🧠Writing an Article Using a Second Brain
The whole process took an hour because the hard work was done months ago.
It took a week, but the last Easter egg was finally consumed yesterday. Hopefully, the kids' energy levels will dial back a degree or two now. Although holidays mean I do not write as much as usual, I produced three pieces this week.
Having talked extensively about using a second brain to build ideas and help write articles, I thought it was time to show you how I do this. Although I use Obsidian as my second brain, the principles are the same whichever system you use, even paper.
The first step was to look through all the notes I had taken on journalling, self-development and mental health to see which contained information I could use for the article.
I then put them in a mind map with a rough order for a very basic article outline. Again you can do this by shuffling a card; it does not have to be electronic.
Once I had completed this, it was time to take these notes and develop a more linear outline for the article.
That is pretty much the process finished. Next, I turned each bullet point into sentences and short paragraphs, edited and published. The process from start to finish took me just over an hour, but the hard work had already been done. The article is listed below to see how this all came together.
I had collected some of the information I used years ago without an article in mind. It isn't hard work if you do the process gradually, collecting information as you go along, which is why I believe all writers should have a form of a second brain.
If you want more information or help to start this process, reply to this email or find me on the new Substack feature of notes.
If you enjoy this email, please share it so more readers can find it.
Until next week stay safe
Sam 😊
Quote of the week
The greatest genius will never be worth much if he pretends to draw exclusively from his own resources. - Goethe
Book Reviews
Kindle Bookworm (Maneetpaul Singh) - If you are new to a Kindle, I would recommend this book as there are some brilliant tips in it.
Show Your Work (Austin Kleon) - Amazing, just as good as the first book, Steal Like an Artist. I love the advice this book gives and the way it is presented. It is a book I will keep revisiting.
You can check out full book summaries for these books on my Ko-Fi.
Articles this week
Subscribe now to view the locked post below and receive my latest true crime book as a FREE download.