Writing a Novel When Busy

This is a 10 minute presentation about how I obsessively work on my novel just about anywhere… including in the bathroom stall of my day job. I also talk about using technology to keep writing. Let me know what you think.


You can also view the presentation directly in Vimeo.

Here are the applications I reference in this presentation:

Click here to view all my videos.

9 comments
Catherine M
Catherine M

Loved watching it - made me laugh, which always helps me remember stuff.

Images, telegraphic speech, light music, simplicity = aha!

 

Thanks for this Yuvi

brax
brax

Great video Yuvi! Thanks for the iPhone app suggestions. I'm already using Scrivener at your suggestion and was looking for a way of incorporating the iPhone into the creative process. Congrats on the Glimmer Train story!

yuvi
yuvi

great to hear from you, Brax. Hope you're doing well!

K
K

Hey Yuvi,
awesome video. really like your style and simplicity. can i know the audio track you're playing in the background of this video? brilliant piece...

cheers and stay cool.

yuvi
yuvi

Thanks for the kind feedback! I purchased the song from audiojungle.net. It is called Chaka Laka. I thought it seemed to strike the right mood for what I was trying to do. But be warned: the song will be running through your head for many days and nights after listening to it too many times.

KBRDR
KBRDR

You've got that mouse running all over Notational Velocity. Put it down and use the _keyboard_!

Don't click the Clear button — just hit ESC.

Don't click on a note to select it — just hit the up/down keys.

yuvi
yuvi

My goal with this presentation was to expose people to these tools without going too in-depth into all their features. I also think that illustrating how to use tools on a screencast with a mouse pointer is sometimes quicker to comprehend than using it in a keyboard-only mode. However, you're right that if you're going to use Notational Velocity in all its power, you definitely need to learn the keyboards shortcuts.

makiaea
makiaea

nice one yuvi! been doing pretty much the same, with very different tools for first book (i wish it was a novel) but now very similar for second (ditch the 11am tea break, write instead; remember wife but write in middle of night when wake with idea)
thanks for a great video, will definitely be recommending to friends!
warmest wishes, maki
http://blog.makiaea.org
http://www.makiaea.com
facebook: makiaea

yuvi
yuvi

makiaea: Good to hear you've got your own variation of making it work. Beautiful images on your blog, by the way...

Trackbacks

  1. [...] don’t have the time, tools, or isolation required to write a novel? Think again. Yuvi Zalkow shows us how modern writing tools make it easier than ever to keep your writing habit regular. Very regular [...]

  2. [...] I’ve found a great video for the aspiring writer. The author of this video, Yuvi Zalkow, has put together a video on how to write a novel, when you’re actually too busy to write a novel [...]

  3. [...] One of my favorite Yuvi videos, Writing a Novel When Busy introduces the idea of taking advantage of the bathroom stall at work to get little bursts of writing done [...]

  4. [...] You need to work out your process and you need to figure out your right tools, but it is doable. Novels have been written this way, business plans have been created, careers and lives have been changed all by making the most of [...]

  5. [...] Not at all. My life doesn’t let me have a single place in space where I can always go to “focus.” I write whenever I get the chance—often in 15-30 minute bursts when the opportunity presents itself. I’m a big believer in Yuvi Zalkow’s method for writing when you’re too busy to write. [...]