Read, take notes, consolidate, compose

[PaulWalters]

Further to initial post at the top of the thread, there are I think the key post from the other thread is relevant here:

@kderbyshire describes "the specific Tinderbox tasks that I found myself needing to accomplish – see the original post on this topic

Not to put words in the OP’s mouth – she is a professional writer, so “how do I write an article” is not the query here. I believe we’re looking to discuss how best to use to use Tinderbox in these ways:

@kderbyshire

To that end, here are the specific Tinderbox tasks that I found myself needing to accomplish:

1. Import existing notes. Assign $Source attributes.
2. Explode notes, assigning the same attributes to the children.
3. (Map View) Cluster notes topically. Topics are emergent, in that I don’t know what they are until I’ve reviewed the material.
4. (Map View) Use Adornments to visually distinguish clusters and individual notes, as needed.
   – At any point, create new notes with my own observations or incorporating additional research. Add these to topical clusters.
5. Assign $Tag attributes relevant to each cluster.
6. (Attribute Browser) Within each cluster, develop narrative order. Highlight or create notes reflecting the central theme of each cluster.
7. (Attribute Browser) Determine overall narrative flow between clusters. Assign attributes accordingly. (First, Second, etc.).
8. Export the “highlight” notes in narrative order, thereby creating a draft outline.

That last item is often perceived as difficult – how to get stuff out of Tinderbox. I suspect it’s the point where folks blanch most often because they encounter “coding” involved with export templates.