All Your Questions on This Surprisingly Creative Notebook Practice, Answered

Writing on scrap paper is more powerful than you might think

Ellane W
8 min readApr 27, 2023

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Cartoon line drawing of a smiling figure wearing a robe made from folded paper. They are holding a notebook in one outstretched hand, and a pen in the other.
Image by Author

This article can also be read on my blog

As much as I love keeping digital notes in Obsidian, and crafting my own platform-agnostic, plain text productivity systems, the act of writing on real paper will always be part of my life. Lately I’ve set aside my Moleskine Cahier in favour of …scrap paper.

Yes, I really do, of my own free will and choice, write in a notebook filled with scrap paper! Or reclaimed paper, as I like to think of it. You’ll be able to read the why and the how in a soon-to-be-published article on the importance of non-precious paper to my creative thought processes.

Today I’ll be tackling some common questions and objections that might keep someone from embracing this style of notebook. You may find them helpful if you’re considering if the idea has merit for your own papery peregrinations.

I can see the shadow of what’s printed on the other side, through the page! Won’t that be distracting?

It’s true — you can see print through the paper and on the left hand side — but it’s not distracting. Not for me…

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Ellane W

Designer and educational publisher for 30 years+. Plain-text advocate. Still using paper, but less of it. https://linktr.ee/miscellaneplans