How I began to write more

The tools and workflow that help me be a more prolific and consistent writer.

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1. My Daily Log

Before I began keeping a daily log I struggled to come up with ideas. The daily log was inspired by Michael Dean and his logloglog (https://michaeldean.site/logloglog). I loved his and decided to start my own.

I use a tool called Napkin (almost out of beta) and realised it would be the perfect way to log ideas, thoughts and other observations. Before that, I would try to remember ideas that occurred to me on the run, but by the time I got back to my desk they were gone.

Using Napkin to capture my thoughts made me aware of the importance of logging every idea. I now have a bank of material to use for article writing, remembering, and inspiration for characters.

2. Highlights

I read a lot on Kindle. I highlight favourite passages, often inspiration for my own writing, as well as random quotes that speak to me. What really works for me is the ability to add my own notes and record my 'in the moment' impressions. I do the same with Matter.

3. Obsidian

A game changer, Obsidian was the catalyst that started me on the road to writing with abundance (a David Perell concept).

I import my Kindle and Matter highlights, together with my own notes, into Obsidian. Often I find I've outlined the framework of a potential article. Or, created material for future use.

4. Twos

An app to remember Things, I use Twos to track my to do list. It also lends itself to daily logging (as opposed to Napkin, Twos is where I log what I've done, not what I think).

In Twos you can create Lists and Sublists. That's where I create a public log for each month. I use this to remind me of topics to include in my weekly newsletter, and also as material for monthly/quarterly and annual reviews.

5. NotePD

This is a very new addition to my arsenal of tools but, already, I can see the potential.

I love James Altucher's idea of creating a list of 10 things every day. I can see this firing my imagination, as well as helping me outline new Medium and Substack posts. (This list will evolve into a 'tools that help me writing more' kind of article.

Nicola Fisher