Notebooks, margins, and the slow art of noticing

July 25, 2025 · Creator

Nobody is going to be impressed by what follows, which is precisely why it has stuck around in my life for so long.

Most of what I write starts as a line I was not planning to keep, jotted down in the middle of something else. The craft, such as it is, comes later, when I go back through those scraps and find the three or four that were actually worth pursuing. Most of what I write starts as a line I was not planning to keep, jotted down in the middle of something else. The craft, such as it is, comes later, when I go back through those scraps and find the three or four that were actually worth pursuing.

The notebook just holds them until I am ready. A notebook is not a productivity tool. It is a place to notice things without immediately having to use them for anything. A notebook is not a productivity tool. It is a place to notice things without immediately having to use them for anything.

Most of what I write starts as a line I was not planning to keep, jotted down in the middle of something else. The craft, such as it is, comes later, when I go back through those scraps and find the three or four that were actually worth pursuing. The notebook just holds them until I am ready. Most of what I write starts as a line I was not planning to keep, jotted down in the middle of something else. The craft, such as it is, comes later, when I go back through those scraps and find the three or four that were actually worth pursuing.

The notebook just holds them until I am ready.

The work, as ever, is to keep showing up in the unglamorous middle and trust that the compound interest shows up later than you want but right on time. Most of what I write starts as a line I was not planning to keep, jotted down in the middle of something else. The craft, such as it is, comes later, when I go back through those scraps and find the three or four that were actually worth pursuing. Most of what I write starts as a line I was not planning to keep, jotted down in the middle of something else. The craft, such as it is, comes later, when I go back through those scraps and find the three or four that were actually worth pursuing. The notebook just holds them until I am ready. A notebook is not a productivity tool. It is a place to notice things without immediately having to use them for anything. A notebook is not a productivity tool. It is a place to notice things without immediately having to use them for anything.

#writing #craft #taste

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