The Simple Complexity of Capture Media for Writing
A Journalist’s Diary
I struggle with notes.
My problem is not with saving a thought or idea. The problem begins after the capture date. Whether it’s on paper or digital, what I’ve written always enjoys accumulating into an uncontrolled mess.
I know how to sort that mess, and technology isn’t the shoulder I lean on — at least for capturing.
In today’s post, I’ll explain why paper (despite its shortcomings) wins over digital and why the latter still plays a role. Recent observations from experimenting with different pocket notebooks played as much of a role as timely reading material about restricted writing space and videos on figuring out app support.
Paper isn’t a magic wand
I grew up with pen and paper and enjoyed a love/ hate relationship with that couplet of writing utensils over the years.
I can’t search a paper notebook efficiently. There’s no index. Maintaining a table of contents is a task I often fall behind with.
The result: I’m constantly confused and search for a note I know should be somewhere.
My troubles revitalizing the journal of my month in Ghana couldn’t make it clearer: paper has its problems.
How much those problems trouble me depends on the choices I make. That’s because notebooks and pens come in various shapes and sizes. While one notebook might be suited for the task, another might make my work unnecessarily difficult. While one pen might help me, another might build a barrier between my thoughts and my efforts to safely record them.
Paper, however, is a terrific companion. It’s perfectly suited to be on one’s person at (almost) all times, ready to store thoughts, ideas, and observations one would lose otherwise.
Computers aren’t a magic wand, either
I’ve wondered for years. Could my paper problems be solved if only I embraced the digital writing world more?
I made countless attempts to force various writing software into my life (reminders, notes, and proper writing apps). I tried using them from home and while out and about.
I ran into the same issues.
Working with what I capture requires strict organization and discipline to not slip up on maintenance.
On top of the upkeep problem, I never fell into the camp that finds capturing notes digitally efficient.
I find pen and paper quicker and more intuitive. I don’t need to fiddle with anything and can just go. My brain also processes what I’ve written better.
If I look at the state of my notes app at the end of last year, the mess is greater the more I use it to capture thoughts.
And I tried. For example, when I listened to one of the podcasts that made it into my cycling-inspiration list, I tried to record a thought that came up while I was walking. It was a flashing idea that popped up unannounced. I needed to save it somewhere other than my memory. It took dangerously long before I could type.
If I have a notebook in my pocket, I get the thought on paper before the magic is lost. Whenever I play with my phone as a journal, the experience of getting to the writing overpowers the magic, not to mention my touchscreen typing frustrations that stem from the onscreen keyboard’s erratic behavior.
The paper + conclusion
I have a problem with paper solutions. I have a problem with digital solutions. Are the tools the problem? Or am I the problem?
Maybe it’s both. When writers are at a loss over how to capture ideas most efficiently and even ponder whether the marvel that’s spatial computing could come to the rescue (as interesting as the idea of using such devices for writing is), I think I’m best served with concentrating on reigning in the shortcomings I can control, i.e., me.
I prefer paper to write quick notes, so I simply go forth with that and don’t look back.
Jacqui Banaszynski made an intriguing argument in favor of paper in her post on using napkins for writing.
“The structure of a small space is less intimidating,” she writes, “and demands focus: One scene, one description, one thought.”
While her argument is tailored more toward more serious writing than notes and thoughts, I think the small space angle translates (at least for me).
A digital note ends when I stop typing. There are no boundaries. At the same time, it’s much less flexible than paper because I can’t write where I want. A paper notebook gives me that restricted space and focus on that one thought I want to safeguard.
There we have it. Embracing the limitations of paper solves all my problems.
It probably isn’t quite that simple, but I make progress.
I limited the software I use (Pages for serious writing, Notes for processing and safekeeping thoughts and ideas, Numbers for times when I need to get more visual) and experimented with the right paper journals.
Using a notes app to work with what I’ve gathered in the field remains an ongoing puzzle. The structure in my notes app is improving, however, and the info buried in my notebooks is shrinking.
I used thin, flexible journals lately. They are very practical and easy to carry around. But maybe they are a bit too limiting and are too vulnerable to work for me. I can’t wait to finish my current top-bound reporter’s notebook. I don’t even know why I bought it. Those never worked for me. Maybe it’s more of a psychological thing, but despite the minor increase in bulk, hard-cover journals seem to work best for me. They give me just enough of that “structure of a small space” to improve focus without becoming too restrictive.
At the end of the day, how we capture ideas and how we need to work with what we’ve captured is individual. The more important aspect is that we have a plan for doing both, and it should be a plan that works for us. And maybe the struggle with maintaining order in the information in our (writing) lives is just a part of that process.
