What are the indentation rules?

Each level is indented two spaces more than the one above, siblings share the same indentation, and there is exactly one root. Wrong indentation is reported with the line number.

Can node text contain parentheses?

Round brackets are shape syntax in mind maps. Use a dash or a colon instead, or wrap the text in square brackets to force a square node.

Can I choose the branch colours?

Each first-level branch is assigned a colour from the theme in order; the four designed themes each have their own palette. Individual branches cannot be coloured.

Book Notes Mind Map Template

Previewed in the “Ink Teal” theme; you can switch themes in the editor

When to use it

Reading logs, book club presentations and study notes. The five branches cover "what the book is, what it says, what I think", with two or three slots under each; fill them in and the note is complete.

Making it yours

Double-click a node in the preview to edit it, or change the text on the matching line in the code.
Add a branch on a new line at the same indentation; add a child by indenting two spaces more than its parent.
For a long book, list chapters under "Chapter highlights" and trim the other branches.
Let an AI fill it in: send the book title with the prompt above and paste the whole reply back.

Mermaid code

reading-notes-mindmap.mmd

mindmap
  root((Book title: notes))
    Book details
      Author and background
      Year published
      My rating
    Key ideas
      Idea one
      Idea two
      Idea three
    Chapter highlights
      Part one
      Part two
      Part three
    Quotes
      Quote one
      Quote two
    My thoughts
      Links to what I already know
      Where I can apply it
      Questions and disagreements

Ask an AI for one with this structure

Send the prompt below to ChatGPT or Claude, then paste the whole reply into the editor; the code inside is detected automatically.

prompt.txt

Draw a reading notes mind map for the book "TITLE" in Mermaid mindmap syntax: the root is the book title, the first-level branches are Book details, Key ideas, Chapter highlights, Quotes and My thoughts, with 2-3 points under each. Use indentation for levels and no list markers. Output only the mermaid code block.

FAQ

What are the indentation rules?: Each level is indented two spaces more than the one above, siblings share the same indentation, and there is exactly one root. Wrong indentation is reported with the line number.
Can node text contain parentheses?: Round brackets are shape syntax in mind maps. Use a dash or a colon instead, or wrap the text in square brackets to force a square node.
Can I choose the branch colours?: Each first-level branch is assigned a colour from the theme in order; the four designed themes each have their own palette. Individual branches cannot be coloured.

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Updated 2026-09-05