Writing Substrate

Today I am going to talk to you about…

I’m not actually going to go over the entire “writing process”, which, as outlined in this project from 5th grade me is “prewriting, rough draft, revision, editing, final draft".

Let’s just tackle “prewriting” today. It’s by far what I have been doing the most of lately and the part I find the most interesting. Where do you cultivate your ideas? How do you find the seeds and cuttings that you will plant later?

The majority of my prewriting happens in composition books.

I go through about one to one and a half composition books a month. I used to use cute paperback sized journals, but those were costing me $10-$20 a month in writing substrate verses $2-$4 a month. The cut back is partly due to my Jack Benny style frugality, and partly due to the fact I really disagree with the writing advice of treating yourself to a fancy journal you’ll be so enchanted with that you simply must write in it. If that works for you, great, but I’ve only seemed to meet people who buy gorgeous journals and then hoard them for when they have something ‘worth writing down’ so they don’t ‘waste it’. I think people who write writing advice and push the fancy journal thing are shills of big journal, and big journal hasn’t approached me about selling out yet so- comp books.

We (the wifeguy and I) stocked up on composition books during back-to-school sales, that’s the best time to get ones with fun covers- but stickers and sharpies are available year-round if you need to decorate. If size is an issue, you can buy “Jr. Composition Books” which are half the height of the regular ones.

Here are my personal yeses and nos when using my composition books, after an eternity of figuring out what works for me.

YES:

• write daily

• try to write 3 consecutive pages without interruptions

• use gel pens in different colors (pretty colors make me happy. weird grape scented purple shimmer make me happy)

• crayon drawings to capture scenes, brief ideas, floor plan layouts

• crayon scribbles when I can’t form coherent words but have big feelings

• stickers (sparingly)

• journal entries, rough drafts, outlines, gratitude lists, to-do lists, recipes, painstaking inventories, rants, raves, petty insults, hopes, dreams, library book reviews, nature observations, diagrams, floorplans, bubble maps of conspiracies, notes on topics I am studying- anything that isn’t strictly on the NO list.

NO:

• self-deprecating or otherwise self-critical writing without self-corrections. (e.g. maybe I feel worthless, so I write “I’m a worthless piece of shit, I can’t even do blank.” That’s a valid feeling. However, I follow that up with. “That’s not fair and it is unkind. I am worthwhile and I can do these things. Here are things I am doing towards my goals.”)

• watercolor or anything else wet. I do not like to write on crinkly pages. (I have an art journal for this.)

• taping weird shit in. I do not like to write on lumpy pages. (I have a junk journal for this.)

• Unrestricted or over-sharing of my prewriting. Sometimes I share pictures of a drawing or two. Sometimes I go back and make zines or ATC’s using out of context phrases I find funny. Sometimes I take a piece to use. But I promise myself that the comp books themselves will never be “content”. No judgement on people who do use their journals as content, I’ve sold pictures of my butthole on the internet, we all draw the line somewhere on what’s too personal, that’s mine.

• Neon or otherwise illegible pens. I do not like having to use my blacklight to read my notes back.

• Spiral bound or perforated notebooks. I just hate them. No other reason.

I like to do all my prewriting by hand. It feels good and safe and nonjudgemental when the ideas are often still fragile and forming. I also just love how my handwriting looks.

Now, disregarding most of what I just said about pens and dry and cheap composition books- I keep a second notebook in the shower.

Yep. If I am really stuck on something, or I just get struck with an idea while in the shower, I have a weather-proof notebook and pencil that live in the bottom of the tub. The notebooks are cheaper than you would expect and last me a very long time (because usually I… write while dry?). It’s a lot of the things I hate in a journal- wet, crinkly, pencil only- and sometimes it’s just what I need.

Besides being particular about my notebooks, I don’t abide by a lot of other strict rituals. Often, I write at my desk with the cat in my hoodie, burning incense and listening to old tapes. Sometimes (rarely) I will use prompts or work through writing advice books. I take my notebooks to the nature park and library and cafes and friends’ houses. I flip through my old notebooks and look for ideas or reference notes, but I don’t really sit down and reread them. But maybe I’ll talk about how I go from prewriting to draft a different day.