stamp 202506062129
Bob Doto claims in his book A System for Writing the capability of a notes collection to reveal for you what you really should write about by revealing your true area of interest.
Bob points out that collecting material for a writing goal (a pre-determined “area of interest”) can be misleading if the goal is based on “wishful thinking”, while taking an honest look at what you actually flag in a book, can reveal what your writing goal really should be.
He writes:
“What catches your attention while reading sometimes differs from what you expected to write about later. (…) It’s in this way that reference notes show us our real interests as opposed to those that are mere wishful thinking.” (p126-127)
Related
- Writing with a goal is often emphasized in PKM / Zettelkasten communities. I feel that being in contrary to what Bob suggests.
- As a person with ADHD, my “true interest” can lead to wild, wild places.
- My ADHD fever-dream-ish idea-, research- and association chains were a huge part why the Zettelkasten concept spoke to me.
- Niklas Luhmann’s 2nd Zettelkasten was dedicated to his grand theory of society. But his 1st Zettelkasten was his mixed notes from his hobby readings during his years as a law-trained public servant. His 1st Zettelkasten helped him dig out his interest in sociology.