Friendship-Book

[elfy]

So, around then years ago or lets say 12, I started a 'Friendship-Book' in school. Usually kids do this in elementary school or maybe in 5th/6th grade, but I thought it would be cool to do that in my last years of school and it proved to be a very cool thing. I got lots of people to write into that book (and even some teachers)and it's a treasure to me, as I don't have contact to many of them anymore, but it's so nice to take the book and flip around in it and remember these people.
A hand full of you might even have written into the book! Or well, I guess two people or so *laughs*

Important was, I think, that I made the book myself. Well, it was a bought book, but an empty notebook. I made up a bunch of questions, like the memes we are used to post to livejournal or nowadays facebook. And I wrote the questions down by hand for each entry, before I gave the book to someone for a few days.

So, since a longer while I want to make another book like this. Now several questions came up.

- Will it again be a notebook that has to be filled or single pages, that I collect in a folder and bind later?

A notebook as more charme, but it always means I can only give it to one person at a time ... which is fine and worked before, but it gets complicated when it comes to friends living farther away. I'd fear to loose it when sending it by mail. The nice thing is you can see the entries of the people who filled it in before you with a notebook, this wouldn't be the case with a "collection of loose papers". I guess in the end I will choose the loose paper version and will bind them into a book at some point. Everybody would be free to look at it when visiting me ;)

- If I go with the single pages, how many?

In my first book people had to fill in 4 pages, but it was an DIN A 5 book, so smallish. This time I feel like I want to do A4, so double the size, but just two pages seems so ... well, not enough.

- Handwritten? Serious layout?

Do I write a page by hand and then copy it? Or scan it as a PDF, so my friends from overseas can fill it out and send it back to me? Do I just write down the questions? Again, by hand or with a nice type in Indesign? Do I add a fancy border or leave it as blank as possible, for people to design? Do I offer several designs or just a single one?

- What questions should I ask and how many?

Some things are like 'the basics', which I'd probably always ask (favourite movie / color / meal / ..., best way to contact, etc). Other things are ... well, there are a thousand questions one could ask in such a book.

This is where you come in! You may answer any question I asked above or state your opinion, but most of all I'd like to know which kind of questions ...
... you'd love to see in such a book
... you'd expect there
... you'd ask *your* friends

And hints and ideas welcome :)

Comments

[spiegelverkehrt.livejournal.com]

I've had similar books (made for me and made myself) and I keep planning (and unfortunately just that) on doing some kind of friendshipbook again. I like going through them and feeling all sentimental. ;)

I'd go for the loose pages for the reason you mentioned above. A book would be nice, but losing it in the post or something like that would suck big time. As for the number of pages.. I'd probably feel a little intimidated by having to fill 4 DinA4 pages. Of course it'd depend on the number of provided questions and ideas, but I think, I'd let people chose how many pages they want to do or limiting it to even numbers.. something open like that.
I'd also go for a single, very basic design, giving people place to illustrate & design the pages themselves. Apart from the questions, including ideads for what to do with the pages might be a good idea. Maybe not on the pages, but as a side note for those who can't think of something.

Questions/Ideas (apart from the usual stuff you already mentioned):
. a special memory they have of you and them
. let them write down what they did on a random day (kinda like ADIML, without the pictures)
. where they've been/ what they did 5 years, 5 months, 5 days, 5 minutes ago and where they'll be/ what they'll be doing in 5 years (I think there is a meme like this on LJ)
. what songs they'd include in a mixtape for you
. the recipe of a dish they would cook if you visited
. drawings (of you two) and photos
. where they would take you on vacation.


Now I *really* wanna do such a book. x) Please keep me/us updated on the project. I'd love to see what you're going to do with it.

[jema.livejournal.com]

When I was away 4 months in Lisbon while at uni my friends at home made such a book and mailed to me. It was really wonderful to see that they still cared for me even when I was so far away for an extended time.

Since I am a librarian I love to see what others are reading, so questions about last read book is cool, best book ever can be really hard though.

[alexmc.livejournal.com]

I'd love to participate no matter what form the final result takes.

I don't have any questions to suggest

[walkyre.livejournal.com]

Oh, das ist eine schöne Idee. :)
Ich persönlich würde, denke ich, die Variante mit den losen Blättern bevorzugen; da ist man flexibler und muss das Nuch nicht einzeln herumreichen. Außerdem, wie du selbst schon sagst, kannst du eine lose Vorlage per E-Mail an alle versenden.

Fragen, die ich auf jeden Fall sehen wollen würde ... hmmm ...

Ich glaube, auf jeden Fall die Frage, nach Lieblingserinnerungen an die Freundschaft und die gemeinsame Zeit. Oder was allgemein mit der gemeinsam erlebten Zeit an Begriffen und Schlagwörtern verbunden wird.
Ausgewählte Lieblingsfotos von früher.
Lieblingszitate
Wie man sich die Entwicklung der gemeinsamen Freundschaft früher mal vorstellte und ob das dem gegenwärtigen Zustand nahekommt oder nicht ...

So was in die Richtung. :)

[penpusher.livejournal.com]

One option is to have the people participating send in their own pages. That way, they get to pick the paper, etc. they use and you can put it all into a scrapbook. Also, there's really no chance that it would get lost, since everyone is submitting everything separately, and the issue of mailing a book to various parts of the world would not be a factor.

I would suggest a special format of some kind... either the same basic set of questions or whatever to keep it somewhat consistent.

I smiled when I saw you say "The Basics," as that was what I called the set of questions I would ask of every guest that appeared on talk_show back when I was doing that. I don't know that all of those questions would apply to someone responding to this concept, but maybe?

It's a good idea though!

[chili-das-schaf.livejournal.com]

I had tons of such books and they were notoriously LONG because I always overdid it with the questions.

[pax_athena]

I love the idea :) When I had more time for penpalling, I filled out a few for friends and always enjoyed it. I'm a bit sad I never did one of my own, it would be great to have something to remember of all those nice people - I'm still in touch with quite a few, but by far not with all and not in such an intense way.

But back to your questions: I would make the length, both page-wise and regarding how long the answers to the question should be variable. So - perhaps a page or two with very basic info where you write the questions down yourself (whether by hand or in a nice layout) and a list of questions x pages to answer them? I always hated it when I had more to say then there was space for or only had a short answer while the amount of space hinted on the expectation of a longer answer.

I love the "where do you see yourself in X years" kind of question - not for the very moment, but for re-reading it in X years.

And if I were to make the book, I would ask people to design/illustrate their own pages. Perhaps just with a bit of very basic border or corner decoration to tie them all together.

[cos]

I am curious to see what questions you asked in your original friend book.

[vanita.livejournal.com]

I agree that loose sheets of paper that you arrange into a book later are just more practical. But you'll have to decide when to stop collecting to get your book together ...

You could pre-design two pages and leave it up to your friends to add two more if they want to. That would make it individual.

The layout question is harder. Would it work for you to offer different designs to different people? Doesn't get so boring when you read it, and you can include all the ideas that pop up in your head. More of a creative process for you as well!

And maybe you can have some standard questions and some that you want to ask that specific person.
I, personally, like it when there are a few really weird questions mixed in as well as some philosophical ones which take some thought and actually represent a person.