The Notebook Fetish
A noggin full of notebooks, an island in time, a perky polar bear, and a flight to freedom
Dear fellow writer,
On November 15, I invited Jillian Hess, author and curator of the fabulous Substack newsletter Noted, to join me for a lively conversation on “Writers and Their Notebooks.” Jillian is a professor of English at the City University of New York and the author of a recently published book called How Romantics and Victorians Organized Information (Oxford University Press, 2022) — in other words, a certified expert on notebooks and notebooking.
If you missed out on registering for the live event, you can now watch a video of the first hour by requesting the link here. WriteSPACE members can access a recording of the full two-hour event in their membership Library.
Below are some excerpts from WriteSPACE Event Manager Amy Lewis’ personal account of the event.
*************
This Special Event featuring Helen Sword and Jillian Hess offered a deep dive into the note-taking practices of some famous figures, including Julia Child, Carl Jung, John Milton, George Eliot, Toni Morrison, and Sylvia Plath, among others. Not only that, we also heard about the personal note-taking habits of both Helen and Jillian! It was so interesting to be exposed to new forms of writing and to contemplate how we can draw inspiration from other writers’ practices.
But what do we actually mean by notebooks? Jillian’s Substack newsletter, Noted, traverses the breadth and scope of this complex genre: drafts, annotated bibliographies, process writing, commonplace books, diaries, and more . . . . Exploring these forms can offer us a teleological reading of the writing process: that is, because we already know what a famous author’s finished work looks like, we can gain new insight into how they got there.
Here are some memorable quotes from Jillian and Helen’s conversation in the first hour:
“The commonplace book (or any notebook) can become the nesting place for incubating ideas.” (Jillian)
“Research on student note-taking shows you remember more when you write by hand because you have to synthesise the ideas as you’re writing. So, notetaking as a practice actually has a pedagogical power.” (Helen)
“It really depends on what you need as a writer. I think we all need different things from our notebooks.” (Jillian)
“For me, it’s the glide of the fountain pen on the paper. I have not yet found anything that can replicate that. The material pleasure of writing connects me in various ways to the pleasures of being human.” (Helen)
In the second hour, Helen and Jillian co-hosted a dynamic workshop that encouraged us all to fill our notebook pages with creative flow. What I personally found fascinating was the discussion that emerged, born from a tricky question: Why are we taught that clean and tidy handwriting in notebooks is better than messiness? And how can we overcome this assumption? By learning to love and accept our messy notebooks, can we also learn to love and accept the messiness of our early book and article drafts?
*************
You can read Amy’s full account of the event on my blog. Warm thanks again to Jillian Hess for a thought-provoking conversation and to the members of my wonderful WriteSPACE community for underwriting this free event. An annual membership costs just $12.50 per month and unlocks access to hundreds of premium writing resources, including videos of all my past Special Events. Why not do your writing a favor and join the WriteSPACE today?
I’d love to see you there!
Coming soon
Island Time Writing Retreat, February 11-17
Time is running out for you to grab your towel, slap on some sunblock, and join me for Island Time, my annual writing retreat in Aotearoa New Zealand at the height of the Southern Hemisphere summer. Come join me on stunning Waiheke Island — named by Travel & Leisure as one of the world’s most beautiful islands — for seven unforgettable days of talking about writing, thinking about writing, and making time for writing. I’ll work with you one-on-one to help you hone your wordcraft, fine-tune your writing habits, refuel your creative energy, and uncover new ideas. Your Island Time schedule will also include plenty of time out for restorative walks, swims, and vineyard lunches as well as productive writing.
Island Time runs from February 11–17, 2024. Click below to learn more and submit your expression of interest.
In the WriteSPACE
Weekly Wayfinder for Nov 27 - Dec 3
WriteSPACE and WS Studio members: Every week in the WriteSPACE Maproom, you’ll find a playful pomodoro timer to help you keep your writing on track, a featured writing resource to expand your horizons, and a writing-related challenge to sharpen your skills.
This week’s timer: Polar Bear - NEW!
This week’s resource: Writing through Uncertainty
This week’s challenge: Ease your writing anxiety
Not a member? Sign up for a free 30-day trial and check out all our great writing resources for yourself.
Other writing news
Walk with Hussain
Later this week, on November 29, 2023, Afghan writer Hussain Shah Rezaie will arrive in Aotearoa New Zealand as a permanent resident after nearly a decade spent living in limbo in refugee detention centres in Indonesia. His free Substack newsletter, Walk With Me, tells the story of his extraordinary life through poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction.
Our scholarship fund for Hussain has already reached nearly $6,500 in just a few weeks — but we still have a long way to go to achieve our goal of $25,000, which will help him into and through the university education that has been out of his reach until now.
You can read Hussain’s remarkable story here; make a donation here; and sign up for his free Substack newsletter here. Please take a minute out of your busy life to let this courageous young man know that he no longer has to walk alone!
Do you have writing-related news, events, or resources to share? Contact me with a brief description (50 words max), a hyperlink, and a high-quality image.
Spread the joy! Please encourage your friends, colleagues, and students to join me in the WriteSPACE, a vibrant, low-cost writing community with members in 30+ countries. As a WriteSPACE member, you’ll get premium access to resources, workshops, and tools designed to help you hone your wordcraft, sharpen your style, and coax your writing gently but firmly out the door.
Kia pai tō koutou rā (have a great day) – and keep on writing!
Helen
