Pocket notebook vs. voice notes for travel writers in the field | Pinnacle Newsletter #70
#70 Pocket notebook vs. voice notes for travel writers in the field
Travel writers need a way of making notes while they’re on the trail. But which is best, a notebook or voice notes? Why not party hard and do both?
For the purposes of this discussion, I’ll assume that you’ll be writing up a more detailed journal at the end of the day – here we’re talking about ways to record what happens to you while you’re actually walking, and also ways to capture fleeting thoughts. I find this essential. Without it, I’ll always forget things when it comes to write up my journal in the evening.
Notebook
For notes during the day, I favour a pocket-sized, reporter-style Rite in the Rain notebook, paired with a pencil (usually a mechanical one). This setup has several advantages:
It’s great for making lots of very short entries. It takes only a few seconds to pull out the notebook and jot down something like ‘1220: entered boulder field. Marmots.’
The paper is waterproof, can be used in extreme conditions, and of course it doesn’t need charging.
Unlike voice notes, written notes are silent and private.
It’s easy to review your notes at the end of the day and expand them in your journal.
There are some drawbacks:
Pad and pencil are two extra things to carry around and potentially lose. You could always use your phone instead, but I find this so annoying and cumbersome that I end up failing to record things at all.
It’s not very good for long-form or free-form exploration of ideas – say, if you’re hit by a thunderbolt of inspiration – unless there’s a handy picnic table nearby to use as a writing desk.
On very long trips you might worry about running out of pages.
Voice recorder (or app)
In my experience, the pros and cons dovetail neatly with those of the pocket notebook. Key advantages:
Fantastic for going into detail on topics. You can waffle at will and your every thought will be recorded. I find this great for helping me think, gaining insights, and recording detail such as entire conversations.
You can record other sounds too, such as birdsong or the flapping of your tent in a storm.
Although I sometimes carry a dedicated recording device, you don’t really need to. There’s an app called ‘Voice Memos’ built into your phone, and it’ll do a decent job.
Backups are easy, and may even be automatic if you’re using a smartphone app.
Now for the downsides:
It’s inconvenient for making lots of very short entries. You soon end up with a mountain of separate files.
A related issue: at the end of each day, reviewing your voice notes is not as convenient because you have to listen to them all. They aren’t glanceable like a notebook is. Also, in a public place such as a hostel or bothy you’ll need headphones to review your notes.
If you’re hiking with others, you might be put off from making voice notes in the first place.
Making voice notes requires power, and is far from ideal in severe weather. In poor conditions you won’t want to expose your phone to the elements, and even a dedicated device with buttons might be hard to use with gloves on.
My strategy
I use both options, but I use them each to their strengths. The notebook is for writing down the bare facts: what happened and when. The voice recorder is for exploring ideas or for fleshing out particularly interesting events. At the end of each day, I review both sets of notes and write up a far more detailed account in my journal.
Whether I use the voice memos app on my phone or my faithful Sony recorder depends on the trip. In winter, or if extreme conditions are expected, I always take the Sony. I can fit long-lasting Lithium batteries that are resistant to sub-freezing temperatures, it’s far easier to use while wearing gloves, and the unit is tough too.
I’d be interested to hear about the tactics other writers use for keeping memos on the trail. Palm Pilot? Wax tablet? Fallible biological memory? Let me know!
In other news
Delighted to announce that I have been offered a book deal by Vertebrate Publishing, and have just signed a contract for my first non-fiction book, The Farthest Shore. Deadline is end of August 2020, so I’d best get writing…
Recently published
What I’ve been reading this week – this week’s quality online reads on the environment, outdoors, and more.
In praise of active reading – a few notes about why reading actively is an important tool in any writer’s toolbox.
Summits & Skylarks – my award-winning feature for TGO magazine – now free to read online.
And from my Entanglement blog:
‘Travel without a phone’ and ‘Travel without social praise’ – a reaction to two interesting blog posts I read recently. Taking no photos while travelling is going a bit too far for me, but I do find these ideas intriguing.
Until next time,
Alex
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