Overview
Along with low content, lined, paperback notebooks, Pen And I also sells printed books for GCSE study and public domain publishing. The site was originally hosted on WordPress from 2022 but moved to using Django and Django Rest Framework for API in 2025, giving them the freedom to include a journal prompt generator.
Pen and I Publishing is a UK-based platform designed to help individuals capture their life stories and memories through guided writing. The site focuses on making memoir writing accessible to everyonenot for publication, but for personal reflection, growth, and sharing with family.
The project is being developed in phases, with the first phase MVP now complete. This document outlines the current structure and planned development roadmap.
Technical Details
Backend: Django 5.1
Database: PostgreSQL
Frontend: HTML, CSS (Tailwind CSS), JavaScript
Deployment: VPS Hosting
API: Django REST Framework
Results
Phase 1, Part 1 - Complete
1. Journal Prompt Generator
Random prompt generation based on filters
Category, difficulty, and prompt type filtering
Immediate display of prompts without page reload
Mobile-responsive design
2. Blog Section
Article categorization
Publishing workflow with draft/published states
Related posts and navigation between posts
YouTube video embedding support
SEO metadata fields for each post
3. Core Functionality
Responsive navigation
About page explaining the site's purpose
Amazon integration for notebook purchases
Basic analytics tracking
Second Phase Development (Completed July 2025)
1. User Authentication and Personalization
User registration and login functionality
Secure authentication system
User profile pages
Ability to save and favorite prompts
Personal prompt collection management
Resource area to include free PDFs
Implementation Details
Extend User model with profile information
Create Favorites model to link users with prompts
Implement session management
Design profile dashboard interface
Add appropriate permission checks to views
2. Goal Tracker
- Set personal writing goals
- Track progress towards writing milestones
- Writing streak tracking
- Optional sharing of milestones
Third Phase Development (TBA)
AI-Powered Question Expander
Allow users to enter basic memory prompts
Generate thoughtful follow-up questions using AI
Help users explore memories more deeply
Implementation using Django and OpenAI API
