Zenkitty, when I was in middle and high school, and writing my "stories" in my school notebooks, my mother told me I was "wasting" paper and ink. It took me literally decades to get over that, and to feel it was okay to "waste" not only time but paper--and not only paper, but to actually buy special notebooks to write in, and bottles of ink in special colors just for writing.

You know, one of the things I mentioned in my year-in-review post is that I wrote very, very little this year. Part of that was, I think, my class, where I started to feel like I *had* to produce something every week -- which is pressure that came entirely from me, not the class.

But another part of it is that my instruments of writing are just as important to me as what I write. There was a time when, if I couldn't use my computer, I just wouldn't write.

Now I'm feeling like the computer is very sterile, and my pretty, fancy journals (one has Catwoman on the cover!) are too....high expectations, I guess. Like, I *must* write something faaaaaabulous in it.

I think I'm going to buy a plain old school notebook, spiral-bound, or maybe a composition book with the black-and-white cover, and a blue Bic ballpoint pen, and see if that loosens up any writing. Because I *hate* not writing.

Steph, yes! I have all these pretty fancy blank notebooks that I wrote for writing, and I can't write a word in them. I feel that I'll just mess them up! I do best with a plain notebook that I can fit in my bag.

Well, I used my pretty, fancy journals for class, but I think I am going to get a school notebook tomorrow for plain old brain dump writing. Gotta start with the basics.

I have all these pretty fancy blank notebooks that I wrote for writing, and I can't write a word in them

Wrod. I can't write stuff that will be transcribed into the computer as soon as possible in a journal apparently designed to be saved for a while. I guess some folks have different ideas of what a casual notebook is. Yay, Mead, for producing grundel-loads of cheap notebooks.

I like white, college-ruled legal pads. I get weird about pretty little journals, too, and I always try to make them for something specific, like only for ideas about one particular project, but it never works and I wind up writing grocery lists and odd snatches of other things, too.

Connie, did you get my return e? I couldn't open the file because for some reason my computer can't "find" Notepad. No idea what that's about.

I love sturdy spiral-bound notebooks, but they must be college-ruled. I do almost all my rough drafts in them, and probably go through ten or more a year. Somehow they free my brain in a way the keyboard doesn't.

Sometimes I'm sad that I don't write the same long-hand as computer, but longhand is too much physical work. I leave too much out.

I used to keep journals in the fancy ones. I think I had 3 I actually filled. A few years ago, when I realized I hadn't written in one in over 15 years, I threw them all out. I tried starting a new one and I just couldn't write in it. My writing ends up in all different places, now. On the computer, in a little spiral notebook in my purse. Sometimes, even on store receipts when I can't find anything else. Because I finally realized, that while the writing might be unique, it really wasn't precious. I think I finally realized the concept of "kill your darlings" when I was able to throw away something I'd written.

Connie, did you get my return e? I couldn't open the file because for some reason my computer can't "find" Notepad. No idea what that's about.

Yes, I did, and I sent--I think--a reply with a Word6 file from my WordPad.

Just got it, connie! I'll read it now.