You need to start a commonplace book

You do, you know.

I was introduced to commonplace book-keeping by John-Paul Flintoff a few years ago.  It’s a brilliant thing to do, and if you take my soon-to-be-launched email course, Write Who You Are, you’ll be starting one of your own.

But… what is a commonplace book?

A commonplace book is a personal collection of words you need to remember and/or find inspiring, all gathered in the same place. (“Commonplace” comes from the Latin term “locus communis”, which means “a general or common place”).

People have kept commonplace books for centuries – they came in handy before we could store information in digital files! – for all kinds of reasons.  As a student, you might have used one to record scientific formulae or word definitions.  Philosophers used them for thoughts and quotations.  Authors, like Mark Twain and Virginia Woolf, made reading notes in theirs.

You can use your commonplace book to write words – such as quotes, snippets of dialogue, poetry, passages from books, song lyrics, or anecdotes – that resonate with you so deeply, you want to squirrel them away for safe keeping.

That’s the only rule.  Well… that, and this: only write down words that make YOU feel something.  They might make you laugh, or well up, or think, how does this person know my secret thoughts so well?  They might conjure a vivid picture in your mind, or light a spark inside your soul.

How to start your commonplace book

Choose a notebook, open it, and start writing.

If you can’t think of anything inspirational right now, these questions might help you get started:

• What’s your favourite line from your favourite song?
• What’s the most important thing a loved one has ever said to you?
• Who most inspires you with their words? What’s the best thing they’ve ever said?
• Does your favourite film include a soul-stirring speech, or a line that always makes you laugh?
• Is there a saying or a quote that has helped you through key moments in your life?

My own commonplace book* is a glorious mishmash of wordy things like passages from novels and overheard snippets of conversation (I carry a ‘satellite notebook’ everywhere I go!).  You can also use your phone to snap pictures of words that inspire you, to write into your commonplace book when you next have it.

Why keep a book like this?  By collecting personally meaningful words – like a magpie gathering shiny treasures! – you’ll be reflecting, regularly, on what’s truly important to you.

Writing out others’ words by hand will help you connect with their meanings, and their construction, more deeply.  You’ll also start joining different ideas from different places together (rather usefully, this is the foundation of creativity), in a way that’s completely unique to you.

As you open your mind and usher in all these wonderful, meaningful words, don’t be surprised if new thoughts and revelations start to appear as if from nowhere. You might also feel more creative, more in tune with your thoughts, and more confident in your own way with words, which are lovely little bonuses.

It’s also why I’ve made keeping a commonplace book part of my new course, Write Who You Are, which launches in January 2027.  To find out more and sign up, drop me a line.   

*That’s my commonplace book in the pictures, just in case you were wondering!