The Commonplace Book Guide
Have you ever saved a quote or a link for your book, then couldn’t find it when it was time to write? Or found it, but couldn’t remember where it came from?
That used to happen to me all the time. Then I realized I’d been keeping commonplace books for most of my life, in work notebooks and in binders full of things I wanted to remember. I just didn’t have a name for it. This guide is how I set mine up now, so my research is in one place and I always know who I learned it from.
What’s inside:
- How to start your own commonplace book: a simple checklist to walk you through setting it up.
- Ways to organize it: six methods, including John Locke’s index, the Zibaldone, and my own hashtag system.
- Supplies and collection ideas: checklists of what to use and what to collect, from quotes and lyrics to screenshots and overheard dialogue.
- 10 printable page layouts: index, color key, quote, sketch, and list pages, plus entry pages with a side margin for your sources.
- 13 writer pages: nonfiction research pages like a source tracker and chapter map, and fiction Story Bible pages for characters, settings, and worldbuilding.
Print the pages you need, as many times as you need them. Keep them in a binder, or add them to the notebook you already have.
Details: 32-page printable PDF, 8.5" x 11"
Companion to the Inspire Books Blog: Commonplace Books: Where Writers Keep Their Nuggets of Wisdom