Hi everyone - I am so torn and would love opinions. For some reason, I have always felt compelled to have grimoire work handwritten. I don’t know if it’s just an overly attentive control thing or if there’s a deeper reason behind why I do so. The issue is…
It’s so much work.
It would be much easier to just print it out and decorate/put it in. Why do I have to make everything insanely difficult?
Does anyone else have this struggle? How do you deal with it?
I love both ways to be honest i made my grimoire hand written and my book of shadows printed. Personally, yes handwritten is more work, but nothing compares to the feeling of having something that is this unique and one of a kind as no one else will have the same. In saying this, you can fill it out bit by bit as you feel comfortable with and when things you want to add come to mind but you are still on another previous part, just write it down somewhere. You could use anything really from craft paper, stickers, printed sources, magazine cutouts, and the list goes on.
I would say go with your heart and if as you were saying handwritten grimoire compels you then go for it! 
I have just started mine for the first time and prefer it hand written. I have a book with “parchment” style paper and think it just looks more authentic handwritten on with black ink. This is how i record spells etc.
I do have another which i use for information on moonphases, sabbats etc and have actually done that as a scrapbook so have incorporated pictures, photos and physicial objects onto the pages. This is just my way of incorporating my love of arts and crafts etc into this craft.
I would go with what ever method suits you. Listen to your heart and go with that…even use a combination of both
Blessed be
I got tired of running out of ink so my BOS is completely on my computer and I back it up once in a while. My handwriting is awful, I wouldn’t be able to read it if I left it for a while, you know?
While I also love the aesthetic of having a handwritten book, I completely agree that it is a ton of work 
I’m another witch who keeps everything digital- I’ve found that keeping all my notes and Book on my computer allows me to easily go in to add and change things as needed. It’s so easy to reorganize and categorize things (I’m a nitpick for details and I like to keep changing things around lol). I can access it on any device, and it’s saved on a hard drive- so no worries about potentially losing it to fire 
or water damage 
But most of all I have absolute chicken scratch handwriting- so handwriting a book was never truly an option for me in the first place 
Forgive me for rambling! I’m sure you’ll find a way that works best for you- whatever you decide to do, I’m wishing you all the best with it!
Blessed be 
Personally, I would much rather a handwritten BoS/Grimoire… but as of right now I have just about everything on my laptop because my thing is… I can’t find something I like for a BoS, but I do wish to have one some day & be able to decorate & handwrite things into it.
I’m also kind of whittling my practice to what I actually use & what I can leave. I went through a couple of… I need to have & know all the things! Now that I’ve narrowed down my practice some, I have a basic idea of what I use regularly, what has worked, what hasn’t or what doesn’t resonate… but I’m still figuring that out a bit.
I do have a 5x7 Grimoire type of book… it was actually going to be a journal, but now I have some things written in it that I absolutely have used multiple times or made… more geared toward how I cleanse my decks that I own, connecting with my deities & other types of things that I find myself regularly doing… making certain incenses, essential oil recipes for anointing oils, wearable oils, diffuser recipes. Some things like that really.
I was just saying to my best friend that has a Gorgeous 
grimoire that I would love to have one that size & to be able to write in it… one day I will… but for right now my laptop is serving as a type of BoS with folders & subfolders for the things I have used, want to look into, may use, or do…
I do love scrapbooking too, so I would love to be able to add to it my own personal touches & flares 
I have an issue with “messing up” and “spoiling” a perfect notebook with mistakes so much that I have dozens of journals I’ve never written in.
I found for me that a commonplace book works best. I carry it with me all the time and thoughts, tarot readings, spells, Lenormand homework, stickers, drawings, quotes, and the like all go in it. I do have a traditional BoS that I purchased 20 years ago as well, but I’ve never added anything to the already included spells, rituals, and magickal information. I also do have a bajillion PDFs and files in my Magick folder on my computer for reference.
My commonplace book makes me happy with its scrapbook look and feel. When I have the time and desire, I handwrite my spells. When I don’t, I paste in and decorate pages.
You definitely don’t struggle alone!
I’ve gone back and forth between a handwritten grimoire to a digital one. I find the digital one to be easier to work with, so that’s what I stick to. Plus, I have issues with my hands when I write too much and they cramp and become really painful. Typing is much easier for me to manage, so that’s what I do!
Ah, I feel so seen! I desperately want to have this big old, leather bound, beautifully heaven, worn Grimoire that I have hand written and annotated and lovingly used so that I can pass it on for generation after generation…
but that aint happening right now! Google Docs and pinterest for the win. I’m still so new to it all, too, that I don’t really know what I love, so I’m just kind of compling it and sitting with it digitally.
Maybe one day when I find that “perfect” book, I’ll stop and write down the things that I want… but I also hate my handwriting and like to rearrange and I’m already stressed out just thinking about it.
All this to say, do what works for you!
Oh i forgot all about my Pinterest boards & sorting through whats valid & not so much & then sections of the boards.
One day I’m hoping to be able to have a big bound beautiful book decorated & hand-written to be passed on… I just don’t know if I will get there or even close to it any time soon. Lol
With today’s busy lifestyles, not all of us have the time or luxury to do a handwritten BOS or Grimoire. I found a nice handwriting download, save my papers on the CPU and when I have the time, I print it out and either put it in a plastic sleeve and loose-leaf binder or one of my many, many, m-a-n-y notebooks. The worst problem for me is pulling the right book off my shelf.
“Oops, that’s food recipes, no, that’s Egypt or dragons, well, heck that’s my fanciful book, etc.
(Hoping to get my wheelchair next week.)
It was already hard to reach my bookcase shelves and I was only 5’1”.
What is right is what is right for you. There is no hard and fast rule. Remember, "Necessity is the Mother of Invention.
Garnet
I have a beautiful handmade bound book that I bought during a vacation, but I’m waiting to use it. I still have lots to learn and information to gather so I don’t want to start writing in it only find I want to change it later. I am currently using two books. One is small enough that I carry around with me. I write down questions I want to find the answers too, spells that I like or created, inventory of items that I have, ect.The other, I just started with printouts of information like the wheel of the year, candle magic, etc. I do like hand writing in my smaller book, it makes it more personal for me.
I’m starting a master list of Brilliant Garnet Ideas. A handwriting font… hello! Why didn’t I think of that! I love how your brain works!
I tried to start mine at the start of this year handwritten, but I’m too critical of myself. I tried printed, but didn’t like it. So I’ve gone digital. I’m doing a digital book of shadows, I can either type using a handwritten font or handwrite it on my iPad. I’m not locked in to any exact layout, I can rearrange and if I make a mistake, its not permanent.
Hi Jordy, welcome to the forum!
I made a font a while ago of my handwriting so that even if I typed things out it still look like it was written in my own handwriting. I think that’s a good way to go, too! I much prefer digital. It’s easier to rearrange things, change things when you get new information, and print when you’re ready.
I tried to make a font with my handwriting but my writing is so chaotic that the fonts always look bad! But I am loving my digital book of shadows, every night I’ve curled up with it since starting.
My handwriting is pretty decent, otherwise I would probably end up the same 
I’m glad you’re enjoying your book of shadows! That’s so wonderful!
I am starting out on my journey and I’m having the same struggle. I think I’ve decided that I will handwrite the magick that I actually do but I am going to print the knowledge pages and spells that I find here and elsewhere. I saw somewhere that someone creates their own pages from recycled paper. I am leaning towards doing that with my Grimoire but, I will have a printed materia medica, spells from other sources, and reference materials. I will probably have a big thick binder solely for Spells8 stuff. My Spells8 computer folder already has 288 files in it 
This topic was automatically closed 180 days after the last reply. New replies are no longer allowed.