Selecting a journal is a personal and sensual experience. The colors of the ink, the scent of oilcloth and leather covers, the textures of papers, the whispers of the pen scraping the pages, all combine in an endless feast of options for the writer. When you have a particular use in mind for your journal, like capturing the details of your travels, the choice becomes more thoughtful.
Wire bound journals lay flat and don’t close up on you as you write, but can they can catch and snag clothing if packed in a suitcase. Little pocket notebooks carry easily wherever you go but limit you to shorter entries. A hard cover protects the pages better over long treks but the weight and bulk can be awkward in a pack.
Then of course, there are paper and ink choices. Acid fee pages and archival ink are the choice of discerning writers everywhere, but the common composition book and bic ball-point have served best selling mega-authors and school children alike for decades.
My favorite journal will always be the composition book. Though sometimes I do as Rick Steves does and keep a pocket notebook to catch little details while out-and-about but then transfer my observations to the composition book in the quiet evening or the next morning over coffee.
Until now, my travel journals have always been strict notes and observations and notes directly pertnent to specific writing projects but not any more. Since reading Writing Away by Lavinia Spalding I have started to consider a more eclectic and creative method. This calls for a new journal. Maybe something without lines to invite sketching and scrapbooking along with my writing.
Things to consider when picking a journal