Category: Writing

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The Subtle Notebook

I finally bought a couple Subtle Notebooks from Cortex Brand. I won’t go into their whole deal; I’d like to just focus on this particular product.

I’m a notebook hoarder. I’ve always enjoyed having journals around, with different shapes, paper types, and cover styles. Admittedly, many of these are still blank, or only partially filled. Some of them have a specific use-case that has run its course (or has been extensively delayed), while others are too nice, too boring, or just don’t feel quite right for some things I have in mind.

I’ve had a few cheap moleskin notebooks I bought for work, and they have been slowly filled with notes, bits of math, and quick reminders. They’ve been great. However, my others have been languishing. I’m not a huge fan of lined paper for general note-taking, and it feels wrong to use, for example, an Italian leather journal gifted to me by my sister for random notes during a podcast.

Yet, I still bought two subtle notebooks after I saw my fiance had one. Its stitching makes it lay flat incredibly well, the cover is a pleasing soft-touch, and it has dot-grid paper which has become my favorite type over the past five years, eclipsing my previous preference for blank. After a few weeks of sitting on my desk, untouched, I finally decided they would be my writing journals. I would sketch out ideas, make any notes, or be a receptacle when typing into a computer doesn’t feel quite right.

It’s worked perfectly in this role. I’ll walk around with it in my backpack, and leave it open on my desk. While it’s a bit on the expensive side, and I can be reasonably served by other products, the fit and finish is superb, in particular the thicker paper that works with any pen I use, and how well it lays flat. So, the increased price is worth it to me, given how slowly I move through notebooks. If you’re in the market, give it a shot.

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NaNoWriMo 2021 Check-In

I’m nearly halfway through National Novel Writing Month. You can check out some more info, including a PDF of my semi-current progress, at the NaNoWriMo page.

This is my second time fully committing to this project. My first time in 2019 was pretty straightforward. I just let myself write, and really did not worry about the quality, or whether I was “finishing” the story at any point. This year is a little different. I planned out some ideas ahead of time, and want to use these stories as part of a larger project in the coming year.

When the month started, between the increased perceived value of this time around and some other commitments reducing the time I had available, I started off real slow. I didn’t write at all the first few days, and wrote on and off for the next week. However, I’m finally reaching my pace. I’m still technically behind in amount (based on approximately 1,667 words a day average), but the pace I’m keeping has me catching up in the next few days.

I’m happy with my output so far. I find my own stories intriguing, and I’m enjoying the process yet again. Having a consistent set of creative work really helps me maintain that flow, rather than reduce it. I’m excited to see where I end, particularly knowing that I’ll be revisiting these drafts over the next few months.

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Fall 2021 Writing Setup

Last year, I wrote about my writing setup. It involved a few different apps, and while I had a comprehensive process laid out, I just didn’t get myself to follow it consistently. I stopped using Ulysses, and went back to writing on whatever text editor happened to be available, or typing a quick post directly into my blog CMS. It was rather chaotic, so I’m looking to compromise this year.

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A Brief Encounter

I watch my shot glide to the basket on hole 18. It’s a short hole to finish the course, but treacherous. The basket is perched in front of a large boulder, and anywhere off a straight line to the basket is a precipitous drop-off.

My shot lands a little short, to the left, but on the flattest line down to the basket. It’s my typical safe shot. I hop off the tee pad and collect my things. As I begin walking down the path, a little tuft of fuzz catches my eye. It’s quite still overall, but the bits of fur at the end wiggle in the light breeze.

They’re mostly black, with a clear white stripe down the middle.

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Mechanical White Noise

I recently discovered that typing on a mechanical keyboard does an excellent job of maintaining my desire to write.

Typically I use a Microsoft Sculpt ergonomic keyboard when I’m working at my desktop. I bought one only a few months after moving to San Diego to use at work. Once my hands got used to it, going back to a standard keyboard at home didn’t feel quite right. So, I now have two of these split ergonomic keyboards.1

Despite how lovely my arms and wrists feel when typing on them, the keys have little travel and are awfully quiet. That is great for an office environment, and physically beneficial since work takes up most of my computer term. However, this is not nearly as fun in casual use. So, I’ve broken out one of my several mechanical keyboards for use after-hours.

In addition to being more amusing, I’ve found it to be mentally helpful as well. The clicking and clacking of the mechanical switches creates a white noise to my brain, allowing me to focus in on what I’m writing. While I’m sure having the separation of tools between work and hobbies is part of the effect, I know I respond well to white noise. Having it self-generated is more desirable and satisfying than relying on my phone, for example. I’m sure once I move in with my fiance it won’t be a sustainable choice, but we shall see.

FOOTNOTES

  1. Working from home has made this duplicate purchase situation less great. ↩
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New Writing Workflow

Over four years ago I wrote a post about my off-the-cuff writing style. It was a flash-bang approach with only minor edits along the way. However, since writing stories for NaNoWriMo last year I’ve been rethinking my broader aims for this blog, and what processes can help me achieve them. Writing a post each week is a fine goal, but if they aren’t each in service of something larger it’s hard for them be anything but a pleasant chore. Subconsciously, that far-away target was establishing a writing routine with the hope it would improve my abilities. I think it has, but it took a concerted effort in editing a short story (and a few other projects before) for me to recognize that growth. It’s time for a change in approach and a new target.

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