Stuck writing is stuck thinking Often, we get stuck in our thinking, because we get stuck in our writing. So how can we make writing easy? That's what we did in ​Livewriting 101​. We wrote 10,000+ words in 1 hour. The first thing we did was to exhaust our inner censor. "The Censor saves its most vehement attacks for our most original ideas." – Julia Cameron Go to timecode 14:16 to practice "Prompt to Prep". Then, we were mentally primed for a technique called "Freewrite to Insight". Go to timecode 26:10 to practice it. A few other techniques we practiced LIVE included: • 38:11 - Link to Ignite • 40:51 - Rewrite with a Hook • 47:09 - Move to the Medium Why did 250+ participants write 100-300 words so easily? Because we focused on process, not outcome. Ironically, process allowed us to make satisfying progress. Seriously, in only eight minutes of writing time, we each wrote 100-300 words about something important to us. Writing work you're proud of isn't hard if your process makes it easy. Want to practice yourself? Here's the recording of Livewriting 101 » I dare you to try out one of the exercises for yourself, right now.

Livewriting 101 Write your own originally written work of 101 words. It's a free one-time event on Tuesday, April 23rd at 9am pacific (60 min). Register:

Why I'm making WOW I've been working on Writing Original Works for 14 months. In February 2023, I first mentioned it. I shared a survey. Since then, I've read hundreds of your responses. I've been able to deeply understand: 1) What you want 2) What I can provide 3) Where that overlaps into something valuable In this post, I want to share all the details on how WOW overlaps with these three areas to create for you something truly special. 1) WHAT YOU WANT Let's start with the biggest struggles you've written: • I don’t have the time. • I overthink myself into paralysis. • I have too many fragmented ideas. • I'm afraid of having unoriginal or wrongheaded ideas. • I don't know which ideas are ‘worth’ it and which are just noise. • I am not organized well enough to do it. But I have enough ideas… • I don’t know what to write about or what I’m qualified to write about. • I don’t know how to transition between “connecting” ideas & “creating” them. When asked how urgent this was, 81% said it was at least urgent: • 50% – "Urgent, I feel like the world is changing and I have so much to say but keep getting tripped up." • 31% – "Very urgent, I want to fully jump into the creator economy and lead with my thoughts." So, if you're reading this and feeling a bit restless, you're not alone. Many of you answered: What ideal outcomes do you want from WOW? • Confidence in my ability. • I want to unblock my inspiration. • A couple well-fleshed, thoughtful, essays. • A feeling of my writing significantly improving. • Where churning out high-quality work becomes routine. • I want to be able to write good pieces. Interesting. Creativity. • I would like to feel more “fluent” in applying the LYT methodology. • Building more relationships with my peers through my writing. • Encouragement and a kick in the arse to write. • Building my portfolio of writing. • I want to enjoy my writing. This is the breakdown of what you want to write about: • 32% - General Thought Leadership • 30% - Cultural & Historical • 27% - Knowledge Management • 25% - Tech & IT • 24% - Health & Wellness • 19% - Other "Other" scored quite high too. It speaks to the uniqueness of people who answered. 2) WHAT I CAN PROVIDE But I had to answer a really important question as well... > What is the one thing that WOW can offer that no one else can? Here is the answer, as plainly as I can state it: > A reliable process of using linked notes to write original works. Specifically, how to use linked notes to write spontaneously as a Gardener, and structurally as an Architect—at nearly the same time. While I stated it simply, the impact of learning and applying this process in all of your writing efforts over your lifetime is almost impossible to adequately state. 3) What Is Valuable Between what you want, and what I can provide, I forced myself to make sure it was highly valuable. The result is Writing Original Works. This 22-day workshop intensive will be focused on a singular application of linked notes: > to help thought leaders write original works for their audiences. You will learn: • A reliable process of using linked notes to write original works. • A system and skill to write original content that makes more of an impact. • Practices and strategies that make creative output almost effortless by leveraging the twin forces of emergent & progressive ideation. Here are a few headlines: • Experience Effortless Emergence: Add what sparks, relate thoughts, and watch your ideas emerge. Then joyfully create new and original intellectual capital. • Architects & Gardeners: Seamlessly switch between an Architect and Gardener writing style to never get stuck. • The You'est You: Generate ideas that only you could write, that are meaningful to you, and that you will actually be proud of years later. I'll talk more about the techniques, exercises, and workshop format in future posts—and I can't wait. I just wanted to make sure we are all on the same page first. If you benefitted from reading this in any way, please like, retweet & help spread the word 🙏 Best, Nick PS: In my WOW behind-the-scenes emails, I'm sharing everything about how we are designing a one-of-one writing workshop that teaches unique & tangible skills offered nowhere else. If you want those emails & videos, just fill out this 1-min survey:

Have you ever walked in a Japanese garden? It's a special experience. It has an effect on you. You start noticing things. Observing things. Admiring things. I'll put it this way, on the streets of New York City, I'm a speed walker. Time is money. But in a Japanese garden, speed disappears. Time loses its connection to money. That's the power of our environment. Even when you realize how much your environment is shaping you, it's still shaping you more than you realize.