Hello lovelies! As writers, our brains are constantly overflowing with ideas, snippets of dialogue, historical tidbits, and magical fancies. Bursts of inspiration seem to strike at the most unexpected times—and we scramble to take a (mental) picture or screenshot to incorporate it into our WIP later so as not to lose them to our “black hole of ideas”.
Still, keeping these little treasures organized can be a challenge. I was keeping them all over the place: in my phone’s photo gallery, in my notes app, in Scrivener, on my work computer, on scraps of paper, on Instagram and Pinterest—until I watched Christy Ann Jones’ video about her Commonplace Book.
WHAT A BRILLIANT IDEA!
Sooo, I decided to give it a try: since the start of 2025, I’ve been keeping all my ideas in my own little Commonplace Book. I love it! It’s like a creative reservoir of ideas and inspiration. It’s still a bit chaotic (thank you, brain), but it’s somehow organized, too.
What Is a Commonplace Book?
A Commonplace Book is essentially a repository for ideas. Writers, philosophers, and creatives have used them for centuries to collect quotes, ideas, reflections, and observations. Think of it as a hybrid between a journal, a scrapbook, Pinterest, and a filing cabinet.
I’m using it as a one-stop-shop for my favorite quotes, historical facts that could be turned into a story, character inspiration, storyworld ideas, character inspiration, story vibes, and so on. I’ve ordered my Commonplace Book by project, but there are endless possibilities—by topic or theme, chronologically, by type of information, and so on.
Choosing Your Commonplace Book
The first step is deciding what format works best for you: digital or old-school. There are all sorts of handy apps available. Think: Notion, Evernote, or OneNote. Scrivener can also double as a digital Commonplace Book.
Personally, I like to have a physical notebook that I can flip through at leisure. Somehow, my brain feels more at ease with the pen-on-paper approach—I’m not staring at a screen and I can flip through the pages at leisure, going back and forth as much as I like. Sooo, opting for old-school gave me the perfect excuse to buy a new Paperblanks notebook (I mean, obviously: they are beautiful and sturdy and wonderful and I will forever be in love with them).
Sections and Subcategories
I’m working on multiple projects (one actual WIP and various story ideas), so I found it helpful to dedicate a section of my Commonplace Book to each project. I used tabs, sticky notes, and highlighters to mark the different sections. Of course, it’s possible to organize each project into smaller, focused subcategories, like:
– Worldbuilding: Geography, maps, historical influences, unique societal rules.
– Characters: Names, traits, backstories, motivations, sketches.
– Plot Ideas: Chapter outlines, potential twists, unanswered questions.
– Magic or Mythology: Rules of the magic system, myths or folklore, magical artifacts.
– Research Notes: Historical facts, cultural details, visual references.
– Inspiration: Quotes, songs, art, or personal reflections tied to the project.
This last category has been my focus, but not everything I’ve collected so far has fit neatly into one project or category. I therefore reserved a section for general inspiration writing advice, quotes about storytelling, or random lines of dialogue or themes that don’t necessarily fit into an existing project.
So far, my (semi-well-organized) Commonplace Book has helped me a lot! I love the reassuring thought that all my ideas and inspiration are in one place—I don’t have to stress about losing them to chaos (unless I lose my notebook, oh the horror!). I also like the idea that my Commonplace Book will grow alongside my writerly journey—a reminder of my vision, my creative development, and the stories I hope to tell.
Sooo, my fellow writers, grab a notebook (or open an app) and start building your Commonplace Book! I highly recommend it!