Welcome to my Reviews for Writers series where I post reviews for materials aimed at writers, specifically those who write by hand.
There are a bunch of journals and pens and desk tools out there, and I want to give my thoughts on them specifically from an author’s perspective. I’ve gotten to where I write my first drafts almost exclusively by hand and I used to think that made me a unicorn in the writing arena because of it. Now, I realize how common it is, and I want to help my fellow authors find tools to make the job easier.
DWIYITTN Spiral Journal 4-Pack
- Come in a 4-pack
- Size: 5.7″ x 8.5″
- 120 pages
- Currently priced at $15.96 on Amazon
My first thoughts? How shiny and golden these journals are! They lay flat with the spiral binding and even have an elastic closure. I was a little sad to see that the backs of these journal have no decor, just a solid color. But the front is quite beautiful. I could easily see these being an inspiration for journaling or for jotting down ideas about a fantastic world. They aren’t quite pocket sized, but they would fit nicely into a large purse, a bookbag, or a cross-body satchel. The front cover folds nicely behind it for taking notes while out at a library or while listening to a talk.
Next up, the pen test. These pages are a little thinner than I expected, but they still handled basic writing utensils nicely.
- Fountain pen ink can smear, so make sure you let it sit for a few seconds. It doesn’t take long to dry, but could be problematic for lefties.
- While a basic gel pen like the Pilot G2 has no problem drying and has only some bleed through the page, the Pentel Medium Roller Ball had lots of bleed through.
- The Sharpie bled through the page and also could be seen on the next page.
Although the paper is a little more thin than I like, this is a wonderful notebook for jotting down notes, getting some rough ideas onto paper, or for casual journaling. I could see the golden cover design inspire younger authors too.
See my video below for my full breakdown and thoughts.
Disclaimer: I obtained these items through the Amazon Vine program. Other than receiving the items for free, I was not compensated in any way by Amazon or the manufacturer. All opinions here are my own.