Down-sizing the Journal to "Do-able"

Writers taking notes

What town was this… ??

(Do click on the above title to take you to read directly on site.)

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One of my earliest posts for The Unschool was to write about the need for a writer’s journal.

Journal-keeping: the foundational must for new writers and renewal-seekers

The piece goes into various forms of possible approaches to the journal, the amount of daily time you might spend, and the necessity of keeping one as a writer—that most of all.

But this post is a plea to just jot notes, no matter what… in spite of the busyness and madness of life.

After my recent campervan trip of six weeks, I stumbled over the following collection in the “notes” app on my phone:

—stayed at rather spectacular rest area, with exotic flowers in garden around metal Texas star. Light wind blowing. Perfect

—Balmorhea Public Library today. We’re only people there. Librarian eating LOUD crunchy snack… maybe to let us know it’s her lunchtime?

—shopped in a market that had a sign at cashier’s asking for exact change, claiming “national coin shortage”—who knew?

—two ravens pace, crying at the roadside

—a real hiker never asks “how much longer?” of a person coming down the mountain

—hiking Smith’s Spring—old house with “spring house” (all screened in) at end of trail. Built with rocks squared off. Intense labour

—McKillvery (sp?) Canyon. Six hour hike. Grotto with the elf-like stone figures inside at a “table.” I leave three pinecones on it for the boys. All nearby picnic furniture made of slabs of rock. Who did this? Gaudalupe Mtn.

—a piece of mica stone on the path gave me flashback to dad’s egg cartons of rock collection—how he loved to share those. Picking up reverently. Also saw lightest blue smallest snail on path… from where?

—Rozwell, “alien” town, where they say they found two dead ones… UFOs everywhere

—long two lane highway to campsite—guy in oncoming pickup gives two-finger prairie-wave as we pass

—Leadville—so many pink and purple houses! Who started this?

—I70 in Colorado—in layers, wrapping around the mountainside with bright red soil/rocks

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Many of these notes may not make much sense to you! For me, each evokes images and a memory that without the note would be lost to me. It’s unnnerving to read these and realize just how many have already gone from my mind! It’s possible something might have jogged one or two free at some point. But let’s face it: it’s unlikely.

My ageing brain does not retain. Though I might be fooling myself to think it ever did.

True, when I’m writing fiction, often bits and pieces come to me. Some—most—are complete fiction. Or are they? Are they such pieces, experienced at some point, seemingly forgotten, and brought back to the light… not as nonfiction?

I do find, after a long roadtrip, that I always wish I’d kept better notes: the actual names of the campsites, each trail hiked, grocery stores, names of town, the route—all those seemingly mundane bits. But travelling hours are filled, and I write both for my self with that writerly-vague notion of “recording,” and with the purpose of pieces for this newsletter or other bits to keep the coffers from being empty.

From last year’s extended travel I have a note that is simply “mannequin in phonebooth” with instantly conjures the image of exactly that, travelling a small highway through Oregon, seeing just that on a hillside to the right of the van, wishing I could pull my camera out fast enough at highway speed… but the image is snapped in my mind, and recalled with those three words. Someday, it’ll be in some work/story/poem.

On days when I’m stuck I revisit notes. It would be a struggle to still be blocked after reading such.

In the olden days, I kept a box on my desk for hand-written pieces. I still find the notes jotted in notebooks to be more creatively inviting. But younger writers—those who’ve not aged with shoeboxes—might not find it so, and the phone notes might be perfect. Or life as recorded on Instagram. The real trick is to know what works for you, and holds you from distractions.

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How do you keep notes?

Does it work for you to keep a stream-lined “journal”? Or is this quick note-taking a new thought/approach?

How can you envision working such minutes—that is all it takes—into your day?

This post is free so you can share it easily.

I’m attempting to do a bit of a paid subscription drive in a quiet way. But promotion can be… well, nauseating. There’s so much of it on all sides.

So forgive me.