Some magical book tips
Right now, I’m (finally) working on writing in my gigantic leather book that I’ve had for years, sitting on a shelf, blank.
**Note: I’m glad it stayed blank so long, because right after I bought it, lots of stuff started changing in my practice, so it was a good thing I didn’t start writing in it then. I even knew at the time that I needed to stop after the first 2 pages I did because it just didn’t feel right. So, I ripped those out and started over, now, because I finally feel comfortable doing it.**
So, I thought I would write up a few tips based on what I’ve learned.
Unless you just really, really, really feel like you need a fancy book, don’t start with one. Get a 3-ring binder or some regular notebooks (spiral bound, composition books, even a simple journal). You don’t have to put in lots of effort on the pages (like illustrations and stuff, if you don’t want to), but use this book as a rough draft for a while.
Pay attention to the things you reference most often, and the things you wrote down then never looked at again. The things you turn to most should go in your fancy book/stay in your binder/whatever. The things you don’t use can be left out/removed, or added to a section for things you might need someday.
When you decide to start writing in a fancier book, go through at least the first little chunk of pages and put sticky notes in to label the pages. That way, you can flip through and see if you like the layout/order, and move things around easily before you actually start writing stuff permanently.
I also suggest doing this to mark the beginning of sections you want to divide your book into. (Alternatively, if you were using a binder, you can figure out your sections that way, moving things around until you’re happy with them.)
Leave a small chunk blank at the beginning (and/or end) for a table of contents (and/or index), then add stuff to it as you create your pages.
If you care a lot about neatness and avoiding mistakes as often as possible, do any illustrations in pencil (lightly) before you ink/paint/otherwise fill in the drawings.
Pencils are also super helpful for blocking off sections on a page. Like, if you are doing a section in your book for potions, and more than one can fit on a page, divide your page before you start writing. It’s also useful for marking off where you want your text and any ornamentation to go on a particular page. (Kind of like how people arrange elements on a scrapbook page before they start gluing.)
If you make a spelling mistake, don’t panic. This drives me bonkers, but I’ve learned to just leave it or put a line through the mistake and write the correct spelling above or beside it. If your pages are white, you can also use some kind of corrective fluid. (Story time: I misspelled the freaking title of my Book -_- I “fixed” it by going over the entire section of the page with the title in black watercolor paint, dry on dry, then used a metallic marker to re-write the title. And honestly? I love it even more now. It’s much more “me.”)
Put the stuff you use most often close to the front of your book. That way you don’t have to search too hard to find what you need.
Ran out of space in a section? That’s ok. Flip ahead to your next blank section and start writing. This is where the index and/or table of contents comes in handy.
You can find tons of tips for how to organize your Book, but the most important thing is figuring out how to make your Book work for you. If you’re not sure about adding something, don’t add it now. Give yourself some time to think about it.
On that subject, gorgeously illustrated books are amazing, but it’s fine to print things out, add in pressed flowers or dried herbs, use stamps or stickers, etc. It’s also fine to have no ornamentation at all. Your Book should reflect you and your practice, and it should be something you can actually use. If you’re spending all your time worrying about messing it up or not making it “good enough,” it’s not really serving its purpose.
Last point on that topic: it’s ok to write first, illustrate (or stamp, or glue stuff in, or whatever) later.
I highly recommend keeping some kind of separate journal or notebook for rough drafts. That way, you can edit your info, spell, ritual, whatever until you’re happy with it, before you start writing in your fancier book. (I personally also never add spells to my Book until I’ve tried them and had some result and recorded that in my journal, but you do you because just because a spell didn’t work the first time, doesn’t mean it won’t work in the future. Or vice versa.)
Leave some margins. That way, if you’ve filled the page and realize later that you wanted to add something else, you can glue in a page (see the “Double Pages” on this post) or write a note about where you put the additional info in your book.
It’s late and that’s all I’ve got right now, but feel free to add your own tips. And remember, the “best way” to organize your Book is the way that works best for you.
