How to Journal on Great Literature (and Think Like a Genius)

Turn Your Books into a Lifelong Conversation

📝 Want to take your reading to the next level? Here’s how to:

• ✍️ Use marginalia and journaling to have a conversation with the greatest minds in history

• 🧠 Retain more of what you read (and actually understand it)

• 📚 Turn your books into personal artifacts of your intellectual growth

woman writing inside her book

📖 What is Marginalia?
Marginalia refers to the notes, underlines, doodles, and comments readers make in the margins of a book. It’s a way to actively engage with the text, create a dialogue with the author, and leave a record of your evolving thoughts.

Instead of passively absorbing information, marginalia helps you interact with it—transforming reading from a solitary activity into an ongoing conversation with history.

I used to think writing in books was sacrilegious. Marginalia? Defacing the sacred text? No way. But then I realized: the greatest readers—the ones who truly live inside books—treat them like workspaces, not museums. My journal and my marginalia have become my most powerful tools for learning, reflection, and creativity.

Here’s how you can do the same.

1. Great Journaling Starts with Marginalia

Before you even open your journal, the process begins in the margins of your book. Think of it as laying the groundwork—highlighting what resonates, underlining thought-provoking passages, scribbling notes, and, most importantly, asking questions in the margins.

📖 The trick? Have two kinds of books:

• Show copies (pristine editions you keep for aesthetics)

• Work copies (beaten-up, well-loved, annotated copies filled with your notes)

Writers love engaged readers. If you were an author, would you rather your book sit untouched on a shelf or be covered in ink because someone couldn’t stop engaging with your ideas? Exactly.

2. Underline, Circle, and Make It Personal

What should you annotate? Anything that moves you. There are no rules, but here’s what I look for:

• ✨ Poetic language – If a sentence makes you pause, underline it.

• 💡 Profound ideas – If a passage strikes you as deeply true, circle it.

• 🤔 Questions – Don’t just absorb—interact. Pose questions like: Why did the author use this word? or How does this connect to my life?

A simple technique to get started?

Use Montaigne’s method: At the end of a chapter or short story, write the date and a one-sentence summary of what you just read and how it made you feel. Over time, these micro-reflections build into a map of your intellectual journey.

3. Rereading Is the Secret to Deep Learning

The best readers know: Good reading is rereading. Books like Moby-Dick or War and Peace aren’t meant to be read once and forgotten—they evolve as you evolve.

Here’s how to build re-reading into your routine:

• 📆 Set a rereading habit – Before starting new pages, quickly scan over what you marked the previous day.

• 🗺 Use your notes as a roadmap – Your marginalia directs your focus to the most impactful sections.

• 🔄 Ask new questions – What struck you on a second read? What changed? Your books should feel like living documents.

4. Your Journal Is a Conversation with History

Now comes the fun part: turning your books into a launchpad for journaling. The key is not just to write down what you read but to respond to it like you're having a dialogue with the author.

🖊 A simple three-step journaling method:
1️⃣ Find a quote that resonates – Something that sticks with you or challenges your thinking.
2️⃣ Write it out by hand – This slows your brain down and makes you truly see the words.
3️⃣ Pose questions and riff on ideas – Why does this matter? How does it relate to other things I’ve read? What does this remind me of in my own life?

This process turns reading from passive consumption into active discovery.

5. Schedule Your Journaling Like It’s a Workout

If you don’t make time for it, it won’t happen. Just like a fitness routine, intellectual growth needs consistency.

💡 Action step: Look at your calendar right now and schedule 15-20 minutes a week for journaling. Sundays work great.

I also recommend pairing it with a walking practice—reflecting on what you’ve read while moving helps deepen your insights. Let Shakespeare, Tolstoy, or Dickinson be your walking companions.

6. Treat Your Journal Like a Treasure Chest

Over time, your journal becomes a record of your intellectual and personal evolution. Years from now, you’ll flip through it and see the exact moment a book changed your thinking. That’s powerful.

You might even want multiple journals:
📖 A sonnet journal (to reflect on poetry)
📖 A short story journal (quick bursts of insight)
📖 A philosophy journal (for the big ideas)
📖 A personal reflections journal (your life, in conversation with literature)

When you return to them, it’s like reading a letter from a past version of yourself.

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📌 Your Life Is the Real Book
We read to expand our minds, but also to shape how we see and live in the world. Literature isn’t about escape—it’s about engagement. And when you journal on what you read, you’re making those ideas part of your own story.

So: What book are you journaling on next? Drop a comment—I’d love to hear what’s on your reading list!

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Unlock the Magic of Classic Literature—Without the Overwhelm!

Classic literature can feel intimidating, but it doesn’t have to be! My free guide Unlocking the Classics: A Guide to Reading (and Loving) Classic Literature gives you simple strategies to tackle classics with confidence, understand key themes, and truly enjoy the experience.