Do you often struggle with following the story in a novel? Do you forget things after you have read them? Are you studying a novel for school?
Keeping a reading journal is often the best way to remember not only a story, but your thoughts and emotions surrounding what you have read. Keeping a journal can help you work out important plot points, analyze characters and come to understand themes. It can also help your memory, improve your study habits and improve your writing.
What’s in a reading journal? Let’s get started!
Record Details
Pick a journal you like to handwrite your notes and thoughts or start an online journal on your iPad or computer. It doesn’t matter what style you prefer. The point is to start and to use a method that suits you so that you will continue to journal!
When you begin a book, write down the title, author, date you started the book, and any other details you think are important. If you are reading for school, it may be helpful to record the publisher and the publication date.
Write down your thoughts after each chapter
It is important when keeping a reading journal to write regularly. The end of each chapter is a good place to put your book down and write down your thoughts. Think about the following when formulating your thoughts:
- What was the key event in this chapter?
- Which characters were involved?
- How did this chapter make you feel?
- Do you have any ideas on what may happen next?
Track important quotes
Another way to formulate your ideas on a novel is to stop reading and record any quotes that catch your eye or seem important to you. If something in the text makes you stop to ponder, it may be important enough to write down. This can be especially helpful if you are studying a text for school.
Explore your thoughts
When you finish a novel, it is important to sit down and record your thoughts and feelings right away. This is good practice as the story is fresh in your mind and the emotions you feel at the end of a story can sometimes fade with time.
This is also a good time to summarize the novel as a whole and write about your overall point of view. Some important questions to have in mind when writing your final thoughts are:
- What are your initial thoughts on this novel? Did you like it or dislike it? Write your reasons why.
- What sort of emotions did you encounter while reading this novel?
- Could the writer have added anything to the story to make it better?
- Were there any parts you felt they should have left out?
- What was your favorite scene in the novel?
- What was your least favorite scene in the novel?
- Were the characters in this novel believable? Why or why not?
- Who was your favorite character?
- Who was your least favorite character?
- Does this novel leave you with any questions?
- Is there anything you still do not understand?
- Would you recommend the book to a friend or family member?
Read your journal
Once you have finished your novel and completed your journal, it is important to read back through what you have written. While you are doing so, think about what you have written.
- Do you still agree with your impressions of each chapter? Or does your point of view of the novel as a whole change this?
- Were your impressions of the characters changing throughout the novel?
- Did the novel turn out how you expected?
Keeping a reading journal can be a rewarding experience
Keeping a reading journal can help you formulate your ideas surrounding a novel, it can help you remember a novel in more detail that you normally would and it can ofter a profound and interactive reading experience.
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