How to Start a "Commonplace Book"

I tend to be one of those people who like to mark up the books I read. Swept away in a great description? I mark it! Love the way the writer uses similes? I mark it! Want to put that reference in my memory? You guessed it . . . I mark it! The problem is that I may never remember which book I marked for what clever turn of phrase or brilliant quote. Usually, if I want to look it up again, it's gone. Lost somewhere among the myriad tomes lining my shelves. Then I discovered that there was a way to keep all my favorite sage sayings and bumper sticker sentiments in one single place. That's with a commonplace book! First of all, what is it? A Commonplace Book is different than a journal. It is a personal collection of things that have been read somewhere else and copied down into one place so they won’t be forgotten. So if you find poems, jokes, scripture verses, quotations, favorite passages from books or plays, or just an interesting idea that you enjoyed and want to save to read again and again, it is a fun thing to start. People have been keeping Commonplace Books since ancient times. You might even be able to find examples in some libraries that date as far back as the middle ages. But it’s fun to make your own, and you make up the rules about how you want to do it! Ready to get started?

Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

Things You’ll Need:

• A special notebook that suits you:
• Could be leather, could be suade, could be something that's homemade.
• Could be ugly, could be sweet, could be something worn or neat.
• Could be spiral or bound with thread. Could be green or could be red.
• You get the point.

1. The biggest thing with you have to do with a commonplace book is remember to use it! When you see something that strikes your fancy, a poem, or a song, a joke, or a catchy phrase splashed across a billboard, write it down!
2. You can organize your notebook into sections if you like. You could have a section for poetry or song lyrics. You could have a section for favorite descriptions. You could include a section for famous quotes, or portions of political speeches. It's up to you. It's your book, and like a journal, it will reflect something about you.
   
   My own collection is so random that it really has no form. It makes it fun to browse through, but I have to admit that if I'm really looking for something, it takes more time.
3. You don't have to copy everything down into the commonplace book. You can add clippings from magazines or newspapers. They might be headings or entire articles you want to save. You can save special announcements or brochures. You can put pages of personalized stationary that you've received. Add whatever strikes you as being something worth remembering.
4. If you think that you will be collecting clippings, stickers, and these sorts of things, you can either glue them onto the pages of your notebook, or you can use a notebook that has built in pockets. I wouldn't recommend leaving things loose inside.
5. You can use different color pens each time you make entries into your commonplace book if you like. You might even add some illustrations if you're a doodler (er, I mean illustrator) in the truest sense.
6. Perhaps consider marking down the date each time you add something to your commonplace book along with where you found it. Even though a commonplace book isn't a journal in its purest form, it is a record of those things you considered good or worthy, and it's nice to look back and remember when you captured them or where.
   
   A commonplace book is a simple source to save treasured truths or favorite funnies. It is an simple way to put all your favorite thoughts into one place, especially when they're so hard to hold onto any other way!

Tips & Warnings

• Try decorating your Commonplace Book to suit your personality!
• Keep it near enough at hand so that you can find it when you need it. If little Susie says "the darnest thing" it's likely you'll forget what it was if you don't write it down right away.