Singular3

Writing in Markdown

2 min read

TL;DR: Markdown is simple, portable, and future-proof. Learn the syntax once, use it everywhere.

Markdown is the lingua franca of digital note-taking. It’s simple, portable, and future-proof.

Basic Syntax

Text Formatting

  • Bold with **asterisks**
  • Italic with *single asterisks*
  • Strikethrough with ~~tildes~~
  • Highlight with ==equals==

Internal links use Obsidian-style wikilinks:

  • [[Page Name]] links to another page
  • [[Page Name|Custom Text]] shows custom text
  • [[Page Name#heading|Heading]] links to a specific section

Code

Inline code: const greeting = "Hello"

Code blocks with syntax highlighting:

function createGarden(seeds) {
  return seeds.map(seed => ({
    ...seed,
    planted: new Date(),
    status: 'growing'
  }));
}
def process_notes(notes):
    """Transform raw notes into connected knowledge."""
    return [
        note.connect(related)
        for note in notes
        for related in find_connections(note)
    ]

Obsidian Extensions

Callouts

This is a note

Callouts help highlight important information.

Be Careful

Some actions cannot be undone.

Words of Wisdom

“The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is now.”

Task Lists

Why Markdown Matters

As discussed in On Digital Minimalism, simple tools often serve us best. Markdown files are:

  1. Plain text - readable anywhere
  2. Portable - no vendor lock-in
  3. Version-controllable - works with Git
  4. Future-proof - will work in 50 years

Backlinks