Journals!

Also see, quick tips on paper and pens.
I’d like to start off by apologizing for the low picture quality. I don’t own a good camera, and these were taken on the floor of my dormitory’s hallway. 

My journals. Covers designed by me.

I learned the benefits of journaling in high school. Senior year creative writing was all about journals to keep our assignments. The writing exercises and in-class reflections weren’t so important. The real benefit of the journal was the “daily lines” assignment. The point of “daily lines” was to keep the writing juices flowing. We were only required to write one line, but one sentence is generally not enough to get a thought out. So I would write one line. Then another. Then another.

And if we wanted to, we could also stop writing and throw random things into the journal as well. Thoughts, sketches, guest quotes, and research quickly filled up the journal alongside the writing. Before long, I was filling out ten pages of journal a day.

I’d even tape in things I picked up from my favorite establishments, or even things I found on the street. One day, while waiting for the bus, an abandoned page of story blew over to my feet. It was very enjoyable to read.

My journal stayed with me at all times (as well as my growing collection of colorful pens, glue, and tape). Now, this is important: I never had an idea for my writing that I couldn’t write down immediately. My brain never got a break from my story. Even if I was only able to write down a quick idea once a day, I was never out of shape. That meant that when it was actually time to sit down and write on my computer, my writing was richer, fresh, and rarely hit a wall. This process got me through Script Frenzy 2011.

Plans, research, even chunks of the script itself was right there in my journal, by my side, ready for me to reference.

All for graphic novel and novel adaptation.

And now that I’m in college, I can sit down and write out/ plan out my essays while I’m in class or at a meal. Or, I can doodle.

It's the Monster Mash!

Journals are just a really useful tool to keep me going when I’m not glued to my computer. 

They all have names that came from something significant that happened while I was working on them. It’s a shame, though, because once they acquire a name, I have to get a new one. Whether or not it’s finished. It’s like the era of my life they document is over once something significant happens.

There was something beautiful about the chaos. The only real organization that appeared were the dates. Sure, I labeled different sections as they came, but it’s not like every section went into its own tab. I could find things through memory if I really needed them. “That’s right, it was by the map and pizza sauce stain.”

Everything else is just there waiting for me to come back and read it. It’s beautiful, chaotic history. Even the little things bring back vivid memories. I can flip to a page and find what was going on that one time when I had a laser fight with a gerbil. Right? That sounds accurate.