If you write on the web and you aren't using Markdown, you are working too hard.

Markdown is a lightweight markup language that you can write using any plain text editor. It's not proprietary. It doesn't break when you copy-paste it. It's the closest thing we have to a "universal file format" for writing.

Jottings is built around Markdown. Here is why we love it, and how to use it.

Why Markdown?

1. Focus: No toolbar buttons to click. No fiddling with font sizes. You just type.
2. Portability: A Markdown file (.md) can be opened on any computer, phone, or tablet, forever. It will never become obsolete.
3. Speed: Once you learn the syntax, your fingers never leave the keyboard.

The Cheatsheet

Here are the basics you can use right now on Jottings.

Headers

Use # for headers.

# Big Header (H1)
## Medium Header (H2)
### Small Header (H3)

Emphasis

Use * or _ for italics and bold.

*Italic* or _Italic_
**Bold** or __Bold__

Lists

Just use hyphens or numbers.

- Milk
- Eggs
- Bread

1. Wake up
2. Coffee
3. Code

Links and Images

The syntax is similar.

[Link Text](https://example.com)
![Alt Text for Image](https://example.com/image.jpg)

Code

Wrap code in backticks.

`const x = 1;`

Or use triple backticks for a block:

function hello() {
  console.log("Hello, world!");
}

Blockquotes

Great for citing others.

> "The medium is the message." - Marshall McLuhan

The Jottings Flavor

We support standard GitHub Flavored Markdown. But we also do some magic for you:

• Auto-linking: Just paste a URL, and we'll link it.
• Smart Quotes: We convert straight quotes (") to curly quotes (“) for better typography.

Start writing in Markdown today. Your future self will thank you.