Writers and Their Notebooks

by Diana Raab (Editor), Phillip Lopate (Editor)

This collection of essays by well-established professional writers explores how their notebooks serve as their studios and workshops' places to collect, to play, and to make new discoveries with language, passions, and curiosities. For these diverse writers, the journal also serves as an ideal forum to develop their writing voice, whether crafting fiction, nonfiction, or poetry. Some entries include sample journal entries that have since developed into published pieces. Through their individual approaches to keeping a notebook, the contributors offer valuable advice, personal recollections, and a hardy endorsement of the value of using notebooks to document, develop, and nurture a writer's creative spark. Designed for writers of all genres and all levels of experience, Writers and Their Notebooks celebrates the notebook as a vital tool in a writer's personal and literary life.

Genres: Writing, Nonfiction, Essays, Journaling, Books About Books, Reference, Journal

218 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2010

About the author

Diana Raab, PhD is a memoirist, poet, essayist, thought-leader, and speaker. She presents workshops in writing for healing and transformation. She has a PhD in Psychology with a concentration in Transpersonal Psychology with a research focus on the healing and transformative powers of memoir writing. Her educational background also includes health administration, nursing, and creative writing.

She teaches two courses on “DailyOM: Write. Heal. Transform: A Magical Memoir Writing Course“ and “Therapeutic Writing.”

She’s an award-winning author of 13 books, and her articles and poems have been published and anthologized worldwide. She’s also the editor of two anthologies, "Writers on the Edge: 22 Writers Speak About Addiction and Dependency," and "Writers and Their Notebooks."

Raab’s memoirs include "Regina’s Closet: Finding My Grandmother’s Secret Journal" and "Healing With Words: A Writer’s Cancer Journey". She has 5 poetry collections, including her latest, "An Imaginary Affair: Poems Whispered to Neruda".

Her writing workshops and inspirational speaking engagements are based on her books "Writing for Bliss: A Seven-Step Plan for Telling Your Story and Transforming Your Life" and "Writing for Bliss: A Companion Journal".

Raab’s latest memoir, "Hummingbird: Messages from My Ancestors, a memoir with reflection and writing prompts" was released in January 2024.

She writes for Psychology Today, Thrive Global, Medium, The Wisdom Daily, Sixty And Me, The Good Men Project, and many others.

For more information, check out her website, www.dianaraab.com

Reviews

[Emma Sea · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very enjoyable! A wide variety of essays on keeping a journal, although I was disappointed for a 2010 book there weren't any on online journaling e.g. with Day One, although there was a very snarky one about blogging as a form of journal (the guy ironically blogged movie reviews from his cat's pov and came across as pretty scathing about the internet in general).

I definitely recommend to anyone interested in journaling, not just writers.

[Mark · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Scribbled Secret Notebooks, and Wild Typewritten Pages, for Yr Own Joy”
by Mark Chmiel

Inspired by Diana Raab, Writers and Their Notebooks

I read Raab’s book right about the end of my time at SLU. Moving on to Maryville University, I found a way to assign Natalie Goldberg’s Bones book in my Humanities classes—mandatory composition 9wide-ruled) notebooks. I also started teaching my own classes off-campus, typically with a writing (hence, notebook) theme.

1.
How can we imagine a notebook?

Some possibilities—
Warehouse (not a museum)
Treasure chest of thoughts and anecdotes
Place to collect ideas
Place to practice writing
Place to overcome writer’s block
Laboratory
Mirror
Icebreaker
Wailing wall
Junk drawer
Confessional
Postcard to oneself
Playground for mind
Jump-start cable
Memory aid
Archive
Anthology
Snooping device
Role-playing arena
Observation-sharpener
Survival kit
Meditation practice
Witness Stand
Therapist
Spiritual Advisor
Sound-board
Friend

2.
What kinds of stuff can we include in our notebooks?

Remarks overheard
Fragments
Observations about others
Dreams
Anecdotes
Patterns of feeling
Wonderings
Newspaper clippings
Quotations
Song lyrics
Jokes
Weather reports
Mundane details
Secrets
Minutiae of daily life

3.
What’s are ways of working in/with notebooks?

Always carry a journal with me
Diary = recording external events of day, what I did during the day’s 16 hours
Journal: journey of the day
Give my notebooks a title and a visual on the cover and back, like Hannah Urban
Review old journals and mark them up to find and use material for publication; find material to shape into an essay
Write without restrictions
Glue or tape photographs into the pages
Write wherever and whenever—write anyplace
Write for five minutes
Read what I’ve written
Write about what I’ve just read
Catch myself thinking
My job is to jot
Describe what I see wherever I am
Tell me more
Morning pages: anything goes
Reread morning pages weeks later, and notice patterns
Show, don’t tell
Write in notebooks at night when I am exhausted and my defenses are down
Add photographs like WG Sebald
Multiply 15 minute bursts
Musement = early morning automatic writing in prose poem form, try this for Palestine book

4.
What are some themes for notebooks?

Palestine Notebook
Dream Journal
Journal for working out my ideas on Ophir
Lexicon Notebook (favorite words, vivid words, two rows, 40 words a page, 200 pages = 8000 words)
Notebook on Favorite Books
Samskara Journal
Crisis Journal
Gratitude Notebook
Notice What I Notice Notebook
Novel notebook: collect scenes, characters, plot twists, clever lines of dialogue, outlines

5.
What Else?

The point of an essay: to “awaken the shiver of recognition” 74
Forget the question: What will readers think? Like Pat Geier said in 1985, “You can’t make chicken salad out of chicken shit”
Resurrect hand-written letters to friends
Meditate off of a quotation from someone
Add SR’s emails to Daily Log
Pose questions as an assignment
Story, or plot, is an outgrowth of character
Collect and use my favorite emails and Facebook exchanges
Print out a year’s daily log, and be ready to pay for printer cartridge
Read Sei Shōnagon, Pillow Book
Become cheerfully addicted to hypergraphia



–Title is a line from Jack Kerouac.

[Deb (Readerbuzz) Nance · Rating 3 out of 5]

Writers share the reasons they use personal notebooks, and they offer up selections from their notebooks.

The most compelling reason I heard for keeping a notebook is to have a place to write where you can feel free to say anything you want and to wander.

[Cosmic Arcata · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was looking for a book that would give me a lot of different perspectives about journaling. It was personal. It was fun!! I definitely will be rereading it. And it got my writing mojo on!! Thank you to all who contributed to it!!

[Christina Vourcos · Rating 5 out of 5]

Perfect for Writers!

As an indie author, I found this book very interesting to explore different ways to use notebooks. I use some and it was good to compare and get new ideas. Thank you for this amazing resource.

[Jovan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Finally finished this book! Woo! I liked it a lot. Very inspiring set of essays for the chronic journal keeper like myself. Time to apply all I've learned.

[Misty · Rating 4 out of 5]

Like most collections of essays, it's a mixed bag. Overall a very enjoyable read.

[Robin Mccormack · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book has been sitting in my shelves for quite a while and would dip in from time to time. Finally read it from cover to cover, highlighting and annotating. Will be copying highlighted portions in my notebook at some point. So many writers, so many different ways to use a journal. I have discovered that one journal, a catchall for all my thoughts, ramblings, and stories works for me. Many thanks to Diana Raab and the many others for sharing their thoughts. Will be working on all the questions at the end of the book.

[Khulud Khamis · Rating 5 out of 5]

As someone who has always kept a journal in one form or another, and as a reader and writer, I am forever fascinated with other writers' use and process of journaling. What goes into a journal? Character sketches, overheard dialogues, ideas for stories, quotes, descriptions of thunderstorms, doodles, words you like the sound of? This book is a collection of essays by writers, each one tacking the subject of journaling from a different perspective. Because there really is no one way of keeping a journal, and no one single reason for keeping one. Whether you're an aspiring writer, a published author, a memoirist, a person who keeps a journal, an avid reader, you'll find these essays delightful.

[Stephen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Various writers talking about their notebooks and the importance of keeping them. Personal insights and anecdotes, and some good advice, but I am in two minds about this. I read Roadl Dahl's Innocence recently, where his own reflections on notebooks can be found (republished). That was interesting, but set off against various other short stories in the book, so it had a context and was not overwhelming. This book probably just says too much at once about the importance of notebooks.

All the same, there was plenty of interesting content. Interesting mostly to writers, I expect - although perhaps interesting to anyone who loves any of the featured writers too. If that's not you, your mileage may vary!

[La’Saundra · Rating 3 out of 5]

When I picked up this book, I didn't realize how dated it was until well after I started (the clue being the discussion around blogs and how ultramodern using one's computer for journaling could be). Still, I love reading about journaling and despite all the books I've read on the subject, I remain eager to read more.

I loved reading about the role journals and notebooks play in a writer's life - that they can be a place to express their emotions and mine for ideas for future works. While I didn't particularly enjoy the essay from the writer who journals in her mind or the writers that seem to no longer see the value in keeping a notebook and see it as an exercise in narcissism and self-indulgence, it was interesting to see so many perspectives in one place.

[Christopher Madsen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I used to read books by writers on writing by the armload. After a while, it began to feel like I was walking over the same road again and again. This collection is no different but still interesting to get a glimpse into someone's creative process.

I also used to keep a journal but that's mostly stopped now. What I liked most about this book is that it made me realize others have the same questions about journal writing that I have. Is it narcistic? Is it just a place to feel sorry for myself? How can it best be used? Is it a waste of time?

[Nigel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not helpful for me, but might be for you.

A collection of descriptions of journal styles from various writers, and poets (if they are not the same thing). Very few actionable suggestions in what was not a long book. I can see that one of the included journaling styles might inspire, but I was left uninspired.
I had an impression that the contributors had written in a type of journal mode without editing. Editing would have helped but made the book still shorter.
Not for me, but maybe for you?

[Steve Comstock · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have two main genres of literary junk food; books about books and books about writing. More often than not, books in these genres are subpar and self-congratulatory. These essays surprised me. A few are subpar, but I found a lot of insight. As an avid notebook-keeper and writer, the essays gave me an interesting framework to approach my own notes with, but there was plenty of over-romanticizing of pen and paper to give me the MSG kick I wanted.

[Lyn Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting to read how the writers utilised their notebooks to benefit their own particular purposes. A lot of what I read here made perfect sense, some I would not follow, but at the end of the day the important message is in having something [notebook/journal/memo pad] handy to keep those special moments intact - the ones that sometimes lose their authenticity and relevance when we trust them to memory.

[Mike Kanner · Rating 2 out of 5]

Like anthologies, the essays were mixed in their value. Each author talked about how they used journals as workshops, meditation, and travel logs.

Grafton's essay was the most practical for fiction writers, while the others were more conceptual. It seems that poets were the most likely to draft later work in their notebooks. Essayists and memoirists talked about farming their own journals and the journals of others to write later work.

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a lovely book! I am the perfect target audience, I am, for some reason, obsessed with notebooks and journal keeping. Whenever a writer is talking about their notebook, I wish they would post pictures of it.
I loved reading all the ways those writers use their notebooks, I would be curious to see what they’re using now (the book came out in 2010), are they still analog or did they jump on the notes app bandwagon

[Medeia Sharif · Rating 4 out of 5]

This collection of essays had some pieces that resonated with me more than others, which is normal for any anthology-type work. I truly appreciated it, though. The authors explore their favorite types of journals, pens, and reasons for writing while sharing experiences that range from the personal to the professional.

[Dena · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's hard to rate an anthology like this. Some of the essays I would give 5 stars, while others I just didn't enjoy. Overall, it was really interesting to read of different authors' writing processes. This book helped me to develop confidence and organization in finding my own writing voice, and I'm glad that I read it.

[Lena Hopkins · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a pleasant and inspirational compilation of essays reflecting upon writers and their relationship with notebooks, journaling, and keeping diaries. It's a very casual read, but a breath of fresh air in writing craft books.

[Steve · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good Information on Journaling

These essays by different writers open a doorway to the many faucets of journaling. The essays don't need to be read in any order. Those who will find something worthwhile in this book.

[Ty G. Nelson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some chapters are more interesting than others. It really depends on the type of writing you want to do and how many contributors you connect with. I found the suggestions in the two appendixes to be helpful.

[Kristina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very inspirational.

[Jessica (thebluestocking) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed the vast array of journal writers assembled here. Most tellingly, it inspired me to journal myself, to write more creatively. That said, like most essay collections, I found this to be uneven. And it felt a tiny bit dated, both in its selection of contributors and the attitudes and references in the essays themselves.

[Pascal Vanenburg · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sommige essays interessant, sommige saai. Veel van hetzelfde.

[Jan C · Rating 2 out of 5]

Writers and some of their journals. I think Sue Grafton and that was probably the come-on. Never heard of any of the other people. It seemed to drag at times. Only vaguely interesting to me.

[M. White · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating and informative

This is a treasury of insights on the usefulness and value of journaling, which I found fascinating. I highly recommend it.

[Dian Burns · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very well written. Always interesting to take a look into the thinking of how writers create.

[shelby · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was so delighted when I saw my local library had a copy of this book. It's a very enjoyable read, not only for writers or die-hard diarists, but also for people who love words and love reading about writing. A few essays in here were too self indulgent and seemed too much like the author reminding you of a book they wrote or how successful they are--it gets quite snuffy with those essays. But other than that, some really wonderful pieces in here. Will really inspire you to start a journal of some kind, whether that be diary, writing journal, dream log, whathaveyou.

Personally, I think the book would have been better had it included a few pictures of the notebooks mentioned. I just love to look at how people style their notebooks; colors, spirals, stickers, handwriting, doodles, etc. It's magical to me.

[Robin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found wonderful company in this collection of essays about my fellow journalers. The variety of attitudes and approaches to the keeping of a journal was fascinating. Here are some:

- Diary/journal - A diary is a bit different than a journal, as it specifically provides an accounting of a person's daily activities, emotions and thoughts. It is more self-focused and time-bound than some other uses of a journal. Some of the essayists were very anti-diary, although their reasons didn't mean enough to me for me to remember them right now. You can probably guess. Most of the essayists seemed to think that there was some bit of the diary aspect to their journals. Some essayists were quite pro-diary as a way to document their state of mind during recovery during drug or alcohol addiction or major illness. In this way the diary also serves as a surrogate therapist. (Aside: Many of the women mentioned receiving small diaries with lock and key as children. Do they still make those? Are they still always pink?)

- Travel Diary - This is a bit different than the personal diary because it is more observational, focused on a place and its people. Certainly there is some self-focus since the best travel experiences cause us to reflect on our place in the world. But the travel diary is perhaps less confessional than the diary-diary. (Diary-diary is a technical term.)

- Writers Workshop - This was perhaps the biggest category for these essayists--no surprise since they are all writers. But even here the uses and approaches were different for each person.
* Writing starters/free writing - A means of loosening up and preparing for the writing work of the day.
* Drawing Board - A place to record possible ideas and scenarios that might or might not work their way into the writer's work.
* Exercise - Some writers gave themselves writing assignments that were carried out in the journal.
* Playground - Being playful and drying different voices, word combinations that again may or may not make it into the writer's work.

- Catch-All - A place to record quotes, bits of poems, overheard conversations, notes on story ideas, facts, news stories, questions to oneself, new vocabulary words.

I am sure there are more categories and sub-categories, but these were most relevant to my journaling experience. All-in-all a wonderful and inspiring read.