No matter what you choose to call it — journal, notebook, holdall, shoebox, commonplace book — there is no one true way, no formula for filling the writer’s sketchbook. In this age of published journals and blogs it is sometimes easy to loose sight of the free-form and become concerned about adhering to a proper format. Raab’s collected essays reassured me and reconnected me to the page and its potential. I hope I have rediscovered the carefree journal writing I once possessed.

In Raab’s collection, the extreme variation in each author’s notebook, their methods of entry and common content, and the resulting essay reminded me that the way I keep my notebooks is right for me. While some essays didn’t captivate me to the same degree as others, all left me thankful for the time I took to read and learn from them. I am appreciative for the glimpse into a few private pages and processes to see how someone else uses the same tool I do in a different manner. It was comforting to be reminded that there really is no one true way to keep this key writer’s tool. I have two minor quibbles with the volume, the exercise list in the appendix is under developed and I’m disappointed that while many author’s published memoirs and journals were included in a resource/reference list, The Assassin’s Cloak was not.

You can read my complete thoughts on my site. ( )