W1* On Keeping a Notebook
- Mat Wenzel
- Aug 26, 2018
- 1 min read
Comment below with your thoughts on Joan Didion's "On Keeping a Notebook"
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Instructor: Mat Wenzel, MFA, M.Ed.
E-Mail: mwenzel@fsu.edu
Office: WMS 331
Office Hours: TUES 12:30 to 4:30 OR by appointment Effective Feedback
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I enjoyed "Keeping A Notebook" because Didion in a way is so relatable to the "quintessential teenage girl" from the point of view that some of us would keep journals, but our thoughts or things we write in them might not always be how it actually happened in one particular event or story. In addition, I find a lot of the time in many experiences I have at least something I learned from it and it would be helpful and beneficial to write those down and have them culminate in one place to express myself.
In the article “on keeping a notebook” I was slightly confused in the beginning . But after reading more I noticed that Didion’s writing style. Such as writing down a few parts of a event or conversation and then later trying to piece together what really happen. Is similar to what I tend to do when it comes to me doing assignments or essays. Didion mentioned that each person remembers things differently which is very true. After completely reading the article keeping a notebook or journal sounds much more appealing than it did before .
As writers, most of any/every interaction or moment in our lives in free game for story inspiration, whether it's eavesdropping in the hallways or watching a bluebird fly past you on a sunny day. As someone who loves writing, I've always wanted to be the kind of girl who carries around a beautiful notebook from Barnes & Noble around with her... Unfortunately that hasn't really worked for me, since I'm more of a type-it-in-your-phone kind of writer. Didion's "On Keeping a Notebook" was relatable in the sense that I do keep track of bits and pieces of life experiences that serve as inspiration, just in a different format. I liked how her article talked about how the way we may…
Relating to this article was difficult for me as I tend to keep mental lists and other similar things. I also tend to not use an introspective approach to dealing with issues that arise or look to the past. Didon's approach however, is a good way of keeping in touch with reality as the notebook is a tangible piece of the world. It is also a viable way to keep oneself accountable by looking back and remembering what said individual has done.
The first thing about this piece that struck me was when Didion explained why people keep notebooks and which kinds of people they usually are. She drew a comparison between the behaviors of herself and her child, explaining that they are different in the sense that her daughter is most likely not the type to keep a writer’s notebook. I would associate myself more with her daughter’s category of being “a singularly blessed and accepting child, delighted with life exactly as it presented itself to [me], unafraid to go to sleep and unafraid to wake up.”
Growing up I had always tried to keep a journal or diary of some kind, but never found any urge, desire, or compulsion to…