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Duane Toops's avatar

This is nothing short of incredible, Mark! The level of precision and craft in the structures of your process is a work of art in and of itself.

My capturing and collection process isn't nearly as intricate, it's also digital, but I think the onus is similar. I throw everything into my Evernote indiscrimately. It's my notebook, my index, my spiritbox in one cloudbased place. Because Evernote it's searchable I have my own personal database of information I can search through from anywhere. I have a "Musings" notebook in Evernote where keep all my fragmentary thoughts and halfshod ideas. I think of the notes as stockpots. As I read and think and contemplate and review and 'muse' I keep adding little scaps of little bits. to each of them. I keep stiring and tasting and testing. They stay at a low simmer until they're ready to move to the front burner, until they're ready to be served.

Here's to the process nerds, haha!

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Mark Luetke's avatar

Thanks Duane - and yeah it sounds like processes have some similarity for sure. I think I did a lot of this mixing in my head when I was younger and had more time and brain power. These days I need a system to help.

One of the most useful aspects of doing this analog is the manual sorting and indexing. It's kind of a forcing factor for reviewing your old notes and making connections between them which at least for me is when the ideas really start to flow.

I think it can absolutely be done digitally - there are several apps that mimc a zettelkasten - Obsidian comes to mind. I'm just particular and like my pencil and paper ways.

Love the stock pot analogy! The best bone broth takes days - let it simmer!

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Duane Toops's avatar

I started using Evernote when I was working on my undergrad and graduate degrees. I had to do so much writing and research, I needed it to be acessible and searchable.

I think doing it all analog is so much more beautiful and graceful. Part of me would love to do it that way. But I know myself to well. I'd spend my time over thinking the system and not working.

I also know that very little of my writing work is done at home and I need a practical way to have my all stock pots with me (I think I stole the idea for this analogy from V.E. Schwab). I also know my heavy minimalist tendencies, which already come into constant conflict with my collage work. I'm always two scaps of paper away from a panic attack haha!

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