Carol's Corner

When I read the tip to keep a writing journal or commonplace book in the Essence Publishing January newsletter it intrigued me. I wanted to learn more about this tradition dating back to the 17th century of compiling knowledge in a notebook. One definition of a commonplace book is, “a book into which notable extracts from other works are copied for personal use.”

I needed to delve into this topic, research more about it to satisfy my own curiosity and to share with others. They are essentially scrapbooks filled with items of every kind, depending on the person compiling them. They are used as an aid to remember useful concepts or facts. Whether using them for business, research, speaking, writing or art they can record and organize information, quotes, anecdotes, stories, wise saying, encouraging words, poems or any other gem that you might use later in your life or work.

For years I have clipped articles, kept photos, jotted down a passage, sentence or quote from a book I am reading. I love to jot parts of stories others have told me that intrigue me. I take notes when listening to a sermon, speaker, or webinar. Too often these bits and pieces of trivia, wisdom and seeds of ideas are noted on bits of paper. Sometimes they are filed and forgotten and other times the papers are lost in a shuffle of others. When I read about how popular commonplace books have been through the centuries and are today, I knew I needed a better system to file my highlights from books, sermons, stories and more. My personal record of learning needs to be more accessible when I need it. Yes I can google quotes but writing my favourite ones down helps me remember them and allows me to journal more about what they meant or why I kept them.

There are as many different ideas on how to keep a commonplace book as unique individuals who keep them. With today’s modern technology many opt to keep a digital record. I like paper but loose pieces get lost. The idea of a notebook, or multiple books, intrigues me. I can carry one with me. I can decorate the pages. I can type and print out longer sections to paste into the book.

However one other idea added some intrigue for me. 4X6 file cards in a box or plastic bin with dividers by subject. The advantage is the ability to shuffle the cards as new categories are needed and keeping like with like.

Whatever method of keeping a commonplace book you choose to use, know that you are in the company of people like Marcus Aurelius, Thomas Jefferson, Napoleon and Bill Gates who all kept commonplace books.

Do you keep a journal or commonplace book? What method do you have for storing the treasures you glean from reading and listening? Maybe, like me, this is the year to start compiling useful bits of information or organizing all the pieces you have already collected. If so enjoy the journey.