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https://psyche.co/ideas/learn-the-art-of-journaling-and-archive-your-life

Today we went to BJs Store and I saw these notebooks that looked great, cover-wise, excellent spiral, 100 sheets and the paper is so smooth and just the perfect color. It is Top Flight Wired 1-Subject Notebook, 100 Sheet The sad news is it’s not fountain pen friendly, but gel pens work beautifully in them. It says made in Vietnam, but if made in Vietnam, how come it bleeds through? Can’t we get a regular, cheap spiral bound notebook that is fountain pen friendly? If the notebook is too nice, I’m afraid I won’t use it for stream of consciousness journaling, what they call brain dump. I want to use my notebooks as freely as I should and not be inhibited by the fact that it is too nice to write on. Besides, I like a good spiral bound notebook that I can take anywhere and just write and write. Can you please give me some pieces of advice? What do you think of my dilemma? All input is welcome.

Ok, here we go....I am looking to purchase my first, and last, gold nib pen. The last pen that I will ever use. This pen will be my workhorse pen, as I will use it for journaling, I might even keep it in my pocket throughout the day. I'm looking to spend under or around $200. These are the pens that I would like to pick from: 1.) Waterman Carene 2.) Pilot Custom Heritage 91 3.) Karas Kustoms Ink (all copper) 4.) Pilot Namiki Falcon I would like to note that I'm NOT interested in any piston fillers, as I would prefer a pen that uses cartridges and converters. I enjoy carrying extra supplies and the rare instances in which I actually have to go to my Altoids can and grab my backup ink. I'm looking for a smooth nib, and I plan to write with a Fine or Fine-Medium nib. Here are a list of some of the pens that I currently own, that are decent writers to me: - Pilot Metro (Fine nib, Section is a little too thin) - Parker Urban 2016 model (current workhorse) (Medium nib) - Jinhao 911 - Jinhao 8802 (Pocket Carry) - Hero 901 - Parker Urban 2012 model (Medium Nib) (a little dry/resistant writer, but it feels nice in my hand) For some reason, I'm leaning mostly towards the Carene and the CH91. Has anyone had any issues out of the pens listed? Which one would be best for all-around heavy use? Thanks!

Hi FPN friends, first-time poster here. I am looking for an alternative to Rhodia Webnotebooks. I have migrated to the new dot grid Rhodiaramas, and they are quite good. I have tried a number of notebooks, but I haven't found any that I'm 100% happy with. Honestly, my ideal would be a dot grid A5 Journal with a Leuchtterm style hardcover and TOC, BUT ​ with paper similar to Rhodia's dot pads (with that great fully white paper). I like bolder inks with a fair amount of wetness. My current favs are De Atrementis Alexander Hamilton, Diamine's Oxblood, Red Dragon and Blue Black, Robert Oster's Fire & Ice, Green at Night, and Terracotta, and Iroshizuku's Shin-Kai, Yama-budo, and Kon-peki. Also will use J.Herbin's Emerald of Chivor when I am in a stub nib mood. My go-to pens are a collection of 3776 (SF, F, M, , a number of Pilots (74, 823, 92, Falcon, and VP), and the daily carry Kaweco Brass Sport (M). Also have a TWSBI (multiple nibs), Lamy's (2000 (looking to sell), Safaris, and Al Stars). New favorite pickups are the Diplomat Aero (gold F) and a Kanilea (rose gold F). I tend to adjust my pens to allow for some wetness (7/10 or above). What I love about Rhodia is the quality of paper. It has no bleed-through and the ink just flows well over the paper. It's incredibly smooth to write on. What keeps me from being 100% on Rhodia journals: The Webnotebook's cover is pretty thick and not that aesthetically pleasing. The Rhodiarama doesn't really lay flat, which causes me to use one hand to always hold it down. However, the primary request I have is that I wish I could have the white paper from the dot pads in a journal format. I've started to explore more inks with different properties, and they all just POP in my Rhodia dotpad or dotbook due to the very white paper. I'm not 100% sure why they don't use that in journals. Not a game changer, but it would be nice to have a ToC (I use more tabs than the index) and especially page numbers (easier to cross-reference). I would love your thoughts and recommendations! Thanks! Here are others that I've tried (with comments): Nuuna Notebook (Large)What I liked: Liked the smaller dot grid format, which allows for better flexibility in designs and larger cursive writing; 120 gsm paper = absolutely no bleed-through; A bit wider than a standard A5, so you have a bit more real estate to play with; 256 pages lasted me a few monthsWhy I didn't keep using it: FEATHERING, which was a real bummer. It was not fountain pen friendly. A bit of research showed that it's not coated like Leuchtterm or Rhodia, so thus the feathering; hard to lay flat and pretty heavy; the thickness of it actually made it hard to fit into standard A5 carrying pouchesLeuchtterm Hardcover (A5)This is what I used most often every now and then when I want to compare with a Rhodia journal (Webnotebook or new Rhodiarama).What I like: Lays flat, decent paper; ToC and page numbers; no real featheringWhy I didn't keep using it why it's not my go-to: what keeps me from making this my go-to is the bleed through and, if I'm saying this correctly, the way it absorbs fountain pen ink. In comparison, Rhodia doesn't have much bleed, and the ink tends to stay where I put it. The Leuchtterm doesn't really totally feather, but it does dissipate a bit; It has a fair amount of feathering and ghosting, especially with wetter and/or darker inksHobinichiWhat I like: Nice feeling paperWhy I didn't keep using it: it's more cream or off-white. It's a no go due to the ghosting on the pages. Tomoe RiverWhat I like: Great paper and feels good. White color. The thin paper allowed for lots of pages in a thinner form. Why I didn't keep using it: Can't handle the bleed and ghosting. Would be relegated to using only one side.

Hi all, I do a lot of creative writing/journaling and used to use those multi-colored gel pen packs until I switched to fountain pens (My EDC is a Safari EF). I am looking for suggestions of ink with the following properties: Not blue nor black. Easy on the eyes for long writing seasons. Behaves well with little feathering or bleed-through on mid-grade paper (i,e, better than a composition book, not as good as Rhodia). Inexpensive (Noodler's price range).One of the main draws to fountain pens is the ability to use interesting colors and switch them whenever I like, but the platinum violet hurts my eyes and J. Herbin Terre de Feu isn't artistic enough for me (though I do love the shading). I prefer rich colors to dusty/pastels. Thanks for your help!

I picked up a Seven Season Writer A5 Journal this week (4th edition). It arrived surprisingly quick and well-packaged. It looks absolutely amazing as I paged through it and I can't wait to begin using it but I promised myself I'd finish off my current journal before beginning a new one. But, I got to thinking--do I want to use it for journaling or something else entirely? Time to brainstorm; perhaps you're willing to share your ideas. For what purposes do you have/use/recommend a dedicated notebook?

I've never been great about journaling consistently. I have improved since getting into fountain pens but thought I could glean some insights from you all: HOW do you journal? Long stream of consciousness? Brief snippets/phrases rather than complete sentences? Summaries of what you did that day/hope to do that day? Highlights to look back on? Thinking yourself clear "aloud"? Other? Share your habits, please.

....turn it into an art journal! I managed to fill up my Clairefontaine notebook with ink and nib tests in a very short period of time. Oops. I just can't help it--I get excited by ink. I hate to just toss it into the recycle bin, feeling I didn't do too much with it, but also no longer needing the information. So I thought of it as a little art-seed... added water.. (not the same page as above) ..and it is blossoming journal of backgrounds! Some inks are more permanent than others. Adding splashes of Stormy Grey is encouraged. Some areas that didn't bleed out all the way will be covered in other applications. Gesso, clippings, photos, more ink splashes, what have you. I'm pretty excited to see how the whole book turns out! I only have about 3/4 of the pages left to alter.

For all my fellow journal-keepers, where do you start a new day? I used to start a new page for each day. For the last several months, however, I've just been putting a blank line at the end of the previous day and starting a new entry on the same page (assuming I have at least three lines available). What do y'all do?