My current PKM method based on my inutution and limited understanding of Knowledge Management

Knowledge management
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I’m a tech guy with an interest in writing Science Fiction. I have spent 10 years of my life starting and stopping projects because at some point I get overwhelmed with information overload. I start a project, write a bit, and then realize that what I don’t know is limiting my expression. So I start doing research on what I don’t know, and I reach a point where I just lose interest in my projects.

I’ll admit when I first started learning how to write, I thought it was a good idea to be a adapter of other people’s work, because I didn’t know how to create my own works. I thought it would be cool to convert some PC game ideas into a screenplay. That was a disaster.

Then I had a cerebral hemorrhage which I recovered from, and I wrote my first book about my experience with living an unlived life. I self-edited and self-published just to get it out. It’s not the best written book in existence, it’s got grammatical errors and what not, and I plan on writing a new edition at some point, although I don’t know if that is a good idea. So much has of me has changed since then.

Anyway, it was my first experience with completing a work. It felt good to complete it and it’s really for me anyway, because when I read it, I remember why I chose the path I did in life.

So as of late, I have been trying to get back into Science Fiction. It’s a pretty difficult discipline for me, maybe my imagination is lacking, or maybe I am just too much of a technical liner thinking guy.

But I have been looking for ways to improve my writing skills. One day I made a post on Hacker News about find a knowledge management tool for my business and somebody recommended Obsidian. That was in October, and I have been watching Nick Milo’s videos about the Zettle method. I really like Eleanor Konik’s stuff because it seems like her work flow is very similar to mine even though I don’t have the academic background.

I like the idea of link notes to each other and breaking everything down into its smallest component and I want to use this method to link my knowledge together to help me continue this idea I have for a Science Fiction book.

Folders are important for me, so I’m not interested in going too wild on the Zettle method even though I’m finding some value in the abstract ideas of linking the thinking.

I settled on a top-down approach, instead of a bottom up. I tried the LYT method and It’s just too different then what I am used it.

So anyway. That’s a bit about me. I thought I share what I learned so far about Obsidian and the methods I am using to learn PKM.

Also I am finding that I really like dividing categories of my writing (Projects, Education, Business, ect) into different vaults as I found its too cumbersome to have everything in one vault. Anyone else experience this?

Folder Structure

  • 020 - Concepts (Research, New idea creations)
  • 040 - Inspiration (When I am Inspired by an idea from my research or an moment of inspiration)
  • 050 - Creative (Creative writing about what I am learning from Concepts)
  • 060 - Accounts (written accounts by my characters, as if they are recalling an experience, helps me get into their mindset)
  • 080 - Characters (Information about my characters and links to sources)
  • 090 - World Building (Building Worlds for my character. Focusing on enviroments, politics, societies, ect)
  • 100 - Nodes (Maps of Content)
  • 200 - Articles (The articles I have written on my website)
  • 200 - Discussions (Talking about my story ideas, conversations I would like to have with others about what I have written, or am about to write)
  • 200 - Journal (I place I move daily notes to after I have done something with them, Thanks Eleanor, it has to be on my desk as well if I am going to do anything with it.)
  • 200 - Stories (Stories I have written, none yet :frowning: )
  • 2022-11 - Integrations (Content I have yet to integrate into Obsidian - Notes and Images)

I label the bottom folders 200 because I don’t need those in a specific order.

In my mind, creativity, for me, starts at the top . Creativity is light, and as this creative writing goes through a process of transmutation it becomes more dense and heavier. So I see it as a top down process.

3 Likes
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Thanks for sharing :slight_smile:
My experience has been that pretty much any organization that makes sense for you at the beginning is exactly what you need to get started. I’d encourage you to stop planning here and start writing now. As you go along, it will become evident to you what needs to change, what plugins you’ll need and what can be removed. Obsidian has an incredible ecosystem of plugins, and an unparalleled community of people who can help you get anything done. So don’t worry about having to re-work things in the future, we have all been through that, there are many tools to help you re-work you notes if needed.

Start writing and don’t stop until you hit a wall on something the tool can’t do for you. We will be here to help you getting it done.

Good luck!

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Got it. Thanks for the response. I am working on science fiction story and I often get bogged down by what I don’t know. Do you find that you hit a wall when you want to write about something you don’t have enough experience in? There comes a point that I need to do future research on a topic so I can get familiar with the subject matter in question.

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That is an inevitable wall. However, it is not a wall you have to climb on your own. The Obsidian Discord itself will be a good way to share half-baked ideas, proto-writings, etc, to get people to poke holes and help you look in the right directions. I recommend you do some legwork up until you hit the wall. People will be able to tell you are doing your best and offer support one way or another. Plus, there is a plethora of online communities for sci-fi writers you can take advantage of.