by Elizabeth Ducie

Created on: October 07, 2007

Let's start with the where. Where are you going to write this journal?

Traditionally, a writer's journal is a book that can be carried around easily. It should be small enough to fit into a pocket, handbag or attache case, but large enough to get enough words on a page. For some, it needs to be a beautiful article in its own right - leather-bound, expensive feel to the paper; for others a child's exercise book will be enough - it's the contents that matter, not the carrier.

Nowadays, many writers never put pen to paper in the traditional sense; everything goes straight on to the laptop via the keyboard. This causes logistical problems - what happens if that brilliant idea strikes while you are on the subway or in the doctor's waiting room? Unless you are adept at using a blackberry, a physical book is a necessary intermediary between brain and keyboard.

Now for the what. What should be written in this journal?

The simple answer is anything and everything. Not 'I got up, did my teeth and had breakfast' but snippets of conversation overheard (like the businessman I saw in the bus at the airport, ringing home to ask his wife to take the clothes out of the tumble dryer), interesting sights that you might want to use at some point (like the nun playing the dulcimer during Mass in Notre Dame in Paris), sudden ideas for stories. These jottings, like dreams, need to be captured at the time or they will get lost.

Don't worry if the journal is not neat and organized. It's the raw material from which the finished article will appear. If you are a control freak or a perfectionist, you will probably want to keep tidying up your notes. Resist the urge; it's wasting good writing time.

Some people have different notebooks for different purposes; others just use different sections of the same book; some just throw it all together and work it out later. Try it all ways - see what works for you. The most important thing is to write, always write.

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