# Markdown Post Attention marketers! If you write with the intent to put it on the web and aren't using markdown, you're doing it wrong. I know, that's a bold claim--wrong is a **strong** word, but I stand by it. If you follow this one piece of advice, I promise you you will be writing faster, have better focus, and spend less time putzing fiddling with code and formatting. --MORE-- # The Secret to Writing Faster The key to being a better, faster writer is flow. [According to Doctor Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi](http://psychology.about.com/od/profilesal/p/mihaly-csikszentmihalyi-biography.htm): > [Flow is] being completely involved in an activity for its own sake. The ego falls away. Time flies. Every action, movement, and thought follows inevitably from the previous one, like playing jazz. Your whole being is involved, and you're using your skills to the utmost. One of the biggest bariers of entry for a writer is distraction. There are countless factors that go into [creating a good environment](https://9clouds.com/2015/08/12/remote-working-tips-from-the-pros/) to find your flow, but one that is all too often overlooked may also be one of the most important: your tools. I know the old axiom _"It's a poor carpenter who blames their tools"_, and I have no doubt you can be an amazing writer with nothing but a piece of chalk and a big enough stretch of sidewalk. But wouldn't you rather have tools that aren't working against you? Marketing moves lightning fast. We have to create with speed and efficiency. Your First Problem Problem Is Your First Draft ------------------------------- ***"So, what's your writing tool of choice?"*** I've asked this question to many people over the years, and am always surprised by how frequently I'm met with a shrug. Really?! You should have a favorite writing tool. You should know it like you know your own hand. You should be comfortable with it, it should disappear when you start writing. I won't tell you what your favorite tool should be, but I'll tell you what it should _never_ be: your publishing platform. You shouldn't be writing in your content management system (CMS). WordPress, HubSpot, Joomla, Drupal... whatever your CMS is, that should be the last place your content goes. Not the first. If you've ever published a blog post online, you know these flow-killing frustrations: * Wierd/random spacing issues (Line break, paragraph break, div, what?!) * Backspacing to delete excess lines at the beginning of the document creating headers * Bizarre and piling up in the source/html view * Random occurrence of   (I hate RON!) * Accidental reloading of browser window resulting in loss of work The list goes on. Finding and fixing problems with formatting and code can be a huge distraction. So, how do you stop fumbling and just... write?! # The Solution Is Simple: Markdown Your first draft should just be you and the writing. Nothing else. No distractions, no frustration. How do you accomplish this? Start writing in Markdown. Markdown is a simple, intuitive plain text writing syntax. There's no code to learn, no formatting to go awry. ## The Basics of Markdown With little more than asterisks and hash symbols, you can craft your blog posts then quickly convert to HTML to paste into your CMS when you're ready to publish. A single # at the start of a line makes it a level 1 headline. ## for level 2, and so on. Bulleted lists are just lines started with asterisks; start your numbered lists with a number. (I'm partial to 1, to start.) Check it out: ### What Does Markdown Look Like ```markdown # Document Headline, This Is Your H1 A brief intro paragraph, catching people's attention. ## Here's Your Subheader, A Nice H2 You're a skilled blogger, who knows how to catch your readers attention. You use **Bold** and *italics* masterfully and know when to break out a list ### A List About Lists * Lists are * definitely important * and oh-so-easy! > A block quote about that really brilliant thing she said that one time. -Unknown ### Are you getting the hang of this yet? 1. Stop fumbling with your editor 2. Just write 3. Export when you're done and publish. ***Brilliant.*** Here, enjoy a [link to learn more about Markdown](http://daringfireball.net/projects/markdown/basics) ``` Markdown is a game changer, once you get the hang of it. The beauty is in its simplicity and agility. A glance at the above example, and you've already learned everything you need to know to get started. ## Getting Started With Markdown Because markdown is plain text, you really don't need any special tools to get started. You can start using it immediately in [any simple text editor](https://atom.io/) on your computer, or even phone. When you're done, [use an online converter](http://daringfireball.net/projects/markdown/dingus) to turn it into HTML code to paste into your blog. While you don't need any special tools to use Markdown... it is better with a dedicated editor. Being able to preview your code helps visualize your work, and most tools come with handy reference guides in case you forget how to do something like construct tables or insert images. ### A Bonanza of Markdown Tools **[Classeur](http://classeur.io)** | Web | Free Though based on veteran Markdown editor [StackEdit](https://stackedit.io/editor), Classeur is a relative new comer to the scene. With a motto like _"Re-enjoy writing, with *Markdown*."_, you know what to expect. Classeur is quickly becoming one of my favorites. It is hands down the most elegant Markdown editor on the web. It's not just about beauty, however. Classeur is loaded with features, including cloud saving with nice notebook organization, exports in every format you could want (including PDF, Word and HTML) and even publish directly to WordPress with a single click. If you don't need side-by-side live preview __start your markdown journey with Classeur__. **[Draft](https://draftin.com/)** | Web | Free Draft is clean and simple, 100% distraction free. It doesn't include syntax highlighting, but makes up for it with it's powerful draft revision system. It retains a copy of each of your drafts so you can go back and see what's changed. Draft also allows you to send the document to editors, where they can suggest changes for you to accept (or reject) as you see fit. This is an excellent Markdown editor for collaborative writing. **[Dillinger](http://dillinger.io/)** | Web | Free Dillinger puts your Markdown on the left, with a live preview on the right so you can see how your copy will look in real time. It can save your work to [Dropbox](http://dropbox.com), [One Drive](http://onedrive.com) or [Google Drive](http://drive.google.com) and can also export as HTML or PDF. **[Marxico](https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/marxico/kidnkfckhbdkfgbicccmdggmpgogehop)** | Chrome | $15.99/yr Marxico is a Chrome App that runs like a native app on your Mac or PC. It features side-by-side live preview and syntax highlighting with tons of color schemes to choose from. What really sets Marxico apart from other Markdown editors is its seamless integration with [Evernote](https://9clouds.com/2016/05/16/10-ways-evernote-can-improve-digital-marketing/). What you write with Markdown in Marxico renders beautifully in Evernote, ready to be copied and pasted into your publishing tool. As an added bonus, Marxico has support for Vim and emacs key bindings. If you don't know what that means, that's okay. But if you do, kinda a big deal. **[Ulysses](http://ulyssesapp.com/)** | Mac | $44.99 Ulysses is the ultimate markdown editor for creatives. As the price indicates, this isn't an impulse buy--this is for serious writers. But if you're going to spend several hours a day, every day, in one application this one is worth the price. Ulysses is beautifully designed and loaded with features, while maintaining a completely distraction free interface. It features built in library organization that syncs to the Apple cloud, so you'll never lose your work. Set goals and benchmarks based on time or length, easily break up and reorganize your document with click and drag, and save and export your finished document in any format--from Word to PDF to, of course, html. If you want to [write a novel in Markdown](https://www.amazon.com/Writing-Novel-Ulysses-David-Hewson-ebook/dp/B00OHGAZTY/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1468600104&sr=8-1&keywords=ulysses+novel), Ulysses is the tool for it. ## Find your editor These are just a handful of my favorites--there are countless Markdown editors out there. Try some out, find one you like and stop wasting time fumbling with your CMS when what you really need to do is just get the words out there.