How To Start A Commonplace Book
Photo by Liza Summer
All my life, I learned from my dad that underlining great passages in a book and otherwise marking and making notes does the book great honor. The more of the book is underlined, the better the book, or possibly the better the reader.
However, I do not underline library books and making highlights on an e-reader doesn’t seem to lend the same weight. My husband learned from his family to shudder in horror at the thought of making any marks in a book. Thankfully, I’ve recently learned of a solution, and have become a keeper of a commonplace book.
A commonplace book is simply a book to compile noteworthy passages from books or quotations from anywhere. I’ve long kept journals and notebooks full of lists, both dreamy and practical, and various notes that might include lovely thoughts from others, mingled with my own. But a commonplace book is a bit more pure and lovely in nature; it provides a single location to collect the best parts of what we read and comes with manifold benefits.
For example, a commonplace book allows you to record passages from books you might not mark such as library books, e-books, or books borrowed from a friend. You might also include inspiration from other sources, such as the Bible, podcasts, audiobooks, magazines, or those little daily inspirational flip calendars. I’ve even copied down a lovely verse from an e-card I received! Sarah McKenzie writes about the commonplace book in Teaching From Rest, and she describes her entries as: “anything I read that causes me to pause and read again, to stop and savor the words, ponder the message; it all belongs in my book.”
A second benefit is in the writing itself. Part of why I typically read with a pencil in hand is because I read more carefully when I’m looking for a gem to underline; taking the time to underline involves re-reading, and slowly. Those few extra seconds help the words sink a little deeper in my heart and mind. Imagine what happens when we allow ourselves to notice and write out by hand a sentence or two, or even a paragraph!
Finally, over time, your commonplace book becomes a lovely collection of whatever inspires you. Re-reading it is much more edifying than flipping through my journal full of my emotional ups and downs and outdated to-do lists, and every re-read helps the truth, goodness, and beauty—or even humor! —absorb a little deeper in my heart.
Some practical tips to get started:
Tip 01
Select a book with a beautiful cover. I like one with lay-flat binding that’s fairly thin and about the size of the average book; easier to carry around.
Tip 02
Find a pen (or pencil, if you must) that is attractive and writes smoothly. I have inherited a preference for black gel ink and a disdain for ballpoint ink that is a touch quirky; something about the opaque ink seems more elegant, albeit comes with a risk of smearing.
Tip 03
Keep your beautiful new commonplace book with your reading materials, or in your most common reading spot.
Tip 04
Consider reawakening your cursive handwriting, if it’s been a while. The words we’re writing are part of the practice, but there’s something about cursive that encourages us to focus on the forms of the letters themselves, coming forth in such beautiful, flowing and curving shapes.
Maybe you’ve kept a commonplace book for years, knowingly or unwittingly, or maybe the concept is new to you! Either way, I hope you’ll consider taking up this time-honored practice of slowing down and collecting beautiful thoughts.
