My Odyssey to Seamless Writing and Publishing
Image created by DALL-E2
Allow me to take you through my quest to build an efficient writing and publishing ecosystem.
In 2012, my voyage commenced as I tentatively dipped my toes into the world of blogging. With a fervour to express myself, I penned a few posts on Blogspot. However, after a mere three entries, my zest fizzled out. The cumbersome and unintuitive nature of the process proved to be a formidable deterrent.
Yearning for a grander venture, I procured my own domain, optimistic that the native WordPress editor would be my trusty vessel. Alas, my journey met an impasse once more.
My heart was set on a streamlined sanctuary, a harbour where my thoughts and ideas could seamlessly transition from conception to sharing with the world. Moreover, I sought to automate this odyssey as much as possible.
Anchoring My Thoughts
My quest led me through a gamut of text editors, note-taking, and journaling applications, including Sublime Text, Bear, Notion, and Day One.
Bear enraptured me with its aesthetic charm, while Notion’s rich content capabilities became my arsenal for capturing thoughts. Day One served as my logbook, with its “look back” feature serving as a nostalgic compass. Meanwhile, Sublime Text held its place as my steadfast mate, reliably handling plain text documents.
However, my heart yearned for a lighter, more streamlined workflow. An epiphany struck me: Could I directly transcribe and publish markdown content from Notion?
Charting the Course for Publication
A captivating blog cast a guiding light:
Markdown export -> Github -> Netlify
The blueprint was laid before me, but the path was shrouded in mystery. Through sheer determination and a night of unwavering focus, I successfully managed to redirect my DNS settings to Netlify and integrate GitHub.
During this journey, Bear re-emerged as my steadfast companion. Its sheer simplicity and agility rekindled my ardor for writing. My subscription renewed, my sails were hoisted high once more as content from yesteryears restored effortlessly through iCloud.
Summoning the Static Site Generator
My mission was lucid: To craft static blog posts and weave them into a static site.
Markdown content -> Static site generator -> Website
With GitHub and Netlify as my integrated crew, the final piece of the puzzle was the alchemy of converting Markdown into web content.
Hugo, the nimble and potent static site generator, was the wind beneath my wings. The Astatine theme was fine-tuned to my preferences. As my archived blogs, adorned in Markdown, were pushed to GitHub, the tides turned in my favour.
Lo and behold, my contraption was operational!
Yet, the waters could be smoother, as minor edits were still required post-export.
Navigating to Polished Shores
Taking a brief respite, I stumbled upon iA Writer. The seas calmed as I realised this was the haven I sought. With iA Writer, editing and exporting were rendered obsolete.
Upon completing my writing, a gentle push to GitHub was all that was needed; Netlify would commandeer the helm henceforth.
My vessel is now well-equipped and ready to traverse the seas of subjects that ignite my passion: Technology, Product Management, Agile, UX/UI Design, Book reviews, and Parenting.
So, let the compass point towards a horizon of endless creativity and expression.
May the winds of inspiration fill your sails!
Stay inspired and keep creating!