The value of a journal

I wonder if having a more expensive notebook is better for me in the long run...

I used to own a Moleskine softcover Extra Large notebook. I actually have several of these, but I would use the one at a time. They cost about $20 and the soft oilskin cover felt really good in my hand, making me think of someone finding it, years later, and it's bent back corners and a few modifications I make to my notebooks. (one is to put a wax seal on a finished one with the dates on the inside cover of when the notebook was used. It's easier for cataloguing and finding older journals. A vague index may sometimes be made in the back). But these notebooks would hold everything.

Recently, I switched to the cheaper, but just as well made, Piccadilly Notebooks. They have the same oilskin cover, though so far.. only in hardbound.. they recently came out with softcovers, but I haven't found them yet. I may order offline... but then again.. I may not. So the purchase ratio from Moleskine to Piccadilly is about 1 Moleskine for every 3 Piccadilly's. I thought.. great! I can buy my journals cheaper.

I actually now have 4 Piccadilly notebooks floating around. Contents of these notebooks: one is used for notes on teaching; one is used for notes on the Civil War novel I'm writing; one is used for the Foster Care novel I recently abandoned; and the last one was just general scribblings that is currently defunct. I think that is all, but who knows where the others are. I currently cannot find the one with my Civil War novel in it, once again proving that if I have too many of one thing.. I tend to misplace them.

With the more expensive (and thus more precious) Moleskine, all of thse novel notes and writings and school notes would be kept in once place. True, it would run out faster, but then I would start a new journal. I have one short story that spans 3 different journals, in dribs and drabs and edits and notes. Most of what I write (other than SL poetry) starts out written by hand in these journals. Even if I moved on to a new journal, I could always go back and find the other journal that I used and glean the (mostly chronological and somewhat indexed) information from the hand numbered pages.

So does having a more expensive notebook make me keep things in a more orderly fashion. It's possible.. and in fact it is probable. I miss keeping all of my notes and novel picking, short story ideas and dribs and drabs of poetry in a single edition that continues. Since college, I have used many notebooks in my quest to find the perfect journal. I wonder if I will ever find the right one.. or if I already have.

(Also posted to my blog: the WW ning http://writtenword.ning.com)