» Do You Suffer From Lackaruleophobia?
Okay, yes. I absolutely made that up. There is no such thing as Lackaruleophobia. But knowing that there are many people who prefer to write on ruled paper, there sure could be a such a phobia. I’m sure it goes back to the days of those yellow lined tablets (with flecks of wood pulp that our pencils would skip over) that we practiced our penmanship on in elementary school. Because I’ve heard horror stories round the campfire of people getting their knuckles smacked with a metal ruler by overzealous teachers for their inability to keep their writing horizontal on the page.
I’m not exactly sure when I started to prefer writing on blank paper, though I do remember that the first notebook I bought for journal writing (in 2005) was blank and since I wasn’t yet mandala doodle obsessed, I know I didn’t buy it for dual use as a sketchbook. Was my handwriting sometimes wonky? Sure – but I didn’t care and I think that over time it started to even itself out. Subsequent journals were a combination of blank and lined and I think maybe as I did start to doodle more & more in my journal, that it became easier to simply work without the lines.
Rhodia’s DotGrid options are a nice way to crossover if you’d like to move away from traditional ruled paper. Oh – and as my anniversary contest ends tonight (Tuesday) at midnight EST, you still have time to win a a few prizes – including a large dotWebbie.
How do you feel about writing on blank paper?
Comments
Love the blank page… I find it roomy and welcoming. My writing can go this way and that–usually uniform within a given idea or “chunk” but the next list or inspiration can go another direction without any conflict with a printed pattern. I like that freedom. I can draw if I need or want to, arrows to here and there… it’s like an open field and no playground equipment– make your own fun!
Blank paper makes me think of 2 hour essay tests for my Honors English courses. Professor only wanted handwritten work on blank pages in ink. I think that I’ve been traumatized ever since.
Hi, my name is Bob and I’m a Lackaruleophobic. I just can’t do it. A complete lack of structure on the page is too difficult for me to handle. I recently bought my first Rhodia Dot Pad, and I think its really cool. Maybe some day I’ll cross the great divide and conquer lackaruleophobia. I’ll put it on my 2013 list of goals.
Bob
The funny thing is, I’ve always preferred blank paper. All of my journals from my childhood are blanks. In fact, I didn’t realize you could buy ruled paper until recently. I’m considering trying lined journals, but the dots look interesting too. In the end, I’ll probably go back to blank. :)
I usually prefer blank paper for writing over lined paper. I have very small handwriting, and I have found that most ruled pages have ruling that is simply too wide for my handwriting. Plain, unlined pages allow me to write as small as I like, and give me the freedom to add in sketches and drawings as well!
I’ve always been the slightest OCD about ruled paper and staying within lines and things like that, so I suppose I have a pretty good case of lakaruleophobia. But the older I get, I have more and more of an urge to use blank pages and just be a lot freer with it. It’s a hard habit to break, though. (By the way, your illustrated page accompanying this post is AWESOME.)
I just used plain paper to do my lesson planning (I am using a sketch book), and I have to say that it is working well for me.
(I am a grid person, but only Rhodia and Moleskine grids are acceptable (Rhodia paper is my favorite because of its smooth lines, but I still use the other guy for my lecture and study notes)
Must have plain paper. Hate the confinement of lines.
Well because I write straight up and down in a mixture of print and cursive, my handwriting is wonky regardless of whether I have lines on the page or not -I love the dotWeb because it gives structure to the straight up and down no slant handwriting I’ve got but it allows me more freedom than a ruled page. Over the years I’ve learned to embrace blank paper and how my handwriting looks on it, so I use either.
All I’m saying is vacansopapurosophobia is a real word and a real phobia of the blank page! You were on to something Stephanie!
While I’m not “lackaruleophobic” my journals are almost always lined, just because my writing tends toward the sloppy end of the spectrum and lines help me keep it legible. That said, my newest journal (not started yet, but next in line) is unlined. We shall see.
Must have lines or dots. I hate writing on blank paper and having my lines of writing all crooked. When I used to write letters decades ago on stationery, I always had a ruled guide behind the sheet I was writing on.
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