I also get different types, of different styles and colours. For some reason, I just have this thing for stationary LOL
