It’s YOUR book, and if worst comes to worst, you can always buy another copy! But to me, annotating is a physical mark of love on a book and it shows just how much it means to you. The most important thing to remember is to be confident and do what you like with it. Ultimately, annotating books can be very scary, especially for those who haven’t marked-up their books before. If I have more than one note I didn’t finish, I’ll make up other little objects, like dots, and use them as a guide that shows me where I’ve continued my note. In emergencies, I’ll write in between the lines of text, but only if there’s ABSOLUTELY no more room on the page.Īnd if I’m writing in the margin and I run out of room there or misjudge how much space I need, I put a tiny asterisk beside the last word and put an asterisk down the bottom of the page and continue there. Writing close to the middle where the pages can get messy and my writing often becomes sloppy there because there isn’t enough room for my hand there. If I want to write a note or a comment, I like to draw a straight line from the word or sentence I’m talking about and write the annotation in the margin, preferably the one closest to the outside of the book if I have enough space. There’s enough colour in the book with the highlighting and the sticky notes, so it would just be too chaotic with any pen other than a black one. Unlike my previous two methods, I prefer to just use the black colour in my four-colour pen to annotate because I feel that it keeps everything looking neat and ordered. I should really have a look at that! When it runs out, I’ll have to go on the hunt for a new favourite annotating pen, or fly back to China. I found a really excellent pen to use for annotating and I’ve been using it ever since I got it… three years ago! I need to get more like these, but I found them in a small stationary store in Nanjing and I’m unsure as to whether I’d be able to buy them online.

I also refuse to use liquid pens, like fine liners, because I find that they bleed through the pages. I like my writing to be thin and tidy, and it’s impossible for me to be neat and write small with a thick pen. The only pens I feel comfortable using are the ones that have extremely thin or small ballpoint tops. But by that point, it will tend to leave an indentation in the page that won’t come out even with erasing, so I just find that using a pen is more convenient for me.īut finding the right pen for this job can be tricky. Some people prefer using a pencil, but for me, I can’t stand using pencil unless it’s REALLY SHARP and will turn out looking like a pen. While some people feel completely uncomfortable with writing in their books because they’re scared it’ll look messy or they’ll make a mistake that they can’t erase, there’s nothing I adore more than writing my thoughts or little notes off to the side of the page. Lastly, a good pen is a must-have for anyone annotating a book.

Annotate a book