A writing journal

I keep a writing journal near(ish) me all the time. In fact, at present, I probably have about three on the go.

One main one, another where I am still working on a book idea and have a few pages left, and the last for when I can't locate the other two. I've also got my phone and computer, though neither of which I find particularly useful for getting ideas down in a hurry.

I read, probably when I was studying for English Lit and Creative Writing course, that there is something much more personal about writing things out with a pen on paper, as opposed to typing on a screen. And, I do agree. On paper, with a nice rollerball pen, there is freedom to jot things down at any angle, in any order, add notes, draw an idle doodle or a complete map or scene image. With a keyboard, as now, everything must go in the right order, and in lines.

Oh, that's another thing, I really prefer a journal without lines, just blank paper I can scrawl across.

And it doesn't matter if I finish a thought on paper or not. I can write a paragraph, a few lines, a rough outline, whip up a table or a spider-diagram with just the sweep of a pen.

The problem comes with reading it as my handwriting is beyond awful, but that doesn't actually matter as much as I first thought. The very act of writing it down, letting that idea out and onto the page is enough - I've set it free, let it bloom or at least set a seed in hopefully fertile ground.

Do you use a writing journal? What do you see as the good and bad? Does an exquisite book make the experience better or will any pad of paper do?