How To Guide For Annotating Books Like a Pro!
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Whenever I thought of annotating books my heart screamed! It took me a while to be comfortable with writing in books. I now I am obsessed with it. The act of annotating my books, and interacting with the text brings me such joy. So, if you are interested in how to annotate books like a pro, stick around!
I remember the first time I saw someone annotating books. I loved the aesthetic of it, and upon rereads going back and seeing my thoughts. Scrolling through my feed on bookstagram I would constantly see beautiful images of annotated books using 10 different colors and 1000s of sticky notes. I was swept by the process and in love with the outcome.
The first book I ever annotated was The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue. And, those first tools were definitely poor. But it was like a dam breaking, leading me down a rabbit hole of tools for annotating books. Moreso, I discovered that all annotating tools are definitely not created equal. And, my need for writing in the books without completely feeling like defacing them encouraged me to find other avenues like transparent sticky notes (whether full page or regular size), tabs that are the right amount of sticky, and quick-drying pens to help me along my journey.
I want to encourage more people to interact and have fun with the text!
Why Should You Be Annotating Books?
Granted, there are no right or wrong answers to this question. Annotating books should be fun and expressive. You can choose to annotate every book that you read or only certain books ( I only annotate books I am called to annotate). One option is not better than the other do you!
But if you want to know some reasons why you should here are a few:
It allows you to read more actively, giving you time to absorb what you have read. When engaging with the text rather than passively reading letting the words pass you by, you process and absorb what you have read. Reducing the time that you will skim read.
You will become more observant and understand more of what you have read. If you have trouble remembering the books you have read try annotating books. 9x out of 10 you will remember more of the details for the very reason that was previously mentioned.
Overall, it is just fun. To be engaging in a way with an object that is rather passive is fun!
How I Love Annotating Books
I like to keep it simple. My highlighting is typically tailored to the theme of the book. But typically it is pink for love/heartfelt moments, blue for sad, red for anger, orange for character development, etc. Using my transparent sticky notes to write on and paste into the book into the section I am referencing. I rarely, write directly into the book because I often do rereads and my feelings don’t typically stay the same. Also, writing notes on a notepad to reference for my reviews or other things I want to remember, so I can easily return to it.
I love to take note of my favorite book quotes in a notebook while also tabbing those as well. I am currently developing my own reading journal because nothing quite fits what I am looking for.
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My Favorite Supplies for Annotating Books
- Transparent sticky notes
- Sticky tabs for annotating
- Pens to color code annotations
- Black pens
- My favorite highlighters
- My favorite Notebook
- Highlighter tape
- Pencil case to keep everything organized
Before You Begin Annotating Books
Don’t put pressure on yourself and assume you will annotate books your first go-’round. You probably won’t. Especially if you have it in your mind that books shouldn’t be dog-eared, written in, or anything other than read delicately. Go in with an open mind and without any ideas. If you come across a line you like and makes you feel something interact with it how you feel called to. Underline it, tab it, write how you feel, etc.
Remember you are reading for fun! So make it fun! If you are holding a pen, use the pen. A marker use the marker. Don’t overcomplicate it. If you do, it will put distance between you and the story, making it less fun and you won’t want to do it anymore defeating the purpose.
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What You Want To Be Annotating
You may be saying well that’s all well and good but what should I be annotating? Well here are some ideas of things that you can try out.
Quotes. Or any lines that resonate with you.
Write how you feel. Whether in the margins or on sticky notes. Write down your thoughts and feelings. Whether it be happy, sad, a caring moment, or something that makes you angry. Interact with the text.
Mark text that interacts. Whether parts are moments that could be potentially foreshadowing or referencing other parts of the story. Mark things that interact and build upon one another. This will increase your awareness of the plot and storyline.
Just doodle. Whether you are an artist or just just drawing emojis doodle what comes to mind. All of that is relevant to the things you are feeling about the story. It means something.
If you aren’t good at space planning use a pen so that you can erase and redo it as many times as you like
How to Annotate Books Like a Pro!
As mentioned before there are multiple ways you can annotate books. And, you can either pick a style beforehand or go in without any preconceived notions (which we recommend)āmore than anything you don’t want to stick to any one system starting out.
Different books have different genres, writing styles, themes, and ideas that the author wants to convey, and sticking to one way may not work across the board. Be open to exploring and trying out different methods, and finding a flow that works. Ultimately, annotating books is supposed to improve your overall experience with reading, if you make it a chore, you aren’t going to want to do it.
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1. Write out your thoughts!
Another powerful form of interacting with the text is writing out your thoughts. If you agree or disagree with something write it down. If you find something funny take note. This doesn’t mean that you have to write a ton. Comments can be in short form or whatever comes to mind.
Yes, longer comments take up more space, but in those moments I would suggest grabbing a post-it note. Writing out the feelings you have at the moment will also help when you continue with the series or when you revisit the story. You will be able to see what you were thinking, whether your feelings changed, and proceed from there.
2. Highlight/Underline Important Parts!
This is the beginning stage of annotating books.
When you come across a line that resonates with you, underline/highlight it. No matter what it is. If it strikes a chord it is important!
Many times, I use different colors in order to symbolize meanings blue for something powerful, red for something heartfelt. But these colors don’t always remain the same and I take note of the meanings on the title page of the book so that I can remember.
Circling words or phrases is also good. And for longer paragraphs that you don’t want to highlight the entire thing use a bracket. Keep it simple.
3. Doodle Until Your Hearts Content!
As of late, there has been a debate on whether this is an aesthetic thing or an annotation thing. Particularly I don’t care which one. I am not an artist by no means but I like to doodle a little in my books! I tend to keep it simple and I will flower my book to death! lol. You can doodle whatever you want in your books or not! It’s yours!
Some ideas are themes of what you are reading and placing them in that section of the book. If you are reading a non-fiction book you can draw something that references the topic of the book. Again, as much or as little as you would like.
Now this isn’t an exhaustive list, and you can really create any reason in order to annotate books and you should. But ultimately there is no right or wrong way to do the act of annotating books. There isn’t even the best way. It is just how you have created for yourself and works for you. I hope you find what works for you and it brings you immense happiness.
Sprinkle Words like Stardust!
Happy Reading Readers!
Do You Like Annotating Books? What’s Your Favorite Method for Annotating? Let us know in the comments!
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