There are questions writers get asked a lot, mainly, “Where do your ideas come from?” “How do you make money?” And my personal least favorite, “Are you going to write about me?” Yet, when I think about writing, and more the people who write, I’m more curious about the mundane, logistical stuff. Sure, muses and self-expression are interesting, but I want to know about peoples’ literal writing setup. Not so much what they write about, but what they write in and on. I want to know everybody’s favorite notebooks, mainly so I can buy them all for myself.
As I spoke to writers across the country, I was surprised by how personal and sweet their answers were. People smiled and laughed when talking about their chosen notebooks, and in email and DM interviews, they used tons of exclamation points and emojis. Everyone’s choice was a small glimpse into their psyche. Dotted pages versus lined versus blank, spiral bound versus sewn, fancy stationery or paper from the drug store — the little details gave endearing insights.
I howled with laughter when Delia Cai, a senior correspondent at Vanity Fair and author of the upcoming novel “Central Places,” revealed she would never make it as a stationery influencer.
“I cannot be wasting hours of my life wrestling some fancy notebook to lay flat on a table,” Cai told me. “I rely heavily on the same spiral-bound, college-ruled Mead notebooks that have carried me this far. Nobody makes fun of you in their head for writing in one of these, mostly because they probably think you have a biology final to cram for.”
Cai wasn’t the only writer who sang praises to the spiral-bound college-ruled one-subject notebook. These writers are drawn to the utilitarian nature and affordability of the books. The notebooks don’t feel precious, and in so doing, they making writing feel more approachable.
Yet, many other writers spoke about their love, if not need, for beautiful, fancy notebooks. For them, splurging a little on good-looking, high-quality paper is exciting and self-rewarding. A personal favorite quote came from a reporter who shall remain nameless, referring to herself as “a notebook bitch, for real.”
Cai’s parting advice, which I find to be quite insightful, was that “the most important quality that a notebook must have is that it does not embarrass me in public.” Your notebook can be a small extension of your mind, and therefore you deserve one that makes you feel like you. Check out the writers’ picks below.
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“I use a $1 plain ruled notebook. It is not organized, and half the time I never reference that page again, but I've accepted that its role in my life is to help me organize my thoughts in the moment and to concentrate on what I am listening to." — KC Davis, author of "How to Keep House While Drowning" and founder of Struggle Care
“I haven’t been writing with pen and paper as much as I’d like, but I always reach for my Moleskin when I do. I love the soft leather back and the size. The pages are also the perfect thickness. Moleskin can be a little pricey, but they’re reliable." — Chinazor “Chichi” Offor, writer at Refinery29
"I usually get Five Star spiral notebooks that are college-ruled, the 3.5 inch by 5.5 inch pocket size. I like small notebooks so I can throw them in any bag, especially when I’m flying. I can dash off a thought without taking out a huge notepad and it being a real thing. I like that those notebooks feel a little varsity, and that the covers are waterproof because I do tend to throw my notebooks around or rest drinks on them. I never end up using fancy stationary that people gift me; I’m a messy note-taker so I like my materials unfussy!" — Marlowe Granados, author of "Happy Hour"
"I was a Moleskine user for years but realized I need spiral-bound notebooks to actually use IRL and the Muji ones are great! they come lined or unlined (I prefer the latter) and in several sizes." — Giulia Alvarez-Katz, freelance food writer