Notebooks

Chris here again for Day Four of my guest spot on the Orca Blog.

Part of back-to-school preparation is shopping for school supplies. Shopping for school supplies means hitting the stationery or office supply section of the store. I have a confession to make. I love the office supply section. I even love office supply stores more. (I know love is a strong word, but not too strong in this case.) Some people go gaga over power tools, electronics, or clothing. (I won’t mention books, as this is a very healthy form of gaga.) But for me, it’s office supplies—notebooks in particular.

I’ve collected a variety of shapes and sizes of notebooks over the years. It’s always a dilemma between having a notebook small enough to carry comfortably in your pocket or pack and having it large enough for the practical purpose of writing. My current coil bound notebook is 22.8 cm x 15.2 cm and contains 300 pages. I think I’ve finally found the perfect compromise between portability and practicality.

Notebooks may seem like a rather trivial matter to obsess over, but I’ve talked to many a writer who won’t leave home without one. The first writer I met who was near and dear to his notebook was mystery writer Eric Wilson. Attention to detail is critically important in mystery writing, so a notebook is a vital component of his writing process.

A few days ago, I was paddling my kayak on Swan Lake just north of Vernon. Half way around the lake, this great idea thundered into the forefront of my mind. Knowing my Swiss cheese memory, I had to write the idea down or lose it. Out of the drybag I hauled my trusty notebook. There I was, bobbing about in the middle of the lake, madly scribbling the idea down before it vanished forever. Admittedly, I got strange looks from a passing four-man rowing team, but saving the idea was worth it.

This may sound sort of schmaltzy, but getting into the habit of carrying a notebook around has heightened my sense of observation. The more I write, the more I notice the subtlety of details around me in daily life—the phrasing used in a conversation, body language, the idiosyncrasies of clothing, and on and on. And when I see something really good, I’ll jot it down right away in my 22.8 cm x 15.2 cm notebook.

Speaking of back-to-school shopping, I’d also like to talk about how important it is for writers to have matching Barbie lunch kits and pencil cases, but that’ll have to wait for another time.

Until tomorrow,
I remain,
Chris