But what’s important in choosing a journal? A huge component is to physically get off the
couch, go to a bookstore, and choose one. Don’t do it online. All a website
can give you is a photo of said journal. In a bookstore, you can pick it up and open it. You can feel the texture of the paper. I’m rather picky about the paper in my
journal. I like lines, because otherwise
my writing goes all over the place. And
I prefer a matte finish to the paper. In
fact, the closer to a natural paper texture, the more I like it. I love pens with big, chunky tips (0.7 mm or
larger), and a soft matte paper allows the ink to settle on the page without
smearing the instant the book closes.
I
would never dream of picking the first blank book I saw. I always ask myself, “do I like this
book? Do I want to hold it and
manipulate it?” If I don’t like the feel
of it, or if the answer to those questions is no, then that book goes right
back on the shelf. Interestingly enough,
the journals I’m currently using are actually refills. They have a simple cardboard cover, and they
are only a few dollars to replace when I fill one up, but I love the paper in
them!! I have lofty ideas of finding an
expensive leather cover or beautiful artistic sleeve for it, but for now, I’m
perfectly happy with my plain brown book.
Summer Jayne is an author and avid journal writer in the Boston
area. When the economic crisis of 2008
hit, she was unemployed for nearly two years. She turned to writing to combat the unending boredom from being
home-bound, ultimately creating the novel Lioness (April 2009) available on Amazon. She
works as a chemist by day for a local medical device company while pursuing her
second novel in her spare time. She
currently resides with three roommates, three cats, and a pile of student
loans.
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