Welcome to The Open Notebook!

Hi! 👋

My name is Courtney, and I’m a writer based in Ottawa, Canada. Writing has been a core part of my identity for as long as I can remember, which is lucky for me because it means I’ve done a LOT of it over the years. Lucky, because that means I keep improving; slightly, but continually.

The problem is that sometimes, I don’t have a home for my words. Sometimes, it’s obvious where I should publish them — I’m a writer by trade and I often take on creative challenges that involve writing… but what about all the shit I write in my notebook that no one ever sees?

I’ve filled books upon books with thoughts, poems, prose, random words, and doodles. I’ve spent hours putting down words on pages that have remained unread for days, months, years, decades even (gulp). In some cases, this is a blessing. Nobody needs to read my 16-year-old self wax poetic about a squished cat on the sidewalk (or do they?…). But in other cases, I believe I’ve allowed myself to be a coward by not sharing more of my work with other humans.

This is my attempt to be vulnerable, and weird, and open. This publication is where I’ll share the thoughts that have thus far hidden in my notebooks, large and small, lined and unlined (blank?). Because there’s only so long that you can howl into the void without thinking you’re crazy for howling.

Welcome to the digital rendering of my notebook. It’s open for reading… finally.