When I was young, dumb, new to smoking, and hanging out with a dirty, dumb stoner kid, I rolled a joint in notebook paper once. It was terrible. Loose roll, smelled and tasted like shit. Made my eyes burn and tastes horrible. Not to mention all the carcinogens and chemicals it probably contained.
To answer your question, User Name:, yes, notebook paper is why it smelled bad, and why I'm sure it tasted like shit, and probably also why you didn't get high. Take the advice given here. If nothing else, make yourself a little foilie or a Coke can pipe. It's better than smoking notebook paper. And honestly, for a newbie, it's easier to hit a bowl than to roll a joint. It takes practice to roll decent joints, and a bit more practice to roll good, tight ones.