The Paper Kind

Creative living.

A Look Inside My Blogging Notebook

Way back on my blogging essentials post I mentioned I have a notebook in which I take notes, write blog posts, make lists and plan out my posting schedule. Well I thought since this notebook is nearly full I would show you guys how I use my notebook.

my blogging notebook

MY BLOGGING NOTEBOOK

This is an A5 flexi journal from Paperchase and I really love it, my only problem is its a bit more beat up than what I would expect for something that has lived on my desk for over a year. This is especially annoying since it’s not what I would consider a “cheap” notebook.

blogging notebook inside cover

On the inside cover I store various things that I use as bookmarks. On the other page I keep track of various blog stats. These giant post-it notes are really good for this sort of thing, I can just add another post-it on top when I get to the bottom of a page.

I prefer doing a first draft of my posts on paper first. I’m not sure about everyone else but when I’m writing a post out on the computer seeing spelling or grammar mistakes really distracts me from writing. My memory is pretty bad so that little thing sometimes makes me forget my train of thought. It also means its really easy for me to do a second round of editing as I’m typing it up.

EDITORIAL CALENDAR

my blogging notebook calendar pages

I’ve tried filofaxes and a bunch of different planners and the easiest way I’ve found to plan out posts is by printing a monthly calendar and sticking it into my notebook.  I stick tabs on each month aswell so its really easy to flip through them

watercolour illustrations

This paper isn’t really the best for using with watercolours but its good enough for little doodles. Anyway its not like I’m creating some amazing artwork.

my blogging notebook

When I started doing book reviews I decided I wanted to keep them looking the same. I have a draft saved on WordPress which I can copy but I kept a note in here too. You would think after writing 2 reviews a week for six months I would remember how I format reviews but nope, I still reference this pretty much every time I write a review.

I’ve also found that having a list of the books I got from publishers really helps especially since these are the books I will almost definitely review.

book reviews

This is something I’ve just started doing so my method might change. But it turns out taking notes while reading a book really helps when it comes to writing a review. Normally I try and write a review as soon as I finish a book but this really helps me get my thoughts out.

Thanks for reading.
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95 responses to “A Look Inside My Blogging Notebook”

  4. I love your notebook! I really need to start taking notes while I’m reading a book because I often forget things by the time I blog about it. I have about 800 billion unused journals at home (I’m a pretty journal hoarder) so I really should give it a try some day.

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  5. Thank you for sharing your process. I might try using a notebook, instead of loose paper that I have to remember to keep track of!

    I agree about writing out posts by hand at first. I do that, too. All my first drafts are pen on paper.

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  7. FABULOUS idea! I’m feeling so inspired right now! I may have just discovered my project for the day: creating a blogging notebook! 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

  8. I’ve been try to start a blogging notebook but I had no idea where to start thanks for the inspiration!

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  9. so helpful!! would it be possible if you could do a post on how you write book reviews? because as you may or may not know, I’ve just started a book blog and I’m not very good at writing reviews? any tips?

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  13. Thank you for sharing. I’m still a beginner and haven’t really taught about schedules etc. I like how organised you are with your blog 🙂

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  14. This is great. Thanks for sharing. I’m still trying to find an organization and planning method that works for me. I bought a notebook but can never seem to focus when I use it. Having your visual example is helpful!

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  15. That is a very cool notebook. I really like the calendar idea, I think it would definitely help with organisation and motivation!

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  16. If I could like this several times, I would. I love stationary/organisation posts. You now make me want to start doing longhand reviews. You have made me want to take notes as I go. You have made me want to go to Paperchase! I wish I had some sort of format to reviews, I think I may have to start trying because, honestly, I ramble!

    Thank you for this insight. I love posts like this!

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  18. I love it. I have a notebook but it is NOT photogenic at all! This is lovely and says so much about your creative process. Thank you for sharing! I might be inspired to clean up my act… a little 🙂

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  19. I have been using Microsoft OneNote on my computer to keep track of URL links to articles and websites that I want to include in blog posts, but your beautifully organized and annotated journals are an inspiration!

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  20. Thanks for sharing your notebook – I’ve really been struggling to write while I have just an iPad available. I’m going old school!

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  23. Gosh, I’m just using one of my old school notebooks to plan my posts. But even then, they’re just ideas on what to do. This is OCD heaven. Thanks for inspiring me!

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    • Ahh yeah I have pages and pages of ideas too. Only problem is they just sit there and I don’t do anything with them. I still have to find a way of turing that idea into something that I’m going to work on.

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  26. I really like the way you creatively think outside the box on how to do up a journal. Shows you have some real spark there! Love it!

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  28. Love the notebook! I usually have several on the go too, but they’re nowhere near as pretty as yours – just mostly filled with lists and scribbled writing ideas that come to me in the middle of the night 🙂 Still they’re nice to have to look back on…

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  29. I clicked on your post because of the cute artsiness of your blogging journal and then I saw your familiar face :). I have to say you definitely have a creative side! Even your pages of notes have drawings on them – I am just amazed. I think if I was a drawer I would be like that. Are you a scrapbooker as well?

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    • I am not a scrapbooker. Though when I am in art stores I lust after all the scrapbooking stuff. I have actually bought some to use in my notebook, but not as a proper “scrapbook”.

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  31. My notebook is extremely scrappy looking compared to yours. I’m not super organized when it comes to posting but I honesty should probably plan so it doesn’t become completely overwhelming for me. I love the calendar though! I’ve meaning to add one in my room just for my blog but well… it hasn’t happened yet.

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  32. This is so cool! You are super organized and super creative! I have a ton of notebooks (love that fresh notebook smell!) but I always end up organizing with online tools (like Trello for editorial calendar and Workflowy for to-do’s). You have some awesome pointers in here though, I think I will give a paper notebook a try 🙂

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  33. I love your notebook. My notebooks on my books aren’t in color. I’m jealous and think I’ll start borrowing from your method.

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  35. I love these ideas and the way you work! I like notebooks myself, but tend to buy them and then not use them for much. Sometimes I plan out a blog post as a memo on my phone, then copy it and email it to myself – all a bit fiddly really.

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    • I take memos on my phone as well sometimes, but usually only when I’m away from my desk and really need to write something down. Yeah it can be a bit annoying, the app is slow and difficult to use.

      Liked by 1 person

  38. Ooh. I love seeing inside other people’s notebooks. I can’t imagine writing rough drafts of blog posts on paper first. Sounds time consuming. But I write drafts on my phone and save them, sometimes for a long time, before they make it onto the blog

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    • It doesn’t take that long writing it out by hand. Maybe 10 or 20 minutes. Sometimes I type things up too. It really just depends on which way is quickest to get an idea out of my head before I forget about it.

      Liked by 1 person

  39. Thanks for these great tips on how to use a note book to plan out a publishing calendar. I love your style of organising your creative work. Look forward to reading more.

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  44. …beautiful!!! It has a touch of an art journal ❤ You can totally see that you've spent a massive amount of time working with it. You can feel that it meant a lot to you. Looking at such notebooks, filled with time, feelings and passion, is great. It gives inspiration and some of it back to the viewer. Thank you 🙂

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  45. Hello,

    I just wanted to thank you for this post. I read it ages ago but only started planning my posts recently.

    I hand wrote early passages in an A5 book and listed key points and themes i’m wanting to express.

    It was fairly easy to write and find my voice one they were mapped out. Didn’t expect that!

    So far i’ve written 4 posts lately, two of them scheduled for release in the coming fortnights.

    Thanks again for sharing your blogging process.

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Hello!

I’m Emma. I am a designer, calligrapher, and content creator, sharing my love for paper goods. Expect pens, pencils, and some really fancy paper!

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