What makes a good journal?

A perfect spiral
My favorite is a 3 subject, spiral bound mid-size notebook with pockets, college ruled, and at least 180 pages. I favor spiral bound over hard bound journals because hard bound books don’t allow me to bend it back. My journal is well traveled so it has to be inconspicuous because it goes with me on vacation, to church, to work on the bus, to the library. (My English professor did warn me though about writing at the airport.)

Paper (or plastic?)
I don’t care about the paper. Heavier paper means a heavier journal so the 20 lb. notebook paper is lighter weight and that’s basically what school paper is. The size of the spiral is becoming increasingly important and it has to have the spiral that won’t snag my clothes cause that's just really annoying.

Whatever happened to the Bic Clic?
The pen is important and it’s getting harder to find a regular ink pen these days. If it’s too fat my writing is just plain out of control and if it’s too skinny the grip causes that bump on my finger. It has to write smoothly and quickly. No dragging. Gloppy ink is a mess on the hand. I don’t like gel pens so much because they bleed through notebook paper which could be remedied by thick paper but thicker paper means a heavier journal.

I like highlighters for when I re-read and reflect. The mini highlighters are great. They can be put on a key ring but I don’t know why anyone would want a highlighter on their key ring. Who wants to pull out their keys in the car and insert a highlighter?