My Commonplace Book entries came from a variety of sources, ranging from philosophical quotes, to songs, photos, paintings, poems, and passages from some of my favorite books. Of course, having chosen them as the topics of my entries, I already had an appreciation for these things from when I first ran into them, but I never did any thinking past the point of believing them to be “deep” or “powerful” — words that ultimately don’t mean anything of substance. In the end, I am not entirely sure why these particular miscellaneous entries triggered a profound neurological reaction that made me remember them, but having to write down the reason why I appreciate them in the first place gave me a few good ideas. These assignments were my favorite, since there is no right or wrong answer; whatever I am thinking at the moment of writing is exactly what I mean to say. Often, I am not entirely sure of what I am going to write until it is already written. As for its connection to the “What Writing Is” graphic, the Commonplace Books certainly fall under the category of reflective exploring, inquiring, and learning, as I had to self-reflect on why particular passages stood out to me. Much of writing is about introspection, particularly on why some things provoke the writer to certain thoughts, and the potential reasons for why that is the case. Even if the writer cannot establish a certain connection, at the very least they can write something new or entertaining.
