OLD POST ALERT! This is an older post and although you might find some useful tips, any technical or publishing information is likely to be out of date. Please click on Start Here on the menu bar above to find links to my most useful articles, videos and podcast. Thanks and happy writing! – Joanna Penn
Journaling has been part of my life since the angst ridden teenage years. I have written in all kinds of journals – hardback and soft cover, colored, patterned and themed. I have written bad poetry, catalogued loves found and lost and come up with many, many ideas. I write everything down. I am an obsessive note taker.
A few years ago, my husband gave me a Moleskine notebook and that was the end of my search for the perfect journal. I have used hardback plain Moleskines ever since. I get through 5-6 per year at the moment and have a cupboard full of them. I am a Moleskine lover and proud of it.
So what is so great about Moleskines?
- The plain white page in the plain black book means everything inside is precious. The book itself is functional and ready to be expressed into. There is no confusion here. It is a blank canvas for personal expression.
- The back pocket becomes a repository of memory. I keep scraps of paper and pictures and little thoughts in my pockets.
- I adore Bruce Chatwin. His book ‘The Songlines‘ inspired my own trip to Australia, and his thoughts on walking and being nomadic still shape my life today. He was the one who brought the Moleskine back from the dead. Read the history here.
- The brand has become synonymous with creativity. It is known as the notebook of Van Gogh, Picasso, Hemingway and Chatwin. It inspires creatives to be like their heroes. Moleskine itself tells a good story, capturing a history that has been reinvigorated by the company.
- People are turning Moleskines into art for sale as physical objects. Hugh Macleod from Gaping Void has this one.
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- There is a culture of sharing the Moleskine creations, a community built around pictures and videos as well as Moleskine hacks. Check out the video below. Mine aren't quite so artistic but they are very precious!
What journals do you use? Are you dedicated to any journal brand in particular?
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View Comments (16)
I, too, used to be an notebook junkie, always buying new ones despite the shelves and draws and boxes full of them. My journals to end all journal-hunting are the Clairefontaine notebooks and the notepads I use are Rhodia Bloc. I'm not a journaller, I just like to write much of my fiction in long hand, so it's not actually the shape or colour or binding that I love, it's the paper within, which is a delight to write upon with my fountain pens and many coloured inks. I have always loved the look of the Moleskine but, sadly, I find that most fountain pen ink simply beads on the page and sits there refusing to dry long after I needed to turn the page and blotting simply removes the colour altogether.
After discovering the Clairefontaine my addiction utterly disappeared - in a flash. Now I just make sure I always have two new ones on the shelf, replacing one each time I start one - quite the transformation!
Hi Danielle, That's fantastic information! My husband loves fountain pens and spends a lot of time trying different inks on different paper. Great that you found a combination that works for you. You're right about the Moleskine paper but I have found that I can use Pelican purple ink with my Montegrappa fountain pen and it works well. I'll tell him about Clairefontaine!
Thanks, Joanna
I'm currently using a Sheaffer 100 with Sheaffer Blue/Black ink and it writes like a charm on my Moleskine planner. I color code with inks, so my Platinum and Noodler's fountain pens work wonderfully on it too. Granted, I haven't tried flexing my Noodler's Ahab's Pearl on the Moleskine, but we'll see how that turns out. :)
I also keep one to practice my calligraphy in... I'm using a Sheaffer Italic Nib on that one with Sheaffer Black. The pen itself writes really wet, so I've had some issues with bleed-through, but not the beading you're seeing. Maybe my calligraphy writing is much slower and allows the ink to absorb before i move on to the next page.
You are right though, Clairefontaine is the go-to for Fountain Pens. Very smooth and high gsm count.
After reading this, I've decided to get one for my daughter. She writes but mostly she sketches. I see that Moleskine do hard cover and soft cover versions - the hard cover being 'traditional' but I imagine the soft cover is more easily carried and would just feel nicer. Do you have a recommendation?
I love my hardbacks with plain paper!
I do all my writing in my Asus EeePC netbook when I'm away from my desk, by the way - or I'd have one for myself. Living vicariously through my daughter is almost as good :-)
You're most welcome! If either of you are members of the Fountain Pen Network, I am Danisidhe there (same as on Twitter) do look me up - if not, it's a great source for info on both pens and inks (and procrastination)!
My husband is an avid fan of the Fountain Pen Network - he loves it! we are always getting shipments of ink and new notebooks! A healthy addiction I think :)
(I know this is an old post, but I found it as a "related posts" link!)
I like Black Rock journals in general--I need large spirals so I can flip them open all the way, and I like the elastic band that holds it closed in my purse. But my favorite is the one that has a matte black cover decorated with silver stars and it says "Shoot for the moon--even if you miss it you will land among the stars." I like the sentiment, I like the starry design... it just makes me happy to look at it.
I love getting comments on old posts! and I like quotes on journals as well. marvelous!
I'll use any journal, provided the paper is thick and the quality good. I do like Moleskines, though.
I've got several filled with story ideas, comics I drew, sketches, and I have a small one I use just to write down notes of stuff for my stories, comics, or songs I dream I will someday perform.
The most important thing of any notebook though is that it opens fully without destroying the spine and that the paper is acid free (if you plan to keep it). Should also use acid free inks if you're drawing.
Hi Joanna,
I too am Moleskin fan. I've been using them for years and have them stored away in boxes in chronological order.
I recently purchased an ipad and wondered how it would change my habits. Never fear, there is actually a Moleskine app for the ipad!
I still carry the real thing in my handbag, for now, but I'm increasingly using the electronic version.
Monique.
I'm shocked! A Moleskine app for the iPad - that's awesome. I shall go check it out!
hmm, i am against the moleskine ipad application. it defeats the purpose of pen to paper journaling.
I also love notebooks, paper and pens.
Generally I will get my journals from the Half Price Bookstore. They tend to be the same notebooks that I have admired or desired at the Barnes and Nobles but was not willing to shell out the money for at a huge discount.
The journal I'm currently using is made by a company called SpiceBox. It has nice lined pages with a built in ribbon bookmark. I tend to be biased toward notebooks that are lined, so my writing doesn't get all cockeyed down the page, and are of thicker paper.
I also love pens. I have a couple of favorite pens that I use that are big, metal and heavy with a foam grip. What is best is that they have replaceable ink wells so when the ink is used up I can get a refill and keep my favorite pens.
I have a ruby Montegrappa which I write with in purple ink, and a whole load of gel ink rollerballs in lots of colours which I love!