The Commonplace Book Experience

I was hesitant to start a commonplace book, which entails dedicating a single notebook to taking down quotations. It seems like such a narrow pursuit and hence one destined to fade away.

But the Letts of London Legacy Slim Pocket Travel Journal, which I have in orange, seemed destined for some kind of special purpose. It’s tall and narrow, has a pleasant pebbled cover, gild-edged paper, and a little gold pen that tucks away into a special sleeve on its spine. Daily pocket carry seemed unlikely, so instead I committed to this class practice. I throw it in my bag and grab quotations that flit past my eyes before they whoosh off into the ether.

It’s been a little creative journey. With each quotation, one has to determine how much context to provide, where to crop the phrasing, where to break the line. Each is a little creative effort, every phrase joins a compact but ever-growing library. I am liberal with space; I write only on one side, often leaving a single quote alone on a page.

A few months in, I can now flip through the pages and relive each quotation and savor what compelled me to transfer its sizzle to my own little library.