Eight Tips for Setting Up, and Continuing, a Reading Journal

This is something I've been wanting to do and stick to for a while: setting up, and continuing, a reading journal. Additionally, A Clockwork Reader (Instagram and YouTube) recently published a reading journal that I actually wanted to try out (see here on Goodreads). So, I bought it (as I'm writing this post, I'm waiting for it to arrive).

Since I decided to buy it and give a reading journal a whirl, I thought I'd share some tips. Most of these will come from my previous experiences, and hopefully will help you (and myself) avoid starting one and just stopping soon after. Here are eight tips for setting up, and continuing, a reading journal.

Tip One: You don't have to design a whole journal - buying a basic journal is okay as well.

I did this way too often when I would try to start a new reading journal: I would try to design each page a certain way so that it would be "perfect." But then I would want to write past the design I set up, or there was too much space. Additionally, after a while, it would get to the point where I just didn't want to put in the effort to design every single page, get it matching to previous pages, and so on. As a result, you don't have to create an elaborate design for your reading journal. It can be as simple as a lined notebook.

Tip Two: Buying a pre-set-up journal (like A Clockwork Reader's journal) is perfectly okay!

Let's say you want something more elaborate, but don't want to (or can't) do a designed journal on your own. Buying one, like A Clockwork Reader's journal, from Amazon or any other bookseller is a great way to do this - that way, you have something creative and designed, but you didn't have to do it on your own.

Tip Three: Don't buy a new journal until you're almost, or fully, done with the reading journal you're currently working on.

This was another habit I fell into: I would be halfway through one journal, and one day, be walking through Barnes & Noble and see a cute journal I'd want as a reading journal. Then I'd buy it and never finish the one I was halfway through. Try not to fall into this habit. If you're almost done with a journal (let's say, 25 pages or less to go through), or if you used one up, then buy a new journal. But don't buy a new one before then!

Tip Four: Your reading journal does not have to be fancy.

This is something that I, and many others, think we have to have: a "fancy" reading journal. I'm here to tell you that no, your reading journal DOES NOT have to be fancy. As I mentioned under Tip One, it can be as simple as a lined notebook.

Tip Five: You don't have to record every single read (unless you absolutely want to).

Again, another habit I would fall into: attempted to record every. Single. Read. However, there were times I would be too busy to record every read in my reading journal, and then I would just drop it off because I wasn't recording every single book. Unless this is something you want to do, it is not necessary to record every single book you read.

Tip Six: Include the important stuff: title, author, a rating of some sort, and a few of your thoughts.

Most pre-designed journals only have space for this information, so it's okay to keep the record simple. Additionally, including some of your thoughts is always a good thing, because then you'll remember why you did or didn't enjoy a book. Quotes are also a good way to go about this!

Tip Seven: If you decide to include a review, it doesn't have to be paragraphs upon paragraphs.

Unless you want to do a 5-or-more-paragraph review, a single paragraph is enough for your review. Additionally, unless your reading journal is a simple, lined journal, you won't have enough space for a review of more than a single-paragraph review.

Tip Eight: Record some of your favorite scenes.

I don't recommend this verbatim. But doing a simple overview and page number(s) of your favorite scenes is always a good way to go back and remember the specific things you enjoyed.