Transform Your Writing Process with Obsidian
How to research, outline, and draft articles in Obsidian
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I’ve come across a new text editor, and it has completely transformed how I research, outline, and draft my articles.
I’m always looking for ways to improve my writing process. While my growth is about becoming a better and more proficient writer, my process is what supports that goal.
In my case, I like to:
- Keep everything in one place
- Easily “search” for files
- Connect ideas and build a knowledge base
I shared my article-writing process in a previous article; the key for me is to take time every now and then to reflect on what’s working and what isn’t. I mentioned that I used Google Docs to plan and draft my articles… but I’ve recently come across a new tool.
While there is much to love about Google Docs (easy accessibility, sharing docs), I couldn’t organize my docs the way I wanted to. Even with a naming schema for my files, it was difficult to find what I was looking for in the infinite scroll. My drafts were often buried beneath daily work-related files.
Not to mention, there’s the fear that I’ll run out of space on Google Drive, or wake up one morning to find that everything’s been deleted (unlikely, but stranger things have happened). That’s the problem with a platform you don’t control.
Long story short, I came across Obsidian in my search for a note-taking app patterned after the Zettelkasten method (check it out, let it blow your mind). I’ve previously used nvAlt and The Archive, both of which are fantastically simplistic, but didn’t meet my needs. You may have heard of popular app Roam Research… while it has rave reviews, it’s pretty expensive.
Obsidian is an up-and-coming program that I think will give Roam Research a run for its money. Obsidian is only in its beta stage, so it will only get better.
Now, I’m planning and drafting my Medium articles exclusively in Obsidian.
Let’s take a look.