Writers on Handwriting and Notes

From Manuscriptions

• How to Take Notes on Physical Library BooksNote-taking for books you can't write in.
• When computers are less efficient than analog methodsOn bullet journal spreads.
• Themed logs are still more useful than daily notesGrouping notes by purpose instead of date.
• On finding relevant notes when you need themRetrieving notes with LLM help.
• Extract Value From the "Process" Layer of Your NotesUsing the working layer of notes.
• Takeaways on efficiency, passive learning, & optimizationTaking notes that matter.

In the Press

• Fast Company: "The cult of Obsidian: Why people are obsessed with the note-taking app"Oct. 13, 2023, by Jared Newman. Quotes Eleanor, an Obsidian Discord moderator, on the app's community and its users.

Letters

• The Letter ProjectA faith-based nonprofit that writes letters to girls who need extra support.
• The Sunday Letter ProjectA pledge to write one handwritten letter every Sunday, started in 2025 by Wildflower Illustration Co.
• LetterMoThe Month of Letters: mail one item every day in February.

Notes and Notebooks

• Noted, by Jillian HessA Substack on how notable people took notes.
• Bullet JournalRyder Carroll's analog planning and note-taking method.
• Austin KleonAuthor of Steal Like an Artist; writes often about his notebooks.

Handwriting

• Handwriting RepairKate Gladstone's site on improving handwriting.
• The Pen AddictBrad Dowdy's long-running blog about pens, paper, and writing tools.

Featured Essays

Noted, by Jillian Hess

• Beatrix Potter's Naturalist NotesPotter's notebooks on mushrooms, Peter Rabbit, and more.
• Sylvia Plath's Visual NotesDrawings in Plath's journals.
• Mason Currey's "Inefficient and Glorious Research Process"How the author of Daily Rituals researches.

Austin Kleon

• Learning by drawingOn copying maps by hand.
• Typewriter interview with Roman MuradovTen questions for the artist.

Bullet Journal

• Where Has My Bullet Journal Taken Me?A reflection after six years of bullet journaling.
• The best thing you can do for yourself in 2026 is to keep a daily diaryOn keeping a diary as a personal project.
• The Konik Method for Making Analog NotesEleanor's Substack essay, republished on the Bullet Journal blog.

The Pen Addict

• Karatis A5 Soft Cover Notebook ReviewA notebook review by Sarah Read.
• 2026 Dallas Pen Show RecapA report from the 2026 Dallas Pen Show.

Handwriting Repair

• Read Cursive Fast by Kate GladstoneOn Gladstone's guide to reading cursive.
• Cursive Legislation: What Are They Really Mandating?On California's "cursive or joined italics" requirement.
• Triple Crown: Lifetime Winners of the World Handwriting ContestOn repeat winners of the World Handwriting Contest.

Chris Krycho

• Trying a New Approach to Note-Taking on BooksNotes on trying a new method for taking notes while reading books.
• Don’t Forget Your NotebookWhy pen and paper still matter for thinking.
• On StationeryNotebooks as tools for solving problems.
• Computing, ConviviallyA long essay on note-taking apps and tools for thought.
• What is a Zettelkasten?A primer on Niklas Luhmann's note-card system.
• Blog as Note-Taking ToolOn using a blog as a public notebook.

Chaiyapat (pixelart7)

• I Finally Understand Obsidian (My Takes on Second Brain and Digital Garden)A personal history of note-taking, from Cornell-style course notes to Obsidian.

Manuscripts to Explore

• Book of KellsIlluminated Gospel book, about 800 AD; full digitized folios at Trinity College Dublin.
• Lindisfarne GospelsIlluminated Gospels (Cotton MS Nero D IV) in the British Library's digitised manuscripts.
• Très Riches Heures du Duc de BerryIlluminated book of hours held by the Bibliothèque du château de Chantilly.
• Leon Levy Dead Sea Scrolls Digital LibraryIsrael Antiquities Authority's high-resolution images of the scrolls.