October Adventures
For much of October and the end of September, I got to run around southern England, taking a workshop on making sewing patterns from existing clothes, attending an annual retreat with writing friends, and visiting with other friends and family. It was such a joy to see different views and to learn some new skills as well.
Sadly, I arrived back and was immediately hit with a cold, so jumping back into work has been more of a plan than a reality, but that has worked out well as this edition of Footnotes will include a new roundup of My Favorite Planners, as we’re all pondering hopes and dreams for 2026. More on that below…
Here are my favorites from the last month:
Favorite October books:
The Writing Life, Annie Dillard. This book sat on my TBR for ages, and I picked it up at the perfect time. First published in 1989, the insights about writing and making a creative life feel timeless. I was rather envious that there was no need to mention the distractions of technology, but its absence was every bit as soothing as advice on avoiding its lures would have been. The writing is confident, stripped back, and clear, leaving the reader to be rowed into a current by a skilled captain. I’m sure I’ll return to it regularly.
Boyfriend Material, Alexis Hall. Sometimes, a good laugh is the best medicine. While recommending this to a friend, I realized it was time to reread this delightful fake dating novel, which feels a bit like Bridget Jones but with two male leads and many lines that make me laugh out loud. If you need an escape into a happier world, this is an excellent choice.
Shot with Crimson, Nicola Upson. I am bereft having read the most recent Josephine Tey novel in Upson’s excellent series. I’d been rationing these over the past few years and was very upset to learn there aren’t any more to look forward to (yet). American readers likely won’t know Upson’s work, but you want to. She writers mysteries with compelling ensemble casts and is bold enough to pull in the likes of Hitchcock and Dietrich as supporting characters at various points through the series. This installment is set during the production of Hitchcock’s adaptation of Rebecca, and even du Maurier appears in scene. I recommend starting with the first in the series, An Expert in Murder, and working your way through the eleven books in order. Don’t go too fast — you’ll be sad when you’ve read them all.
You may have missed
I hosted a Member Live / Workshop on Bespoke Story Structure: lessons I learned in the sewing course mentioned above:
I’m so honored to be a guest judge for the
and their ’s writing contest. Definitely follow to enter future rounds:
What’s on in November
For members this month:
Possession’s slow read continues through November til early December.
Our October Members Live is tomorrow on Halloween!
November 6
and I are doing a live to celebrate the paperback launch of her gorgeous book, Chasing Fog — free for all. (Details here)November 14 Members Live at 17:00 CET / 16:00 UK / 11am ET / 8am PT
Hope to see you at one of these — replays will be available, too.
OK… let’s get into the PLANNERS.
2026 Planner Guide
As a lifelong stationery-obsessed being, I started tracking the year when I went back to school as soon as I entered the classroom. Perhaps I wasn’t so precocious that I had a planner by second grade, but analog tools have had my devotion ever since I started using them.
The past few years have been tricky, with an international move, Brexit, and complex import duties making it hard to get my favorite tools without an enormous hassle, and even bigger overhead costs. Regardless, it means I’ve tried a LOT of planners and can recommend options for many situations, and many locations.
I will note the country of origin for each of the planners mentioned below. None of these are affiliate links, I just value these products.
** Please note that I cannot advise where all of them may be for sale in your home country. I’ve linked to their original site, and I suggest searching for the name of the planner and your location as the best option to get one if they aren’t made in your country or region. Many of these now ship with import included, making life easier.
For the minimalist
INK + VOLT(US): When I still lived in LA, my planner of choice was the Ink + Volt. It had an undated week-at-a-glance layout, a month on two pages spread each month, and felt easy to get an overview of the year. When I first moved to Europe, it wasn’t available without paying import and Brexit hadn’t yet gone fully through, so I switched to…
MARK + FOLD(UK): Even more minimalist than the Ink + Volt, which has since added a lot of pages with prompts and goal-setting, which may not appeal to the true minimalist, Mark + Fold’s planner is elegant, simple and made of exceptional materials. I used this planner for five delicious years, timing a fall trip to London to collect my planner after Brexit caused import duty issues. If you’d like to have a month at-a-glance option in addition to the classic weekly format, they have a beautiful booklet in that format as well. Fountain pen lovers, this is your best bet. The paper is thick, creamy, and ink won’t bleed or feather. I haven’t gotten one for 2026 only because my travel meant I’d have to pay full price with import, as there is not yet an EU distributor for this planner.
For the planner on the go
PAPER REPUBLIC (EU): For those who also enjoy a week-at-a-glance format, either the week on two pages or one page for the week and the facing page for notes, Paper Republic has options with clean lines in three sizes: a narrow A5, more the size of a Moleskine or Leuchtturm mid-sized notebook; A4 for those gigantic plans that need loads of space, and a pocket size. The pocket size is perfect if you want to keep your diary with you at all times, and need it to fit in any bag.
I use Paper Republic’s notebooks and covers for journaling and can vouch for their excellent quality — this would also work with a fountain pen without issue.
For the detail-oriented planner
JIBUN TECHO(JP): I was quite curious about this planner and decided to give the Biz edition a go for 2026, as there is a European distributor. I liked the muted colors of the Biz edition pages, which also factored into my decision. The narrow A5 size means it fits into my Paper Republic cover, and it features a Weekly and Monthly layout, in addition to several other features: lots of list pages. SO MANY LISTS. I was perhaps seduced by this, as the lists include “books”, “recommendations,” Promises made,” and my personal favorite, “100 Dreams.” There is also a tracking section where you can list habits to track each month with a day to tick off with each habit. I have gotten sucked in by these options before, only to abandon them partway through the year, so it’s entirely likely I’ll be running for Mark + Fold this time next year. If you’re the sort of planner who loves granular detail and doesn’t mind thinner paper and a vinyl cover, this might work well for you.
For the DIY planner
UNRAVEL YOUR YEAR: My friend
does an annual download year reflection and planner, which has been going at least ten years, and I’ve been a fan since the early days. The latter part of the PDF includes month spreads that could easily be used as planner pages to print and put in a filofax or to paste into a notebook. She’ll be making it available on her website again this December.YOUR WRITING YEAR: I must add that we do a planner just for writers each year here at Book (& Craft) Alchemy and this year will be no exception. All members will get access this December. The planner includes prompts and space to reflect on your writing from the past year and to lay out intentions for the year to come. In addition, we have fun trackers for your writing progress and will have a lot of new features and updates for the 2026 edition. Stay tuned for more details - you’re already in the right place to hear about this one.
The planner download is available to all members, so if you haven’t yet upgraded, now is an excellent time: you’ll get the planner in December AND in January, we’ll have our annual workshop to kick off the writing year.
Community recommended planners:
People have recommended the following very highly, although I haven’t used them myself:
The Passion Planner (US) which asks lots of questions and provides space to reflect each month. The site has PDF downloads for DIY planners as well.
Pumpkin Productivity Planner (UK) designed for those studying and academics, although the tracking could work well for a creative person also. This version is undated.
Have a planner you use and love that I didn’t mention? Please share in the comments!
Scribbles that Matter are my go to - they do a version that is part bullet journal with dotted pages but also weekly and monthly spreads that you can make work for you. Thick paper suitable for a real pen too! I changes to something else this year and have regrets…..
Honestly, I can barely bring myself to read this post because I know it will tempt me into buying yet more planners. What is it about planners that draws me in every single year so that I always end up buying several? (Rhetorical question, obviously!)