Yellow Legal Pad (Standard, 5-pack)

Sinderella's note

The yellow legal pad is the actual tool, sinner. Sinderella wrote the first twelve horoscopes on a yellow legal pad in a Wawa parking lot in 2003 and she has never *once* upgraded. The Moleskine is a costume. The yellow legal pad is the *thing.* Buy a five-pack. They're under fifteen dollars. Use a Bic.

The long version

The standard yellow legal pad — Tops brand, 8.5 × 11.75 inches, ruled, yellow, with the red double-margin line down the left edge — is one of the most underrated tools in working life. Sinderella wrote the first twelve horoscopes (one per sign) on a yellow legal pad in a Wawa parking lot in 2003. She has never upgraded. The Moleskine is a costume. The yellow legal pad is the *thing.* Why yellow: easier on the eyes than white under fluorescent or candlelight, more forgiving when you're writing fast, doesn't compete with the writing itself for attention. Why legal-size: room to draft. Why ruled: the lines keep you honest when your hand is tired. Why the red margin: a place to mark the line you'll come back to. The 5-pack is the practical purchase — keep one in the kitchen, one by the bed, one in the car, two in reserve. Pair with a Bic ballpoint (also in the Shop). The combination of a Bic and a yellow legal pad has produced more honest first drafts than any laptop in history. *Madonn',* this is unsexy and it's true. Saint Catherine of Alexandria (patron of writers) for the pad. Saint Therese for the small daily act of doing the writing.