Alexander's

Computers are great!

Searching through a database of well tagged photos is a joy. Amongst my several hundred GB of photos I can usually find the one I'm looking for in a few seconds.

E-books are wonderful. No wasted space, accessible everywhere and easy annotations that don't ruin the book.

In contrast paper documents are not easily searchable, don't support tags and need an antiquated folder structure.

Why would I even think of going analog again?[^1]

For one the enjoyment of flipping through a photo album is lightyears ahead of viewing the very same photos on a monitor.

The smell, the texture, the rustling sound while turning the pages of a well used, hand written travel journal -- I can even enjoy the slight indentation marks ball pens leave on the pages.

That's why I want to start a handwritten paper journal!

A journal with a heavy leather cover, tiny doodles, ink blotches and real pictures. Something that I can use with all my senses. Something filled with small imperfections. Something to enjoy slowly. Something just for myself.

Not to replace my digital world, but to add a new dimension.

Every scratch, every stain and every rip would make it better -- more personal.

But instead of sitting down and starting to write I keep worrying about editing, encryption, layout, expandability and spelling. After all paper seems so inflexible.

How do you start to write a journal without wanting to rip out every other page? If you have any idea please tell me -- either in the comments or via e-mail.

I really want to write a paper journal and I don't know how.

[^1]: I believe I'm at a point where my digital data finally is more secure than physical one, so data security is not an argument