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# I Need to Make Mistakes
- URL: https://www.jamesreeves.co/old-notebook-new-notebook/
- Published: 2022-08-31T18:10:45.000Z
- Updated: 2025-11-15T03:48:54.000Z
- Description: The first thing I do with a new notebook is write something stupid and messy on the first page.
- Author: James A. Reeves
- Tags: Notebook

The sun goes down at 8:05 tonight, there’s a waxing crescent moon, and the blessed cool edge of autumn is in the air. Today I learned that Cheez-Its were invented in Ohio. There’s magic here. There’s also magic in a fresh notebook.

The first thing I do with a new notebook is write something stupid and messy on the first page. This helps cure any notion that it might be precious. For years I believed the right notebook would solve all my problems. I explored blank pages, dots, and grids. I fooled with modular systems. I invested in artisanal, shade-grown leather journals. In the end, I’ve settled on [these Muji notebooks](https://www.muji.us/products/high-quality-paper-bind-flat-open-notebook-horizontal-line-and-vertical-dot-grid-8s62?ref=jamesreeves.co). They’re five bucks a pop, the pages are nicely coated, and they lie flat, which seems to aid my left-handedness. And they can take a beating. They heroically suffer rain and sploshed coffee. They get jammed in my back pocket, I fall asleep on them, and sometimes I use them to kill bugs. Pen-wise, I remain committed to black [0.4mm Zebra Sarasa](https://www.jetpens.com/Zebra-Sarasa-R-Gel-Pen-0.4-mm-Black-Ink-Black-Body/pd/31080?ref=jamesreeves.co) pens.

I’ve been relying more on these tools lately, drafting my stories with pen and paper before punching them into a machine. I think differently when I’m not locked into a staring contest with a screen. Maybe because my writing doesn’t look like the final product yet, I’m more willing to make mistakes.

(Inspired by Warren Ellis’s [recent note](https://warrenellis.ltd/work/the-only-good-notebook/?ref=jamesreeves.co) about notebooks.)