I love this post! Note taking is my love language. Through the act of note-taking, I develop a deeper understanding of the text, myself, and the world around me.
For someone whoās never taken notes while reading, it may feel like work in the beginning however once you get the hang of it, it becomes a reward! One that you can look back on often.
I write in my books and in a journal. This may not be for everyone, but I love doing both. I recently started using Shariās index method, and I love, love, love it!
Great stuff here ladies! I started taking notes a couple years ago and it has been a game changer for me! I do use a pen (Tul medium needle point black) because I like the permanence of it! I underline, write notes in the margins, and then also write notes in my reading journal. I keep a separate commonplace for quotes. My reading journal is indexed by topics/themes, etc...slightly different than your method but accomplishing the same thing. Keep up the great work.
Thanks, Matthew. Iāve seen a post where you mention the pens you sue. Iām thinking about ordering some to see if I like them. I love that you want the permanence of your notes. I should be so bold. Maybe 2025 is my year. š. I also keep a separate reading journal. Actually, I have a journal specifically for R&W ā which tends to be an overall reading journal since most everything I read is possible fodder for R&W essays.
So, I have a question about your reading journal indexing: Do you go through your notebook once itās full and create your topic index in the front (or back) of it? Or do you index as you go? And then, do you number your pages? Iām super curious about this. Itās a great idea. Right now I use those small post-it tabs and write the topics on the tabs to find particular themes/topics more easily.
Thanks for your membership and encouragement, Matthew. :)
I index as I go. I save some pages at the back and put 2 letters on each page (A/B, C/D, etc...) I do number my pages but I only write on the right hand side so those are the pages I number. The left hand side is left blank for future notes or thoughts when I go back and review or if I want to sketch or anything random. I will take some pics and send so you can see.
Judy, if you go to the chat section then you will find direct messages there. I am not sure about the app as I only use the desktop version but all my messages appear in the chat portion of the homepage.
Judy, if you are still having trouble finding it and using the app, I would go to the desktop. I'm with Matthew, I rarely use the app to engage on Substack, as I find it much harder to navigate and find everything I need, like the chat function (it looks like a dialogue bubble). It's on the left-hand side of the screen. Hopefully that all helps. :)
wow, thank you! This is the best article I have read on note taking and I love your suggested questions. I am going to try these suggestions and print out the questions for use when reading. I was an English lit major in college and love to read 19th C novels as well as current non fiction, but no one ever taught us how to read, they just said read and now write your paper. (1960's college)
You're welcome, Judy. What a high compliment. Thank you. :) I'm right there with you on never being taught how to read. Everything I've learned has been through the decade I spent homeschooling my own children, and the study of the craft of writing--mostly fiction writing, but non-fiction as well. And all that happened as an adult, NOT when I was in high school or college where you'd think those foundational skills would be taught (!).
This makes so much sense to me & especially when you say that earlier literature is character driven rather than plot driven . This is probably why I enjoy it so much but find it hard to keep track of the many characters. Note making it us from now on. Thank you.
Very thorough write up covering a lot of different angles. There are some similarities to what I do too. One thing that helps me is having a very consistent set of symbols I use in my marginalia, which Iāve written about here: https://armchairnotes.substack.com/p/reflecting-on-books
Thanks, Sam for this thoughtful and generous response :)
Thanks especially for sharing your own processes. I'm stealing some of your reading log ideas. I especially like your "Montaigne Note" method. I have to think through using a pocket-size notebook. I like your logic for the size though. Makes a lot of sense.
Thanks Shari! Itās terrific that you picked all these tips up as you homeschooled. Good on you, and thanks for sharing all these great ideas! I learned very little about how to reading closely, or critically, in school. Iāve been an avid reader since I could read āDick and Janeā books (that ages me!) but now that Iām finally paying closer attention, I find I get more out of it. Finally!
Sorry for the latent reply, Jennie. I did see it and appreciate all you've said here.
I'm the same as far as never learning to read closely in school, and that was back when we were still--for the most part, anyway--reading entire books, rather than snippets of a work, which is, (horribly!) sadly how a vast majority of kids are introduced to real literature now.
I do think that our voracious childhood reading habits primed us, however, for learning how to read deeply now. And, yes, homeschooling was a linchpin moment for me in ways I could recognize at the time, but also is the gift that continues to abundantly give itself to me all these many years later. :)
I was looking for ways on how to review books because I just started reading for fun and I wanted to make book reviews that are uncomplicated and friendly to my brain thatās overwhelmed from social media and this was the perfect post. I felt inspired to write reviews thanks to your suggestions! š¤
There are some lovely ideas in here! While paper books are my ideal, Iāll admit that Kindle has made the note-taking process easy for me in that it allows me to take notes at the same time I highlight a passage, and then it instantly uploads to the online Kindle notebook. From there, I can copy-paste it to my digital collection of notes which Iāve found is much easier to refer to and read from than notebooks.
This post is fantastic! I love annotating any book I read or taking notes separately if itās from the library š
But I absolutely love the idea of creating a little index of sorts in the book for your notes! This is spectacular and something I will be doing going forward!
I have never really done note taking while reading, but youāve given me some ideas. Perhaps it will be something Iāll try in the new year with War & Peace.
Sounds like you already have a robust note-taking toolkit. Iām glad you found some helpful things to add to your collection of methods! š
Thanks, Tracy! Iām so glad you found it helpful. Thanks also for adding your own note-taking process. I love what you track with highlighters. š
I love this post! Note taking is my love language. Through the act of note-taking, I develop a deeper understanding of the text, myself, and the world around me.
For someone whoās never taken notes while reading, it may feel like work in the beginning however once you get the hang of it, it becomes a reward! One that you can look back on often.
I write in my books and in a journal. This may not be for everyone, but I love doing both. I recently started using Shariās index method, and I love, love, love it!
Great stuff here ladies! I started taking notes a couple years ago and it has been a game changer for me! I do use a pen (Tul medium needle point black) because I like the permanence of it! I underline, write notes in the margins, and then also write notes in my reading journal. I keep a separate commonplace for quotes. My reading journal is indexed by topics/themes, etc...slightly different than your method but accomplishing the same thing. Keep up the great work.
Thanks, Matthew. Iāve seen a post where you mention the pens you sue. Iām thinking about ordering some to see if I like them. I love that you want the permanence of your notes. I should be so bold. Maybe 2025 is my year. š. I also keep a separate reading journal. Actually, I have a journal specifically for R&W ā which tends to be an overall reading journal since most everything I read is possible fodder for R&W essays.
So, I have a question about your reading journal indexing: Do you go through your notebook once itās full and create your topic index in the front (or back) of it? Or do you index as you go? And then, do you number your pages? Iām super curious about this. Itās a great idea. Right now I use those small post-it tabs and write the topics on the tabs to find particular themes/topics more easily.
Thanks for your membership and encouragement, Matthew. :)
I index as I go. I save some pages at the back and put 2 letters on each page (A/B, C/D, etc...) I do number my pages but I only write on the right hand side so those are the pages I number. The left hand side is left blank for future notes or thoughts when I go back and review or if I want to sketch or anything random. I will take some pics and send so you can see.
Yes. If you donāt mind. I would love a visual. Thanks, Matthew!
Sent you a message with photos.
I would like to see them as well.
Sent you a direct message with photos.
How do I find a direct message? It doesn't seem to be in the help--
Judy, if you go to the chat section then you will find direct messages there. I am not sure about the app as I only use the desktop version but all my messages appear in the chat portion of the homepage.
Judy, if you are still having trouble finding it and using the app, I would go to the desktop. I'm with Matthew, I rarely use the app to engage on Substack, as I find it much harder to navigate and find everything I need, like the chat function (it looks like a dialogue bubble). It's on the left-hand side of the screen. Hopefully that all helps. :)
For note taking tips, I like Haley Larsenās Closely Reading. She has an 8-part series on the subject.
Thanks for sharing, Seher. Iāll have to look it up. :)
wow, thank you! This is the best article I have read on note taking and I love your suggested questions. I am going to try these suggestions and print out the questions for use when reading. I was an English lit major in college and love to read 19th C novels as well as current non fiction, but no one ever taught us how to read, they just said read and now write your paper. (1960's college)
You're welcome, Judy. What a high compliment. Thank you. :) I'm right there with you on never being taught how to read. Everything I've learned has been through the decade I spent homeschooling my own children, and the study of the craft of writing--mostly fiction writing, but non-fiction as well. And all that happened as an adult, NOT when I was in high school or college where you'd think those foundational skills would be taught (!).
Shari, thanks. You gave both practical and helpful advice.
Sure thing, Richard. I'm so pleased you found something of use to you. :)
Notice what you notice. This would be a great song in a Broadway musical! I just had to say it.
This makes so much sense to me & especially when you say that earlier literature is character driven rather than plot driven . This is probably why I enjoy it so much but find it hard to keep track of the many characters. Note making it us from now on. Thank you.
Very thorough write up covering a lot of different angles. There are some similarities to what I do too. One thing that helps me is having a very consistent set of symbols I use in my marginalia, which Iāve written about here: https://armchairnotes.substack.com/p/reflecting-on-books
The other thing is keeping a reading log, which I regularly review. Iāve written about that in a post here: https://armchairnotes.substack.com/p/reviewing-reading-logs-armchair-method
Thanks, Sam for this thoughtful and generous response :)
Thanks especially for sharing your own processes. I'm stealing some of your reading log ideas. I especially like your "Montaigne Note" method. I have to think through using a pocket-size notebook. I like your logic for the size though. Makes a lot of sense.
Thanks Shari! Itās terrific that you picked all these tips up as you homeschooled. Good on you, and thanks for sharing all these great ideas! I learned very little about how to reading closely, or critically, in school. Iāve been an avid reader since I could read āDick and Janeā books (that ages me!) but now that Iām finally paying closer attention, I find I get more out of it. Finally!
Sorry for the latent reply, Jennie. I did see it and appreciate all you've said here.
I'm the same as far as never learning to read closely in school, and that was back when we were still--for the most part, anyway--reading entire books, rather than snippets of a work, which is, (horribly!) sadly how a vast majority of kids are introduced to real literature now.
I do think that our voracious childhood reading habits primed us, however, for learning how to read deeply now. And, yes, homeschooling was a linchpin moment for me in ways I could recognize at the time, but also is the gift that continues to abundantly give itself to me all these many years later. :)
https://open.substack.com/pub/scholarstudy/p/creating-a-personal-sanctum-the-anatomy?r=28woco&utm_medium=ios
this has clarified note taking for me so thank you!!
I'm so glad, Andrea. :) Happy note-taking!
I was looking for ways on how to review books because I just started reading for fun and I wanted to make book reviews that are uncomplicated and friendly to my brain thatās overwhelmed from social media and this was the perfect post. I felt inspired to write reviews thanks to your suggestions! š¤
This made my day. :) Iām so glad the post inspired you, and Iām excited for your new reading and writing adventure! :)
There are some lovely ideas in here! While paper books are my ideal, Iāll admit that Kindle has made the note-taking process easy for me in that it allows me to take notes at the same time I highlight a passage, and then it instantly uploads to the online Kindle notebook. From there, I can copy-paste it to my digital collection of notes which Iāve found is much easier to refer to and read from than notebooks.
This post is fantastic! I love annotating any book I read or taking notes separately if itās from the library š
But I absolutely love the idea of creating a little index of sorts in the book for your notes! This is spectacular and something I will be doing going forward!
I have never really done note taking while reading, but youāve given me some ideas. Perhaps it will be something Iāll try in the new year with War & Peace.