# [[writing a book in obsidian]] <iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/NosD77WX7qM" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe> ## Pre-production ### Thumbnail ### Title 1. ### Hook In 2008, the fantasy author Brandon Sanderson wrote a novel called *Warbreaker*, but to everyone's surprise, he posted every single chapter of it *raw*, as he was writing it. It's still available today: https://www.brandonsanderson.com/warbreaker-introduction/ , and you can see how he changes things from chapter to chapter in response to feedback as well as just story development. This idea fascinates me, but I think the real question is: did this method work for him because he's already a fantastic and experienced writer, or would this also work for a totally average person who's never written a book? Well, that's what I want to find out. In this video, I'm going to share with you how I plan to write a book in semi-public, using (what else?) Obsidian. ### Structure - The idea: I want to explore how to use Obsidian for writing long-from content-- and I want to show others how I do it too. I plan to post updates every now and then on how I'm going with this project, and those on my Patreon will additionally have access to what I'm writing. - What's the book about? - Obsidian, but from what angle? I'm not sure yet. - My starting point - What's in here already? - Step 1: Collect and collate all the content - Notes I already had for my own benefit - Videos - Articles I'd written - Notes I took from the course I made - My plan - Step 2: Process videos and: - write text about what I explained - create new pages for plugins I mentioned - link them to existing notes, embed videos where they make sense - Step 3: Look at the structure of what I already have, work on gaps, make more connections - Step 4: Follow my interest: add notes as they occur to me - Step 5: Come up with an outline for the book, based on the notes I have, and start putting it all together. - Plugins I'm thinking of using: - Longform - ExcaliBrain - Incremental Writing ### Outro How good is Obsidian for writing longform content? I don't know yet. I've heard it can be done, but there aren't that many resources where that question is actually answered in practice. I know that my style of taking notes by following my interest works for short-form content, but what about something as long as a book? Is it going to be too chaotic to feel coherent at the end of it? Is it time to consider alternative forms to the traditional book-- perhaps one that is more like a choose-your-own-adventure story than one with an enforced order of reading? That's what I'm hoping to find out. I'll keep you updated! Thanks for watching! *Á la semaine prochaine!* ### Related videos and resources https://www.brandonsanderson.com/warbreaker-introduction/ https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/dragonsteel/surprise-four-secret-novels-by-brandon-sanderson/description ### Pinned comment ``` ``` ### Timestamps [00:00](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NosD77WX7qM&t=0s) Intro [00:55](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NosD77WX7qM&t=55s) The idea for the book [02:03](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NosD77WX7qM&t=123s) Step 1 - Collect content [04:50](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NosD77WX7qM&t=290s) Step 2 - Process videos [06:48](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NosD77WX7qM&t=408s) Step 3 - Review structure, connect [07:43](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NosD77WX7qM&t=463s) Step 4 - Follow my interest [08:22](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NosD77WX7qM&t=502s) Step 5 - Create book outline ## Post-production - [x] Create captions using Rev, then edit them. - [x] Take a thumbnail photo and create one for YouTube (1280 x 720). - [x] Add description. - [x] Include the title and any keywords in the first few sentences, but in a natural way. - [x] Add related videos and resources as links. - [x] Add end screen. - [x] Add cards if necessary. - [x] Add chapters/timestamps for YouTube if longer than 5 minutes. - [x] Add mid-roll ads/check monetization settings. - [ ] Add pinned comment. - [ ] Post video preview on Patreon. - [ ] Schedule on YouTube. - [ ] Add video to relevant playlist(s), or create a playlist if necessary. - [ ] Promote on Twitter/LinkedIn as appropriate. - [ ] Create a blog post on [site](https://nicolevanderhoeven.com). - [ ] Add to video-database. - [ ] Add to other notes in my vault as appropriate.