diff --git a/core/zk/zk.go b/core/zk/zk.go
index 86c85d1..5efe7c1 100644
--- a/core/zk/zk.go
+++ b/core/zk/zk.go
@@ -3,7 +3,6 @@ package zk
 import (
 	"fmt"
 	"io/ioutil"
-	"os"
 	"path/filepath"
 	"strings"
 
@@ -35,7 +34,7 @@ const defaultConfig = `# zk configuration file
 
 # Template used to generate a note's content.
 # If not an absolute path, it is relative to .zk/templates/
-#template = "default.md"
+template = "default.md"
 
 # Configure random ID generation.
 
@@ -144,6 +143,11 @@ const defaultConfig = `# zk configuration file
 #conf = '$EDITOR "$ZK_PATH/.zk/config.toml"'
 `
 
+const defaultTemplate = `# {{title}}
+
+{{content}}
+`
+
 // Zk (Zettelkasten) represents an opened notebook.
 type Zk struct {
 	// Notebook root path.
@@ -205,18 +209,14 @@ func Create(path string) error {
 		return wrap(fmt.Errorf("a notebook already exists in %v", existingPath))
 	}
 
-	// Create .zk and .zk/templates directories.
-	err = os.MkdirAll(filepath.Join(path, ".zk/templates"), os.ModePerm)
-	if err != nil {
-		return wrap(err)
-	}
-
 	// Write default config.toml.
-	f, err := os.Create(filepath.Join(path, ".zk/config.toml"))
+	err = paths.WriteString(filepath.Join(path, ".zk/config.toml"), defaultConfig)
 	if err != nil {
 		return wrap(err)
 	}
-	_, err = f.WriteString(defaultConfig)
+
+	// Write default template.
+	err = paths.WriteString(filepath.Join(path, ".zk/templates/default.md"), defaultTemplate)
 	if err != nil {
 		return wrap(err)
 	}
diff --git a/docs/daily-journal.md b/docs/daily-journal.md
index cb910af..2406fb9 100644
--- a/docs/daily-journal.md
+++ b/docs/daily-journal.md
@@ -1,7 +1,5 @@
 # Maintaining a daily journal
 
-<!--{% raw %}-->
-
 Let's assume you want to write daily notes named like `2021-02-16.md` in a `journal/daily` sub-directory. This common use case is a good fit for creating a [note group](config-group.md) overriding the default [note creation](note-creation.md) settings.
 
 First, create a `group` entry in the [configuration file](config.md) to set the note settings for this directory. Refer to the [template syntax reference](template.md) to understand how to use the `{{date}}` helper.
@@ -45,4 +43,3 @@ Let's unpack this alias:
 * `$ZK_PATH` is set to the absolute path of the current [notebook](notebook.md) when running an alias. Using it allows you to run `zk daily` no matter where you are in the notebook folder hierarchy.
 * We need to use double quotes around `$ZK_PATH`, otherwise it will not be expanded.
 
-<!--{% endraw %}-->
diff --git a/docs/external-processing.md b/docs/external-processing.md
index 8c5c558..17bed28 100644
--- a/docs/external-processing.md
+++ b/docs/external-processing.md
@@ -1,6 +1,5 @@
 # Send notes for processing by other programs
 
-<!--{% raw %}-->
 <!-- TODO: --color=none -->
 
 A great way to expand `zk` feature set is to explore a wealth of command-line tools available. You can use `zk`'s powerful [searching and filtering](note-filtering.md) capabilities to select notes before delegating further processing to other programs.
@@ -59,4 +58,3 @@ In this particular case, we usually want to process only one note at a time. You
 $ zk list --format {{raw-content}} --limit 1
 ```
 
-<!--{% endraw %}-->
diff --git a/docs/note-creation.md b/docs/note-creation.md
index 49c5240..a3f38d0 100644
--- a/docs/note-creation.md
+++ b/docs/note-creation.md
@@ -1,7 +1,5 @@
 # Creating a new note
 
-<!--{% raw %}-->
-
 You can add a new note to a [notebook](notebook.md) using `zk new --title "An interesting concept" [<directory>]`.
 
 `zk` automatically generates a filename and initial content according to rules set in your [configuration file](config.md). These settings can be customized per [group of notes](config-group.md) in your notebook, as illustrated in [Maintaining a daily journal](daily-journal.md).
@@ -24,5 +22,3 @@ For example, to use the content of the macOS clipboard as the initial content yo
 $ pbpaste | zk new
 ```
 
-<!--{% endraw %}-->
-
diff --git a/docs/style.md b/docs/style.md
index e8e5915..67dc760 100644
--- a/docs/style.md
+++ b/docs/style.md
@@ -1,7 +1,5 @@
 # Styling
 
-<!--{% raw %}-->
-
 <!-- TODO: semantic rules -->
 
 `zk` supports a `{{style}}` [template helper](template.md) to format its output with colors and font decorations.
@@ -29,4 +27,3 @@ or so, nothing continued to happen.
 * Background color: `black-bg`, `red-bg`, `green-bg`, `yellow-bg`, `blue-bg`, `magenta-bg`, `cyan-bg`, `white-bg`
 * Background color (bright): `bright-black-bg`, `bright-red-bg`, `bright-green-bg`, `bright-yellow-bg`, `bright-blue-bg`, `bright-magenta-bg`, `bright-cyan-bg`, `bright-white-bg`
 
-<!--{% endraw %}-->
diff --git a/docs/template-creation.md b/docs/template-creation.md
index b21d110..1ad24d1 100644
--- a/docs/template-creation.md
+++ b/docs/template-creation.md
@@ -1,7 +1,5 @@
 # Template context when creating notes
 
-<!--{% raw %}-->
-
 The following variables are available in the templates used when [creating new notes](note-creation.md) – both for the filename and the note content.
 
 | Variable      | Type   | Description                                                                           |
@@ -20,4 +18,3 @@ These additional variables are available only to the note content template, once
 | `filename`      | string | Filename generated for this note, including the file extension |
 | `filename-stem` | string | Filename without the file extension                            |
 
-<!--{% endraw %}-->
diff --git a/docs/template.md b/docs/template.md
index 36b8f77..ca5d67e 100644
--- a/docs/template.md
+++ b/docs/template.md
@@ -1,7 +1,5 @@
 # Template syntax
 
-<!--{% raw %}-->
-
 `zk` uses the [Handlebars template syntax](https://handlebarsjs.com/guide) for its templates. The list of variables available depends of the running command:
 
 * [Template context when creating notes](template-creation.md) (i.e. `zk new`)
@@ -86,4 +84,3 @@ The `{{style}}` helper is mostly useful when formatting content for the command-
 {{#style 'underline'}}Another text{{/style}}
 ```
 
-<!--{% endraw %}-->
diff --git a/util/paths/paths.go b/util/paths/paths.go
index 6f2724e..17ff8b5 100644
--- a/util/paths/paths.go
+++ b/util/paths/paths.go
@@ -51,12 +51,22 @@ func FilenameStem(path string) string {
 	return strings.TrimSuffix(filename, ext)
 }
 
-// WriteString writes the given content into a new file at the given path.
+// WriteString writes the given content into a new file at the given path,
+// creating any intermediate directories if needed.
 func WriteString(path string, content string) error {
+	dir := filepath.Dir(path)
+	if dir != "." && dir != ".." {
+		err := os.MkdirAll(dir, os.ModePerm)
+		if err != nil {
+			return err
+		}
+	}
+
 	f, err := os.Create(path)
 	if err != nil {
 		return err
 	}
+
 	defer f.Close()
 	_, err = f.WriteString(content)
 	return err