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Livewriting 101 is a small taste on what it's like to join Writing Original Works. The WOW Workshop enrollment is now closed. But if you'd like to be in the loop for more information about the workshop, join the waitlist to learn more.
00:00:00 - Start
00:03:33 - Agenda
00:10:49 - Architects & Gardeners
00:14:16 - Prompt to Prep
00:22:17 - The Creator’s Codex
00:23:47 - Hone Your Writing Workflows
00:26:10 - Freewrite to Insight, pt 1
00:36:16 - Freewrite to Insight, pt 2
00:38:11 - Link to Ignite
00:40:51 - Rewrite with a Hook
00:47:09 - Move to the Medium & just Share It
00:48:11 - Miro
00:53:57 - Writing Original Works Workshop
00:57:40 - Takeaways
01:01:23 - Amateur’s Quest
01:05:18 - Do you need to have an original idea or thought to get most value out of Writing Original Works?
01:08:37 - How much time per day or per week would you devote to Writing Original Works while you're in it during those 22 days?
01:11:01 - Will there be another WOW cohort later this year or next year?
01:12:15 - How would WOW apply to screenplays?
01:14:47 - How would I work if you're working on a project in another target language?
01:16:11 - Where in Montana did you grow up?
01:17:25 - Are you aware of a visual note-taking tool similar to Obsidian?
01:19:24 - Will we be allowed to include graphics within our WOW essays?
1:20:19 - Which course would you recommend as most beneficial for me?
01:22:01 - How do you stay focused on the core of your essay and avoid getting lost in details or distractions?
01:25:59 - Close
In December 2014, I printed a draft of my book. It was 194 pages and 43,000 words. Now, almost ten years later, I’m staring at it again for the first time and I have tears in my eyes. I poured my heart and soul into it—weaving together meaningful life lessons into a book I called “Amateur’s Quest”.
But because of one person’s opinion, I buried the book.
For the past ten years, I’ve hidden from the shame I felt from the feedback I received. Are you wondering what he said? Well, I took good notes ;)
Even if what he said wasn’t completely untrue, it was completely demoralizing. I basically paid a bitter man to kick me in the groin. It was W.B. Yeats who said “Tread softly because you tread on my dreams.”
I stopped dreaming after that.
I switched careers and moved to LA a year later. I focused on working my way up in TV, first as a lowly production assistant, and last as part of the editing team on the final season of Better Call Saul. I loved rapidly learning and rising within the industry.
Fast-forward to March 2020. I joined the brand new Obsidian forums on Discord. In the early days of the pandemic, everyone was connecting online in new ways. Those were the best days in Discord. We would all geek out on each new Obsidian update and excitedly explore the ramifications with each other.
By May 2020, I did the thing I hadn’t done in years: I shared something vulnerable with strangers. It was the first version of Ideaverse Pro—a starter kit of linked notes.
This time, no one said I should seek mental help.
Instead, everyone was curious. They shared insights and they had questions. So, in between editing a TV pilot, I continued to iterate on my starter kit and share new versions. And more comments arrived. It was a wonderful feedback loop.
Looking back on those days, I can say this with 100% certainty:
Without the Obsidian community, Linking Your Thinking would not exist.
I want to create that space for you. I want to give that feeling to you. Because we need you.
Now, more than ever in this world of regurgitated writings, gross AI text, and false personas; we need you to be able to communicate as the Truest You—the Youest You—as you can possibly be.
Your writing is welcome. Your voice has dignity. Your words have meaning.
I want to help you unlock whatever it is that is getting in your way, whether it’s some psychological barrier or some practical problem or some combination of both.
Since 2020, I’ve written so much I can’t even calculate the amount. Here is an incomplete list:
But don’t celebrate that! Celebrate the change.
Because for the six years prior, I was too scared to write anything.
Yes, I was bursting with ideas, but I kept them buried until I found the right environment (the Obsidian forums)—and the right process (using linked notes)—to support my words until I fully found my voice.
I created Writing Original Works to help you find your voice.
In this workshop, you will learn:
Nick's Super Sessions are the flagship sessions of the workshop and provide a mixture of actionable frameworks, guided exercises, targeted interactions, and even extended Q&A's after the formal sessions.
Nick's Workflow Sessions complement the Super Sessions by drilling powerful techniques and applying them, live, to your own writing.
The Expert Sessions cover applied uses of writing with linked notes, specifically for novels, research papers, and literary editing.
The Showcase sessions happen near the end of the workshop where students show their
newly created writing process. These inside looks are incredibly rare, inspiring, and invaluable to all who are able to witness them.
Each Super Session is loaded with guided exercises designed to educate as they strengthen a writer's clarity and capabilities.
Almost every lesson in the WOW Curriculum has an actionable exercise to encourage immediately applying the ideas within.
Our weekly writing submissions take the form of 250-750 word essays (or excerpts from longform writings).
The WOW Curriculum is spread across six modules. The curriculum provides a holistic education on the writing process.
*See the modules below for more details.
Our Campfire Discussions and Tavern Chat spaces allow you to learn not just alongside but from your peers in one of the most supportive and connective communities out there. These spaces are great for discussing writing workflows, interesting concepts and ideas we're inspired by, and so much more.
The Writer's Log is a great optional space offering a lightweight place to briefly share a bit of (or about) your writing each day and help you maintain a regular writing habit throughout WOW.
Optional Peer Feedback helps you get a fresh perspective (and encouragement!) on your submission each week and allows you to unlock new insights on your own writing process as you offer feedback to others.
Writing Techniques will get you to make reliable advances in your efforts by applying the Architect & Gardener framework in powerful ways.
Writing Workflows will help you string together trusted steps that will almost guarantee your writing efforts will make a series of satisfying progress.
*See the modules below for more details
The WOW onboarding Assessment helps clarify how you are showing up for the workshop and what you aim to achieve.
The Creator's Codex Quiz provides insights into your natural thinking style and your common sticking points-along with guidance on how to overcome common pitfalls according to your results.
The session before the session worked!!!! I got back into my playwriting project this morning thanks to [this technique], and I am super jazzed…suddenly I was bursting with “sparks becoming remarks” like popcorn in a cast iron pot.
– Playwright and screenwriter, Hallie Palladino
Hi, I'm Nick Milo.
I’ve spent the last 15 years using digital notes to create and grow a fitness boxing into an international company, produce two independent feature films, become a TV and film editor, and—perhaps most importantly—to calm my thoughts and make better sense of the world around me.
What I’ve learned is this: being effective at managing knowledge is a superpower—and linking your thinking supercharges it.
The frameworks I teach unlock our ability to work with ideas in a way that is fast, flexible, and future-proof. I have taught the principles of linked notes to thousands of people with great results. These principles are flexible enough for you to shape them to your unique use cases and personal needs.
Imagine it's the Monday of Week 2. Last week, you only had five hours to devote to the workshop, but you're excited because this week you have seven.
At 9:00 AM Pacific, you attend the expert session with fantasy novelist Lionel Davoust because you want to write fiction someday, and you've heard he's figured out how to write 1400-word novels using linked notes as the foundation. You attend and it's amazing.
On Tuesday at 9:00 AM, you attend Nick's second Super Session. This 90-minute session weaves in theory with hands-on-the-keyboard writing exercises and targeted breakout rooms. It's kind of intense, but you're developing your unique voice and making breakthroughs on your writing efforts.
On Wednesday at 9:00 AM, you attend Nick's second Workflow Session. In this 60-minute session, you further stress-test the techniques and writing tactics to your actual writing. You not only leave with more originally written work, but with a growing sense of confidence in your writing process.
On Thursday, you have a work meeting at 9:00 AM Pacific, so later you watch the recording of Kimberly Peticolas' expert session on how to kickstart your manuscript with confidence.
That's only 5 hours, so on Friday you spend half an hour in our online "tavern" to read the chats and then the "campfire" to read the deeper discussions. You spend another half hour watching the starred lessons in the Technique and Style modules. You spend the last hour rewriting the 750-word section of a chapter you've been working on in Nick's live sessions, and you post it as your Week 2 submission.
In just seven hours, you are thrilled with your writing progress. Not only did you write words you are proud of, you significantly improved your writing process. It's a reliable, repeatable process that you've never had before. Wow, indeed!
P.S...In Week 3, you are busier. You only have two hours to spend in WOW, so you attend Nick's Super Session and then give yourself permission to watch the other events and lessons later. You feel good about that because you know you have lifetime access to the recordings.
