Way back in 2019, I went through a “dry” period. I struggled to do more than doodles at times and was feeling disenchanted with the visual art world. To get past that I decided to try expanding my skills in a different direction. To be accurate, I’ve always been a writer but is was secondary and supportive to my illustrative pursuits. However, at that time I thought putting the focus on writing a novel might help me get around my artistic block. And I had an idea. A good idea, so how hard could it be. (Insert your laughter here.)

Knowing myself, I went looking for a notebook that would help support my goal. I found the NotePro Notebook from Blueline at the local Staple Business Depot. Now, I could have simply loaded up on notebooks found at the Dollar Store. The NotePros weren’t the cheapest thing out there but they had several of the characteristics that I liked.

They come with hard, supportive covers.

And a spiral spine that lets the book lay out nice and flat while you’re writing.

I also decided to stick with the convenience of writing the story long-hand. That’s right. I was going to write the whole story by hand and make it extra pretty by using coloured-ink pens…because, you know…. In any case, not relying on having the computer fired-up allowed me to write whenever the inspiration struck.

I went through a LOT of different colours and seven and a half NotePros. Writing in cursive after years of simply typing was a reminder of times past.

Here’s an example of a Character Sheet set up to keep track of the characteristics of the large cast. Though I confess, I haven’t stuck with them.

In addition to the hard cover and spiral spine, NotePro came with some extra little perks I liked. A set of plastic pockets for keeping loose notes and my ruler/bookmark that came in handy at times. Also, some labels and divider stickers that I also liked to use. Considering how many of the notebooks I used the labels were a little nicer than just slapping on a piece of masking tape.

You might think from this write-up that I’m affiliate for Blueline but I’m not. I just truly liked there NotePro Notebooks. Knowing myself and my desire to write my story, I knew by setting myself up with the tools that would make it easiest to continue would best ensure that I followed through with my goal. If you’re like me, sometimes you can get distracted by little things like a floppy notebook that makes it a pain when you’re trying to write while sitting on the couch or on your back deck. Not an issue with these items. However, if there too expensive (I thought I had saved the price tag but seem to recall they were over $5/per) and you don’t care about the surface you’re scratching out your Magnum Opus on, hit that Dollar store for materials. It’s all good. For subsequent drafts, I did graduate to my laptop but for myself, starting this way really helped to get the ball rolling. Also, simply allowing myself to write the story without a hard and fast agenda for it relieved me of a lot of pressure. The goal was simply finishing the story. So, what are some of things you do to encourage yourself in a particular task or goal? I’m not just talking about writing either.

Presently, I’m taking things further and you can look here for more news on my “Writer’s Journey”. The possibilities for new authors these days are astounding. I look forward to sharing those stories with you. Also, don’t think I’ve given up on illustration. I’ll still be producing original art for our Redbubble Shop, the Gallery and beyond.