Do you keep a journal?

I kept journals on and off when I was younger, but as I moved toward adulthood pretty much called it quits.

My cluttered bedside table! I’m also reading Chris Hadfield’s book &Anne-Marie Slaughter’s essay in The Atlantic is below – it was so long I had to print it out to read it!

But when I left London a friend gave me a book called The Assassin’s Cloak: An Anthology of the World’s Greatest Diarists.  It’s pretty fascinating.  It’s a British book so many of the diarists come from there and I often haven’t heard of them, but it’s still a glimpse into the past, into someone else’s head, and into someone’s private thoughts which they may or may not have intended to have published.  Diarists include Andy Warhol, Queen Victoria, and of course, Samuel Pepys.

It’s the mundane stuff I find so fascinating.  Complaining about the price of bread, listing daily chores, gossiping about a friend.  It’s those little bits that give the most insight into another era.

When I found out I was pregnant with my son I started writing in a journal for him to read at a later date.  I thought he might like to know what he was like when he was a little baby and beyond.

You didn’t think I was going to show you a completed page did you?

And now, I am keeping another journal called One Line A Day: A Five Year Memory Book.  It’s good because each day is set so you can’t really skip one, and you really only need to write a sentence or two.  The way it’s structured allows for 5 years on one page which should make for some interesting reading as my child grows. Hopefully the ‘no sleep again’ entries will be gone in 5 years!

There are so many beautiful and quirky journals out there it makes me want to scoop them all up and devote my days to writing, but of course I have to be practical!  Of course, I have use for tons of notebooks (recording interview notes, pitch ideas, etc.) so I do have some reason to purchase notebooks in the future!

Here are some of my faves:

For all your most brilliant thoughts – from Calligraphuck at Chronicle (do you remember I did a post on them?

Write down those goals!  Carpe Diem Journal

I can’t WAIT to start writing down my sons insane questions and comments – this book would be perfect for that!  My Quotable Kid

The Moderns from Papier Tigre – three clean notebooks – one plain, one ruler and one squared!

Amsterdam Journal from Peony and Thistle – I’ve been eyeing these for a while…. def on the must purchase list!  I just love the colour/black and white contrast.

Botanical journals from Rifle Paper Co. at Papermash.  How pretty and delicate!

Flag Notebook (& Pen!) from Sarah Pinto at Brika – love the colours and you all know I’m a bit of an anglophile!

Small Kraft Notebooks from Night Jarbooks at Brika – love the delicate colours and modern print