Just about everyone has offered advice on how to start a journal. From Oprah to The NY Times to JetPens and others. There are fabulous articles on strategies we can use to start a brand new journal. Reflections on how to end using a notebook are rarer.

I am to share just that: an overview of how I close out a notebook. For me, ending a journal is a three step process. A process that has grown into a tradition I find fun. Whee.

One of my favorite aspects of analog thinking is that the tools that work for me change over time. There is no singularly perfect pen or ink or paper. My needs change from project to project. And my tastes change year over year.

My ballpoint pen of choice has long been the Baron Fig Squire. It’s compact and machined well. The twist mechanism is smooth and satisfying to click.

There are many ink properties to explore down here at the bottom of the fountain pen ink rabbit hole. Sheen, shimmer, shading, viscosity, permanence, saturation. The list goes on. But shading is, far and away, my favorite ink quality.

February has been a month for thinking through how to size my pen collection. Am I curating a small perfect-for-me assortment or accumulating sets of models I enjoy? Am I building a collection that can continually surprise me?

I’m considering that these goals may miss the point. Perhaps there is no “right” size to a pen collection. My trays might simply need to include pens that make me smile — and bring joy to my writing.