Warning: this post contains gleeful joy about fountain pens A new pen arrived today! It’s one I’ve been looking forward to for weeks, as it was stuck in the post somewhere. It’s a Pilot Kaküno EF, with a bright purple cap (not really clear in this picture, but in the one a bit further below, it is). I don’t have a new...

I know journaling is good for me and I try to get myself to write even if my mind goes "don't wanna!". One of the tricks I use is to always have my journal with me, that's why I use a passport traveller's notebook as my journal. But I need more. I need pens I love, and lately, those pens are fountain pens. I'm lucky...

When you look back at your life so far, you probably remember the highs and lows pretty well. What you won’t remember is when everything was simple, uncomplicated, ordinary. What you won’t remember are the times where creating felt seemingly effortless, or when you were so bored that you finally made something new, just...

It's so funny how life works. I was working on clearing out my Bear app. It was starting to fill up with notes again and I knew that I could ditch a lot of them. Half-baked ideas can go into my ideas file, already posted things can go to the trash etc. I found a file, an idea for a guided journal to finding creative joy...

I wrote a stream of consciousness poem when the moon was full. I just grabbed my journal and wrote what came up in my mind, not worrying about spelling or about the completeness of lines. Just me, the pen and the poem. I haven't read it through since. I have felt what it did to me, though. I felt calm, clear and so...

Yesterday evening I suddenly decided to add my freebies as a page on this blog. I copied the text from my website, finagled it a bit to fit with my blog, and hit publish.  I love to have my freebies here, and I love that I saw my own journal again.  You see, I noticed the first inklings of winter depression seep into me...

This morning I did something that I haven't done in quite a while: a full run through of my Filofax, starting in the front and then ending with my lists in the back.  I usually only stick to the front and first tab of my Filofax, but today I felt I needed to run through it all.  It was exhilirating! I haven't done that...

Years ago I discovered the Pilot V7 at my favourite online pen shop.  I loved to write with it, I had one in several colours. There was one downside to it though: it was disposable. Eventually I switched to other pens, but always missed this one. And then I was on my favourite pen shop's website again to look for...

* I don't want to journal  * My handwriting SUCKS  * I don't think it helps me * I hate my words so much  * Why do I even do this?  * I could do so many other things  * Oh god, it is so stupid to write! Why did I never realise that?  Do these snippets of inner dialogue sound familiar? I really detest it when this kind...

Earlier this year I bought this little Rhodia notepad. It is tiny, 12 x 10 cm or something, and it's absolutely perfect for my needs.  I take a lot of notes in it. Some of them are pages that stay in, like notes on my novel and blog ideas and notes on the game I play. Other pages disappear in the trash at the end of the...

I don't know about you, but the doom and gloom of the news lately is really getting me down. Yet, if you observe your life after watching it, there is a truth that’s undeniable: most of the time, it doesn't impact your everyday life. Even after all the anxiety the news brings on, nothing has changed in your...

Why just keep one journal when you could have some on subjects? Here are some ideas on several journals you could keep, and what you could fill them with: A journal for your reading. This journal could be filled with lists of books you want to read, books you have read, reviews of books, ideas of books to read and their...

I was pondering what I do to kickstart my journaling on those days where blank pages stare at me, and I stare back in wonder what on earth to write. I did write a blog post on how to start keeping a journal filled with questions you can ask yourself, but I can imagine you either run out of questions or you don't find...

Here’s my basic philosophy for starting to keep a journal: anything goes. First, get a journal. Go to a bookstore and browse their selection of notebooks, if possible, feel the paper. I like to write with gel pens and pencils, and rough paper just doesn't work for me. Pick the journal you like, and then get a pen or...