Novel Ideas

I've been toying with a new concept for a while now, and I thought I'd share with all of you and get your opinion.

I am an avid reader with an entire room devoted to my books (as well as stacks and stacks of them in every corner of the Idea Guy headquarters!) I do my best to retain the morsels of information inevitably contained within each book -- but with so many concepts and so many books, that can be a difficult task.

I took to sticking Post-It notes on the important pages of each book, but that became messy and kind of a pain since it required referring back to the physical book itself. I tried jotting down notes in a book journal, but that was a nightmare when trying to find which page of the journal referred to which book -- plus I was a juggling act to read the actual book, then put it aside and open the journal to record the notes.

A possible solution arose when I began using an index card for a bookmark. I could easily jot notes on the index card and retain my place in the book. Once finished, the notecard could be stored in a plastic file box -- but the space on the index card wasn't sufficient to capture all the ideas in most of the books I read.

I finally decided to add a litle oomph to the index card concept and created the Novel Ideas Bookmark. It's a bright yellow 8x6 card that folds to 4x6 for easy storage in one of those index card storage boxes I mentioned above.

The front of the card is horizontal and contains spaces for book title and author's name to allow for easy filing. The card opens like a book and the inside is ruled to allow for journal-like entry of important points in the book. I list the page number and then the concept I wish to note. The back of the card includes additional ruled lines for final points.

I also included a spot on the front of the card to list the most valuable lesson I learned from the book, as well as a favorite quote. The bottom/right corner of the card front allows for a "1 of X" indication in case I need more than a single Novel Ideas Bookmark to record details -- but I have yet for this to happen.

Once a book is read, I can replace it on my bookshelf and file the card/bookmark in my office for future referral. I can file books on subject, author, or title -- and information is always on-hand.

If you'd like a set of my Novel Ideas Bookmark, you can purchase a pack of five for only $5.50 (free shipping in US) by clicking the button below, or you can print your own by downloading the PDF printing template available in my IDEAS4U Yahoo Group.

It's easy and FREE to join the IDEAS4U group (just click here!) Once you register, you'll find the template in the Bonus Freebies folder in the FILES section.

Let me know what you think!

Comments

[Rusty]

I love this idea. Not only is it a useful idea for a professional brainstormer, it's one of those situations where the tail wags the dog for the right reason. It makes me want to do more photo/speed reading and slow reading for that matter to uncover and forge new ideas from beaten, mutated and hybridised old ones. Your cards are so marketable, by the way.

[Calypso]

Sorry. I have a theory that the truth is never told during the nine-to-five hours.
I am from Ecuador and also now'm speaking English, please tell me right I wrote the following sentence: "It has been varied that ducati has worked more games than any torsional scooter because the tales are instead fascinated to serve their tires through chain crude; this, of wing, is a rod of link."

;-) Thanks in advance. Calypso.