Outline to first draft, a workflow idea, apropos to Mac and Linux

< Next Topic | Back to topic list | Previous Topic >

Posted by Amontillado
Nov 28, 2024 at 04:04 AM

The current version of OmniOutliner won’t run on my old Mac. OutlineEdit may not be a viable alternative for the long haul. Bike is wonderful, but I have a wandering eye.

So, I’ve been outlining with MindNode in outline view, usually with the notes inspector open.

This has one nice feature over single pane outliners. I can write multiple paragraphs in a topic’s notes without having to use option-enter.

Today I realized there is a stupid outliner trick that might be handy with any outliner that can export to Markdown.

Writing an outline with expansive notes is fine. Presumably you want the same topic structure in your MS, but you don’t want those rough notes.

So, export the outline to Markdown, let’s say to a file called MyOutline.md.

Pop up a shell prompt and fire off this command - hopefully emojis won’t torpedo this:

grep ^\# MyOutline.md | pandoc -f markdown -t docx -o MyOutline.docx

Now you have a docx file with just your topics in a nice indented hierarchy, sort of the skeleton from your outline.

Complete your novel by filling in the blanks, cash outrageous royalty checks, and live a life of idle decadence on the Riviera.

Or something like that.

Posted by satis
Nov 28, 2024 at 06:25 PM

What version of macOS are you running? I was happily using it in macOS 11 Big Sur until earlier this year, when I finally upgraded the family machine to macOS 13 Ventura—both pretty old OS versions.

I’ve been using Zavala on and off and I like it a lot. I have some old static outlines I keep Mac/iOS synced in Cloud Outliner too, and I’d like to try out Bike if Jesse comes through with that discount he posted about earlier on this site. (I recall John Gruber mentioning on Twitter that he was trying it out, and later praised the app on his podcast in the summer of ‘23.)

Posted by Amontillado
Nov 29, 2024 at 03:09 AM

MacOS Monterey, here, the latest version my 2015 Macs will run.

Apple Silicon, here I come - in a few months. I’m not buying anything until I finish paying off my wife’s car. At that point, I’ll be 100% debt free.

Posted by satis
Nov 29, 2024 at 04:33 PM

Finally replacing the 2017 home iMac (the one that can only run Ventura) too. Family was at the Apple Store this morning checking out M4 iMac colors; only 4 of the 6 were on display and somebody wanted to see the yellow iMac in person, so it looks like it’s probably be Silver or Purple then.

In preparation I ordered a USB4 enclosure and a 4Tb SSD stick at Black Friday sale prices, and we’ll use that drive as the boot drive.

Back to topic list