Writing
What I learned copying a whole book by hand
It took me four months to copy 220 pages with a fountain pen. I don't recommend it as a method, but I do as an experience: you read differently when you write every comma.
Read the articleAn open notebook since 2019
I write about things done slowly
Reading, crafts that haven't quite disappeared and notes on the work of writing. An article every two weeks, unhurried and ad-free.
One long article every two weeks. No ads and no trackers.
Latest articles
The most recent entries. Published every other Thursday.
Crafts
The last bookbinder in Cuenca
Ángel is 71, has a twelve-square-metre workshop and four apprentices who never stayed. I spent three afternoons with him.
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Reading
Against productive reading
Underlining, filing, summarising. I've spent two years reading without taking a single note and I think I remember more, not less.
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Method
How I plan a year of writing
One notebook, three folders and a rule: nothing is published the month it's written. Here's the whole system.
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Reading
Three years without reading new releases
I made a rule not to read anything published in the last five years. Here's what you lose and, above all, what you gain.
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Writing
The notebook of stolen sentences
Twelve years copying other people's sentences into a notebook. Now I open it whenever I don't know how to start a piece.
Read the articleWho writes this
I'm Irene and I've been writing for twenty years
I worked for twelve years as a copy editor at a publishing house and since 2019 I've written on my own. I live in Cuenca, in a house with too many books and a desk by the window.
This notebook doesn't live off ads or sponsorship: it's supported by the people who receive the monthly letter and, if they feel like it, buy me a coffee.
- Over 180 articles published since 2019
- No ads, no trackers and no pop-ups
- Two books published with a small press
What this is and why I write here
This is a public notebook. I write every other Thursday about trades that are disappearing, books I reread and my habit of writing everything down by hand. There's no editorial calendar and no keywords: there's whatever has been going round my head those two weeks.
I don't sell courses, there are no ads and I never share your email. The only way to get what I write is the Sunday letter, which goes out once a month and is more personal than the articles.
What you'll find here
- Trades. Bookbinders, luthiers, typesetters and people who still do things slowly.
- Reading. Almost never new releases: I've spent three years reading five years behind.
- Method. How I plan a year of writing, failures included.
If something you read stirs you, write back. I answer every email, even if it takes me a week.
Write to me
I read every email, though sometimes I take a week to reply. If you're writing about a commission, include deadlines and budget.
- hola@cuadernodeinvierno.com
- Cuenca, Spain