Intro to First Chapters Project

What is the First Chapters Journaling Project?

The First Chapters Journaling Project is quite simple. It’s a journal that I’m keeping with handwritten copies of the first chapters of my favorite books. I started the project in April 2021 primarily as a way to explore my newfound love for fountain pens and inks.

The idea itself is not unique. There are many people out there that transcribe entire books for their own reasons. I just decided to formalize it to only the first chapter. Mainly because I knew I’d get bored if I had to copy an entire book, but a chapter felt like a good cut-off point to change pens and inks. 

Currently, I’m on my 16th book, and I’m still going strong!

Why do I keep my First Chapters Journal?

The project started off because I wanted an excuse to play with different fountain pens and inks. I work in an environment where only black ink is acceptable. If you’ve ever dipped your toes into the world of fountain pens though, you know there are A TON of ink options out there. I needed a reason to explore them beyond simply in my daily journal.

Over the course of this project, however, I have found the practice to be somewhat meditative. When I’m extremely stressed or have a lot of anxiety, it’s nice to focus on the action of writing without having to come up with what to write. Have you ever experienced that feeling of being so upset but unable to express it in words? Working on my first chapters journal helps to calm my mind.

Keeping my first chapters journal also allows me to revisit my favorite books, which is always nice. Plus I actually have a tangible list to recommend books from. Despite being a book blogger and a former bookseller, I’ve always blanked out when people asked me for book recommendations. Having my journal definitely helps.

I hope you’ll enjoy following along with me as I share my first chapters journal here. I always share my progress in my first chapters journal on social media, but I’d like to expand a bit more on my blog sharing why a book is considered a favorite and my thoughts on a pen and/or ink. If you ever decide to start a first chapters journal or something similar, I hope you’ll let me know! I’d really love to connect with my fellow book-loving journalers out there!

What kind of journals do you keep?