Why You Should Write in Books

Are you a Preservationist or a Footprint Leaver? Do you leave your books riddled with notes and turned down pages or do you leave them in pristine condition? In Little Guide To Your Well-Read Life: How To Get More Books In Your Life And More Life From Your Books, Steve Leveen writes about writing in your books as a helpful way to learn, along with arguments for Footprint Leavers and Preservationists.

Writing in Book is Helpful
Leveen writes:

"When in the trance of good fiction -- when one is carried away by a story -- writing in a book is unnecessary and can even be distracting. It is in expository writing, when one is reading to learn, that writing in books is so very helpful."

If You Already Do It, Do It More
Leveen writes:

"If you already write in your books, I encourage you to do even more of it and to take this art to a higher level. If you do not write in your books, I urge you to start, even though I know it goes against the grain."

Footprint Leavers and Preservationists
Leveen writes:

"I wrote a column for the Levenger Web site on this subject, describing those who write in books as Footprint Leavers and those who do not as Preservationists. Within a week, more than two thousand readers responded with arguments, many of them quite eloquent, either for or against leaving footprints. Ironically, both camps based their reasoning on a fervent love of books."

Arguments for Footprint Leavers
Leveen writes:

"'A book unmarked is a book unloved," pronounced one Footprint Leaver. 'An unmarked book is like a canister of undeveloped fil, an unopened bottle of wine, a violin with sagging strings,' said another."

Arguments for Preservationists
Leveen writes:

"Preservationists felt otherwise. 'I never would write in a book, my thoughts are just that, my thoughts. Books should be left in a pristine condition. Notes are for notebooks,' said one Preservationist. 'It just makes me cringe to think about writing in a book of mine or event turning down the page to mark your place. That's what bookmarks are for!' insisted another."

Post-Its: A Solution for Those in the Middle
Leveen writes:

"Other people were in the middle and sometimes conflicted, as this reluctant Preservationist was: 'Alas, I am a Preservationist. I have tried numerous times to be a Footprint Leaver, but have failed miserably! I would love to be able to write in books; I just can't bring myself to do it.' For such wistful readers, today's stick-on notes allow them to write in books without actually doing so."

Key Take Aways
I fall into the middle camp. I've tried to write in books, but it just never felt right. While I like the idea, I think I've found a way that works for me. What I do is I stick post-its in my book on pages I find noteworthy and I write a quick note to remind me of the point. This way I can quickly flip to what matters. This also works well for books I take out of the library. Another thing I do is I carry a batch of sticky notes with me so I can jot down notes as I go along. That way I can bring the notes wherever I need them and it helps turn them into action. Lastly, I share the nuggets that I find most useful, here on this blog, as I get the chance.