How Sarina's Reading Journal Makes Her a Better Novelist: Episode 382

<p>Hi. 🙋‍♀️ My name is Sarina, and I’m a bit obsessive about stationery products. I’m always on the lookout for a good excuse to buy new pens or a new notebook. But bear with me, because this one is 100% valid: every year I buy a new reading journal, and I use it well. </p><p>The journal itself is nothing special. <a target="_blank" href="https://geni.us/Z3qmwO">It’s just a 200 page B5 (or composition book sized) notebook</a> where I keep track of all the books I’ve read. (Or, in many cases, books I started and did not finish. I’m a big DNFer, because life is short and there are too many books to cover.)</p><p>At the front of the journal I keep a list of the gems—the books I want to recommend. Plus a long list of things I want to read. </p><p>But 99% of the pages are given over to my thoughts about the books themselves. Sometimes I only write two lines, and sometimes I cover two pages. </p><p>When I first began tracking my reading like this, three years ago, I wasn’t very precise about what I wrote down. It was only after I formed a structure for my notes that the process became truly useful to me as a novelist. These days I always note some very specific things. Here they are, and here’s why they help: </p><p>1. Genre</p><p>After I note the title and the author, I write down the genre. </p><p>Okay—sue me—I actually have a cute set of self-inking stamps that flag the genre. A <a target="_blank" href="https://www.jetpens.com/Pilot-FriXion-Stamp-Light-Blue-Scream/pd/20630">scary face</a> for thrillers, a <a target="_blank" href="https://www.jetpens.com/Pilot-FriXion-Stamp-Red-Dinosaur/pd/32160">dinosaur</a> for anything magical, and <a target="_blank" href="https://www.jetpens.com/Pilot-FriXion-Stamp-Pink-Heart/pd/29532">hearts</a> for romance. But it would work just as well to write “thriller” at the top of the page. </p><p>Then, as I read, I make specific notes about the subgenre. Is it a domestic thriller with romantic elements? Is it a romance with a subplot of suspense? </p><p>We’re always told that our books