What Makes A Great Journal?

   While writing journals come in many shapes and sizes, here are the characteristics that you should consider before purchasing your next journal.

 

What size do you want?

There are trade-offs as your journal sizes go from small to large.

Small - (Usually 2-4 inch wide by 3-6 inch high)

Pros - Easy to carry and cheap.

Cons - Very small to write in, and you need to replace it frequently.

Medium - (Usually 5-6 inch wide by 7-9 inch high)

Pros - Easy to carry, typically more pages, larger pages.

Cons - Need to be replaced more frequently than the larger journals.

Large - (Usually 8 inch wide by 10 inch high)

Pros - Larger pages,

Cons - More challenging to carry and more expensive

   My choice has always been the medium size. It is a nice compromise between ease of use and doesn't need frequent replacement.

 

Is it refillable?

   A refillable writing journal has a removable/replaceable set of inner pages. Because of this, you can purchase a better quality journal and expect a longer life than the initial page count allows.

   Additionally, when you replace the inner pages, you can change page style (I'll explain the different sizes below)

   There are many, many, many outer cover variations. (Did I mention many?)

   Your tastes will dictate the look and feel of your journal's outer jacket.

How do you want your journal to look and feel?

Most writing journals have one of three exterior cover types

Pros - Least expensive.

Cons - Looks and feels cheap, not durable.

Pros - Durable, & Feels nice.

Cons - More expensive.

Pros - Looks great, Feels nice, Lasts for years, & looks better with age.

Cons - Most expensive.

   My choice is either the Vegan or Real Leather cover. Both will give a long life, but, for me, at least, the exterior design and style will sway me more than the cost as long as it is durable (i.e., not a paper cover).

   I haven't discussed style because of the plethora (word of the day) of options out there. You could choose an elastic strap closure, a magnetic snap closure, a leather wrap & tie closure, or a buckle clasp closure, to name a few.

   You can also choose an exterior design based on your taste, such as an embossed tree of life, dragonflies, owls, or no design at all.

 

   You can also choose from a wide variety of page styles and characteristics.

   The style of paper you choose will depend on your intended use. You can use any style paper for writing, idea generation, drawing, or mind mapping, depending on your preference and what you have available.

Styles:

Wide ruled line spacing (also called Legal Ruled)

Spacing is 11/32" from line to line

Best for people who write quickly and tend to write larger characters.

College ruled line spacing

Spacing is 9/32" from line to line

Best for people who write methodically and tend to write smaller characters.

This option also lets you write more lines per page.

Simply a blank unlined page

Each page has an array of dots that allow using the page for pretty much any purpose.

Paper thickness is measured in GSM  (Grams per Square Meter.)

Paper thickness can vary from less than 50 gsm to over 100 gsm.

Any journal should have at least 80 gsm paper  because this will prevent pens from bleeding through to the other side.

Any thickness greater than 100 gsm, while more durable, will start adding unnecessarily to the overall width and weight of the journal.

   My choice is usually College Ruled 80 gsm pages, but I have used Dotted pages occasionally and liked it when drawing or writing to-do lists. 

  Every writer and non-writer should have a writing journal available to quickly jot down ideas, write an inspiring story, or create a to-do list.

   I understand I've given you a lot of information, but bookmark this article for reference and use it when you're searching for your next journal.

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