First, there are practical elements to consider when deciding whether you should annotate a book. Needless to say, you shouldn’t annotate a book that doesn’t belong to you. But if you’re thinking of scribbling in something rare or valuable, like a first edition of a classic or a signed copy from the author, please reconsider. Beyond that, you should think carefully about what you want to get out of annotating before you start.
Are you hoping to become a better reader or writer and see annotation as a way to carefully study a novel or book on craft? If so, you’ll want to choose a way to annotate that lets you take detailed notes. Do you have a book club and want to be able to talk about a passage you found interesting without trying to remember a line or flipping through pages? Think about how to bookmark or label parts of the book so you can recognize what they are and find them quickly. Or, if you’re drawn to annotating because it seems like a lot of fun, think about what materials, colors, or methods would make it your own art project.
The reader scared of the pen should think about why annotating scares them. Would you feel better about annotating if you knew any notes you made weren’t permanent? Are you concerned you’ll damage your books by tearing a hole in a page, or that they won’t last as long? Do you think the notes will distract you during a reread? Whatever your fears are, your method for annotating will need to work around them.
If you’re one of the fortunate among us who don’t mind taking a pen to the pages, think about what your ideal annotations look like. Are they composed of perfectly straight underlines and neatly written analysis on sticky notes? That sounds great on paper, but if you’re taking a ruler to perfect each underline and treating every note like a calligraphy project, it’s going to cost you a lot of time and effort. Are you the type who doesn’t mind if the notes aren’t perfect if it means you spend more time enjoying the book, with a thought squeezed into the margins and a quick underline sprinkled in? Be sure you don’t rush to use a pen only to regret the result. How you want your personal collection to be handled and what you want out of reading are also important aspects to identify if you want to explore annotating.
If your response to this question is an instantaneous, screaming no, that makes two of us. If you’re more relaxed than I am and already have a pen in your hand, it is still worth considering writing “off the book.” Sticky notes, especially clear ones, are a convenient way to make a place for your thoughts, giving you more room than the margins would. If you want to bookmark important passages, page markers from an office store give you a color-coded solution.
If you need more room for notes, or are paranoid like me, I direct you to the humble paperclip. You can cut a piece of paper to size, and you can pull the paper out of the way to read without worrying about pulling it off. In addition, adhesives have a chance to leave residue or attract dust and dirt, especially when left for a long time. There’s no dust magnet quite like a bookshelf in Arizona.
But if you really do want to write in the book, consider what system would make your notes most pleasing and effective. Do you need to invent your own code, with squiggly circles representing a word you had to look up, or the color purple to highlight lines you feel are important to the themes in the story? You may also keep a key for yourself tucked between the pages—maybe every book gets their own annotation key as a bookmark!
It may seem simple to pick up a pen and start scribbling, but the type of pen you choose will affect the final result—regardless of whether you’re writing in the book or not. A rollerball pen with a gel-based ink dries fast and needs less pressure, so it’s less likely to indent your pages or smear. Remember, ink always risks bleeding through the page, and any type of pen you use will show through the other side of the paper.
If you want no show-through at all, you could pick up a pencil. If you’re writing in the margins or are adamant that the lines have a consistent weight, a mechanical pencil would suit you best. However, the graphite from a pencil may smudge or lift off over time with handling.
With a bit of creativity, anyone can choose to annotate their thoughts while they read and keep a collection of clean or artfully analyzed pages. Whether you’re scrambling to your nearest Staples or feel content with your resolution never to take a pen to your books, I hope this article has helped you take a deep look at your relationship with reading and how annotating might add to it.
Julia Smith, Pine Reads Review Writer