Commonplace Books
PROGRAM: “IN A WORD”
EPISODE: COMMONPLACE BOOKS
[5 TO 10 SEC OF MUSIC]
[FADE MUSIC]
I’m Candace Schaefer with “In a Word,” your weekly communication tip.
Have you ever heard of a commonplace book? This old-fashioned variation on a journal can be a valuable tool for a writer--or anyone else engaged in creative work. While a journal or diary is a record of your thoughts and activities, a commonplace book is a grab-bag collection of ideas and inspiration—a scrapbook for the mind. Unlike a journal, a commonplace book is something you carry around with you. Have it at the ready to record notes, drawings, conversations, quotations—anything that inspires you.
The name “commonplace book” comes from the ancient Greeks. They listed “places” an orator could quickly access in his mind to find an argument or develop a point. The Greeks divided these places into the common and the special. The common places were the ones encountered in everyday life, while the special places were tied to specialized knowledge like medicine.
Many famous writers and thinkers, including Marcus Aurelius, Thomas Jefferson, and Mark Twain, kept commonplace books.
These days the “book” can also be digital, kept using a program like Evernote, for instance. Of course, if you’re going to take full advantage of the ideas in a commonplace book, you’ll need to organize them.
For many writers, that means two steps. The first step is to carry around a small notebook or electronic device where you can make quick notes and capture the every day things that engage you. The second step is to transfer this material to some kind of organized paper or electronic file.
Remember, if you do this for any length of time, you’re going to accumulate a lot of material, and it won’t be much use if you can’t find it later. Author Ryan Holiday, in a blog posted entitled “How and Why to Keep a ‘Commonplace Book,’” says he transfers the thoughts from his book onto index cards and then files the cards by categories. On the other hand, just making the record--and not organizing the results—may be enough for you. After all, the mere act of writing something down helps us remember it. And being on the lookout for inspiration can help us become more alert to the possibilities in everyday things.
If you keep a commonplace book, the next time you have to write a thank you note, give a speech, or express your love, you can turn to your book for inspiration. The result will be more sincere because it will reflect ideas that caught your attention and moved you. And you on a page is what your readers want.
This has been "In a Word," a program made possible by the Texas A&M University Writing Center and a production of KAMU FM on the campus of Texas A&M University in College Station. For more writing and speaking tips, visit our website at writingcenter.tamu.edu. I’m Candace Schaefer, helping you make every word count.
[5 TO 10 SEC OF MUSIC]
EPISODE: COMMONPLACE BOOKS
[5 TO 10 SEC OF MUSIC]
[FADE MUSIC]
I’m Candace Schaefer with “In a Word,” your weekly communication tip.
Have you ever heard of a commonplace book? This old-fashioned variation on a journal can be a valuable tool for a writer--or anyone else engaged in creative work. While a journal or diary is a record of your thoughts and activities, a commonplace book is a grab-bag collection of ideas and inspiration—a scrapbook for the mind. Unlike a journal, a commonplace book is something you carry around with you. Have it at the ready to record notes, drawings, conversations, quotations—anything that inspires you.
The name “commonplace book” comes from the ancient Greeks. They listed “places” an orator could quickly access in his mind to find an argument or develop a point. The Greeks divided these places into the common and the special. The common places were the ones encountered in everyday life, while the special places were tied to specialized knowledge like medicine.
Many famous writers and thinkers, including Marcus Aurelius, Thomas Jefferson, and Mark Twain, kept commonplace books.
These days the “book” can also be digital, kept using a program like Evernote, for instance. Of course, if you’re going to take full advantage of the ideas in a commonplace book, you’ll need to organize them.
For many writers, that means two steps. The first step is to carry around a small notebook or electronic device where you can make quick notes and capture the every day things that engage you. The second step is to transfer this material to some kind of organized paper or electronic file.
Remember, if you do this for any length of time, you’re going to accumulate a lot of material, and it won’t be much use if you can’t find it later. Author Ryan Holiday, in a blog posted entitled “How and Why to Keep a ‘Commonplace Book,’” says he transfers the thoughts from his book onto index cards and then files the cards by categories. On the other hand, just making the record--and not organizing the results—may be enough for you. After all, the mere act of writing something down helps us remember it. And being on the lookout for inspiration can help us become more alert to the possibilities in everyday things.
If you keep a commonplace book, the next time you have to write a thank you note, give a speech, or express your love, you can turn to your book for inspiration. The result will be more sincere because it will reflect ideas that caught your attention and moved you. And you on a page is what your readers want.
This has been "In a Word," a program made possible by the Texas A&M University Writing Center and a production of KAMU FM on the campus of Texas A&M University in College Station. For more writing and speaking tips, visit our website at writingcenter.tamu.edu. I’m Candace Schaefer, helping you make every word count.
[5 TO 10 SEC OF MUSIC]