Discipline and Community Support in Writing a Personal History (and in Writing Zettels Generally)
I have mentioned on the forum before that I've been working on a personal history for about 3 years. This is captured in my ZK, in a purposeful way but with random timing. Each zettel covers one thought or memory and is written following the normal process for producing a pithy, well-considered note. So far, I have written 35 such zettels covering a variety of topics and all organized (yes, I admit it) using a structure note.
I have let random memories trigger the note writing, which probably explains why the overall process has been, well, random. Recently, I’ve been thinking I’d like some more discipline and consistency in the process. You know the saying - be careful what you wish for!
One of my daughters gifted me with a one-year membership in a service called Storyworth. They send you one question a week; you provide well thought out answers. At the end of the year, they compile all your stories into one book. They don't approach the process from a ZK perspective, but it certainly lends itself to one.
Their questions are not random; they are designed to get your juices flowing and cover different aspects of your life. My daughter can put some of her own questions in the mix. I can view all the upcoming questions online and suggest edits to questions or even replace some less interesting ones with ideas that I'd prefer to consider and write on. (I might cheat and suggest a question that can be answered by something I’ve already written, but I’d only do that in an otherwise hectic week, of course.)
The questions from Storyworth come by email, one per week. I can answer in the same way or compose on their web site, preferably doing so in the same week so as not to get behind. You can also go back and review or edit any of your stories. Whenever I submit a story, my daughter is emailed a copy, so she can cheer me on and keep me motivated.
You can get more information on this service at www.storyworth.com.
However, my purpose on making this post wasn't so much to promote this particular service as it is to promote the idea of introducing this kind of discipline into our practice of writing zettels. Many of you may say: "What are you talking about? We are so inundated by ideas that we can't keep up with writing zettels." That might be true, but being more disciplined in selecting what topics or concepts to write may still be useful. And for those of you who take a more plodding course in the creation of your Zettelkasten (I like to think of myself as being "purposeful" 
), you might well be able to use a process similar to the one described above to help you be more disciplined.
For example, also in my Zettelkasten, but not specifically part of what I consider to be personal history, are ideas that I have discovered by diligent study and/or hard experience, that I'd like to pass on to my children and grandchildren (it might already be too late for the former 
). Maybe when I get through this next year of regular personal history entries, I could enlist the same daughter's and other family member's help in posing some puzzling or difficult questions, and implement a similar process of checking/support/encouragement to help the zettels get written. Somehow, I feel like turning it into a family or "community of friends" event might force me to be more consistent and thoughtful, and at the same time receive valuable feedback. I'm certain that what I write could be improved by a sincere critique from others. I believe that some of these zettels could be written in a cooperative manner, i.e., have multiple authors (I haven't thought that one through yet, but we'll see).
I realize that related topics have been discussed before on this forum - how to select topics for inclusion in your Zettelkasten, how to keep track of immature zettels and bring them to maturity, and systems for organizing how you create your Zettelkasten. I haven't seen the concept of "community support" discussed much (except where we have shared and critiqued our own zettels on the forum). What do you think of enlisting your family or favourite group of friends to keep you on track, encourage your efforts, and even provide insightful (but kindly) criticism? And if you have done this yourself, could you share your approach?
Howdy, Stranger!
Comments
Hi @GeoEng51,
I think your idea can be considered a particular form of "learning in public", where the public is your family.
I've often found this concept linked in particular to the "Digital Garden" (that is, in my mind, something almost identical to Zettelkasten).
Don't come to mind now specific benefits about "thinking in family", maybe we can develop together this interesting theme.
I can tell you there are at least two benefits about the general "thinking in public" for my opinion (they are not absolute truth but I'm convinced of them), that can be maybe extended to thinking in family.
N.B. these two last benefits are not mandatory to obtain: it doesn't mean that if you don't do things with your notes you are making a "bad work". Probably still perfectly works anyway. It's an option we can consider.
There are other benefits sharing your writes with others, when the sharing is not unidirectional (you write, others read) but you also receive feedback (family or community), you have just found them:
3. you receive the corrections, suggestions of others about what you write. Sharing improve your writing.
4. if others are an active role in the idea generation, not only review, you have a brainstorming effect. The shared contribution of all become much more bigger than the separate works of the single individuals on their own. For example, in this conversation about us, I have "earned" your idea of "family thinking" and you maybe could have received some inputs from my thoughts.
Specific to the "family thinking", I think the most important aspect is that is a very intimate and very personal development. There are many things to say about this, is an inner journey and a spiritual exercise, but also sharing and talking with the most important people of our lives.
It is not a field in which I am an expert, i leave only the track for others :-)
There' s to think about critical issues in this process, too. I think I've found five potential issues in community thinking (rather in family thinking). It's too late to describe them now, I'l try tomorrow.
@GeoEng51, when you talked about wanting to get help from other people posing questions to you, it reminded me of oral history interviewing. In community-based oral history projects, people do oral history interviewing in community groups. If you're not very familiar with oral history, you may want to read more about that "discipline" to learn what kinds of topics and questions oral historians focus on.
I was also reminded of books of writing prompts and guided reflections; Storyworth's "writing prompts as a service" is an interesting variation on that.
Maybe the concept has not been discussed enough, but the most relevant evidence about, is exactly what the users of this community do in this place.
Every user is the idea amplifier for others.
In this place everyone can give and take ideas, there are many "eureka" that can be collected in it dynamic.
If everyone kept closed own ideas in their zettels, we'd develop much less than now.
Just another little thought about community thinking.
I think it's strongly governed by the properties of the Emergence theory: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emergence
Every one does little think-tasks (publish an idea, read and from another, and so on).
But the whole effect of all the little tasks is something of higher order.
As anticipated, I quickly write some points that can represent critical issues for a community thinking approach.
They are nothing else what can bad happen when we write in a forum, or a blog, or something similar.
Doing community thinking you have to expose yourself to others. Doing this, you have to face relationship dynamics, that are particular relevant if the place we use is Internet.
I know some youtubers that they must face this problems in public relationships in their channels.
These are potential issues that who produces contents and ideas that others consume may encounter, in various degree and chance.
I think that every user of Internet is aware of these things when he relates with others in a public space.
They can produce bad effect on us, they can change our state of mind, produce stress and even risk to give up.
I think, however, that they are also life training factors that is very useful to practice. Manage this issues can be a personal growth, help us to develop a better attitude in relationships.
How to manage all this issue, requires another big write, maybe :-)
I've found particularly effective the sentence "Find your tribe".
Choosing carefully where and with whom we relate in this activity can make the difference.
This forum is a suitable example, here there are very few risks of trolls, hater, bad discussions and so on :-). On Facebook, it would be a very different matter.
I think it's important to separate consolidated truth from personal opinions, too.
I am hoping to realize the benefits you mentioned. I certainly want a heightened sense that what I am writing will be read and commented on by others (not at some distant point in time, but as I am working on my ZK). I am still thinking about how I can incorporate comments and even suggested ideas from others into my Zettelkasten, without "diluting" my own thoughts. I am sure that can be done but need to evolve a mechanism for it.
Well stated; it is both personal and at the same time connected to others, and it is definitely a spiritual exercise for me.
Thanks for giving some thoughtful response!
Thanks for the link to oral histories. I have to some measure been involved with that while interviewing and recording my father's memories and than having a daughter do the same for me. I think the web page you linked gives a fuller definition of oral history and the processes involved. They certainly could be adapted to what I have in mind.
Another aspect to be considered, although I'm not intending to open the process up to the universe at large, or even to a small, like-minded group (like this forum), but only to some immediate family members, whose integrity I trust and opinions I value. (As an aside, while I have never personally met anyone on this Zettelkasten forum, I have developed an appreciation for the integrity and the ideas of its contributors).
Yes, this is the main issue with which I'm "struggling". Perhaps struggling is not the correct word, but I'd like to develop a process that makes transparent the difference between my personal ideas/writing and the ideas of others, either on each zettel or more generally in the Zettelkasten (perhaps with some notations on structure notes or using specific tags). As this progresses, I'll try a couple of approaches and report back on what works best for me.
On another post, I discussed the experience of a collaboration at work to produce a "Project Zettelkasten" (i.e., to address the objectives of a work project). However, in that case, the contributions of each person working on the project did not need to be identified individually. I have the processes that were used at that time to gather the different contributions; now I have to figure out how to keep the individual contributions distinct and identifiable.