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#AtoZChallenge, #productivewriter, A to Z Challenge 2018, A-Z Blogging Challenge, behind the scenes of writing, lessons in writing, writer's life, writerly insecurities, writing, writing tips
N is for Notebooks.
*This post has moved to a new home: http://www.ronelthemythmaker.com/notebooks-and-other-things-for-writing/
Ronel the Mythmaker 
Don’t be stymied by somebody else’s ‘should.’ (Though you should floss your teeth. Yeah, keep your teeth.) But on the matter of writing, as the Mythmaker says, how you get it done is not what matters. What matters is, getting it done. Nice post, Ronel!
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Thank you 🙂 Yeah, you should definitely keep your teeth.
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Pretty notebooks *grabby hands
I love that you draft by hand. I like hand drafting as well. Every time I get stuck, I pull out the pen and paper. I also love that you advise against sharing word counts on Twitter. It always comes across as bragging and just seemed in poor taste.
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Thank you, it’s my latest haul 🙂 Sharing word counts is a popular pastime during NaNo — but I agree that it comes across badly. Thanks for stopping by.
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Ronel,
Very good, sound advice to keep one focused on writing. I am feeling more inspired to keep a journal and in fact, I began jotting some thoughts down this weekend. It’s hard to get into the mindset of doing this but this is something I’ve wanted to do for years but never got off the ground with it. Maybe, my timing has arrived and I’ll stick with it this time. Thanks for the encouragement. Everyone needs it and instead of being made to feel their approach is wrong but praised for putting words down on paper or screen. What works for one may not work for another and I say, keep on keepin’ on! 😀
Curious as a Cathy
iPad Art Sketch ‘N’ is for Naptime for Baby
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Thanks, Cathy. Keep writing!
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There is a lot of truth to this post. It’s tempting to think if we collect the tech accouterments, we are now a writer. Me, I was forced into it first by interest (I am a tech teacher) and then by RA (rheumatoid arthritis). When I can no longer type, I’m moving smoothly into audio!
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It’s great that you adapt to your circumstances and rise above them 🙂 My great-grandmother had RA and I can still remember the difficulty she had with her hands — makes my carpal tunnel look like a scratched knee in comparison.
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Hi Ronel – interesting to read … it’s coming up with one’s own system isn’t it … and adapting to what might suit one … eg what Jacqui suggests above -cheers Hilary
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Thanks for stopping by, Hilary 🙂
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I agree you are inspiring. A great post I enjoyed reading. I do have notebooks I use for mind mapping and notes and sometimes a scene or two but never actual wrote out a whole first draft by hand.
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Thanks, Juneta 🙂 I think why writing it by hand works so well for me is because there aren’t any distractions — my mind jumps from one thing to another just too quickly and writing with a pen, focusing on the page, keeps me anchored. Thanks for stopping by 🙂
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Loved reading this post. Liked your writing process and the tips you have shared. Your collection of notebooks is awesome. I like the one with flowers.
While I used to write in my notebooks earlier, now it’s only laptop for me 🙂
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Thanks, Shilpa 🙂
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I love a good notebook to write in, still keep my journal in a hand written notebook – that and a good quality pen to write with.
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A good quality pen makes all the difference sometimes 🙂 Thanks for stopping by.
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No favorite pen or pencil, since I’m constantly losing them. But I have a journal for every book waiting in my “To Be Written” queue. I’m up to 35 on my bookshelf.
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He-he. I have a few of that kind of notebooks too 😉 Thanks for stopping by.
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Great, great post! I loved it all.
Well, until I heard how many words a day you can do LOL Two years ago I went to an all day NANO write in at the library. I had my notes ready, I had a plan. I was primed to make good progress. And I did. 7,000 words. Which is WONDERFUL for me. Then two youngsters announced their word counts. Each was just over 18,000 – within a few hundred words of each other. WOW!
That’s ok. Although I haven’t hit 7k a day since then (you know…all those other things that you mentioned…) I’ll still be happy with my own personal record and I’ll be happy on the normal days when I get 2-3k done.
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He-he. That’s why I don’t share my word count anymore 😉 2-3k a day is a good and steady pace: you know then that your work will be done. Thanks for stopping by 🙂
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Ooh! Thank you for sharing your writing method. I enjoy reading about how other people write and what their writing process is like.
I have quite a few notebooks that I collected for writing back before I went on a hiatus. I’ve recently started carrying a mini-notebook to work, which is much nicer than writing on receipts and napkins. I have a second thin notebook at home that I’m so close to filling out.
Strangely enough, my favorite pens are usually the ones I find abandoned in parking lots. It’s like they know they have so much writing potential. They just need a second chance.
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I’m glad you enjoyed this post 🙂 That’s an interesting take on pens… I haven’t thought about it like that. Thanks for stopping by.
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Thank you for this post, Ronel. It’s a good reminder not to be intimidated. I write by hand, type, record… 😃
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You’re welcome, Anne 🙂
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I have *always* loved a notebook, be they practical or pretty, and I cannot help adding more to the pile. But I do use them. The current writing challenge is the first time I’ve used one for writing though, largely to capture discussions and ideas, but I’ve really enjoyed that and see myself doing it more.
A-Zing this year at:
FictionCanBeFun
Normally found at:
DebsDespatches
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Notebooks are so versatile — and they cannot be corrupted 😉
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Oh & thanks for the Pinterest link – now following, although not allowing myself to browse until April is over!
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He-he.
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Pingback: Expectations and Realisations #AtoZReflections 2018 | Ronel the Mythmaker
A beautiful collection of notebooks. I keep a notebook handy too. But I like to type out as I think. It makes it more convenient, saves time.
Cool tips though.
A-Z road-tripping
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Thanks, Priya 🙂
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