About six weeks ago I bought myself three new A5 notebooks. Two thin ones, and one thicker, but all with soft covers. I didn’t know exactly what I would use them for, but I had the vague notion of a commonplace notebook. I have a current A6 notebook I use for Bible verses, Christian quotes, and notes from Christian books or talks that I’ve filled about two thirds, so I knew I would want something to replace that in the near future.
I had another thought that one, or all three, could be used for writing somehow, but I wasn’t sure what that would look like.
Until about a month ago, when I began to use the thicker notebook for writing ideas.
It started off with half a page of dot pointed blogging ideas. And then I proceeded to do the same the following weekend. And then last weekend I think it became a more traditional commonplace notebook, as I wrote dot points from author interviews and their advice. I’m currently reading Haruki Marakami’s Novelist as a Vocation, and I like the thought of summarising each essay, or writing down the ideas from it that I can use for my own writing life.
Traditionally, a commonplace notebook is a compilation of your interests. Information that speaks to you; quotes from books or films, observations you’ve made, summarising ideas from talks or videos, linking different works together with a theme or connection. A commonplace can be helpful for someone like me who reads quickly; it forces me to think and reflect on what I read, so I want to make sure I’m reading something of quality to begin with, and actually remember what you’ve read (or seen, or heard).
My writing commonplace notebook also contains my own blogging ideas, but I like that it’s in the same place as information from authors. I use tabs for the pages that are my own ideas so I can easily find them and see if there’s something I can use, or build from. Similar to morning pages, it’s less about intentionally finding an answer and more about getting out some initial thoughts and then, when your mind is clear, finding the gold.
What helped me begin the commonplace notebook was because… I didn’t mean to. Yes, I did want these new notebooks to be intentional, but I didn’t realise they would become filled with knowledge. Not calling it a commonplace to start probably helped me in the sense I didn’t feel that pressure to make it look a certain way, or to create that perfect first page.
Okay, is my first page ugly? Yes! I used a tombow while for every other page I used my fountain pen (a much thinner line) and my handwriting is not neat (though it rarely is). But I need to stop fearing that first mark of creativity. It will rarely be what the end product looks like. It’s only as we continue on; in using a notebook, or beginning a new project, that it becomes what it should be. And the notebook is doing what it should. I have been writing more of my novel since starting this notebook, I have more ideas both for fiction and blogging. The more I work on these things, the more I want to.
When I began using a Bullet Journal nearly two years ago, I wasn’t sure if it would last. But it’s still going strong, and it’s a natural part of my life. I am hoping the commonplace will be like that; so far I’m enjoying it, and finding it normal to seek it out, but we’ll see if I end up using notebook two and three in the same way…
Sarah xx
the softest words 