Happy Halloween, and Happy Friday. I plan to spend my last night of freedom before NaNoWriMo eating grotesque amounts of candy, watching the Investigation Discovery channel, and dressing my dog up like a taco for my own selfish amusement. Wine may also be involved. Some writers like to ceremoniously start at midnight, but I'll be too tipsy and sugar-addled for all that.
No matter how you plan to start, remember that you got this. Remember that the goal of NaNoWriMo isn't perfection. The goal is simply a massive tangle of 50,000 words that you can spend the rest of the winter combing into some semblance of order. Remember that by doing this, you're creating a habit that will serve you well in the months and years to come. Remember that writing a novel is a great excuse to not put on pants and leave the house in quite possibly the yuckiest month of the year, and that it's a valid reason to skip the gym.
Some days will be tougher than others, and I'll be struggling right along with you. Here's a shortlist of resources that will keep you trudging forward.
1. Write For Ten
A simple site with a ten-minute timer that can be paused and resumed as needed. You also have the option to make your posts private, and it counts your words for you. Since you create an account, it's great for luddites who like to write on various devices and don't want to get into anything cloud-like.
2. Write or Die
A paid app with a lot of bells and whistles. It keeps track of time and word count, and pushes you to go faster with visual and auditory stimuli. It also features a Kamakazi mode that actually erases your words until you start writing again. If you're after something less combative, there's a reward mode with pretty sounds and pictures of furry friends every time you reach your target word count.
3.Written Kitten
This a simpler, fuzzier version of Write or Die. You select the amount of words you want to write, and choose kitties, puppies, or bunnies for your reward. Every time you reach your goal, you get an adorable picture. I tend to set the goal for 100 words so that I can look at puppies like all the time. This is the only reason I'm able to crank out a blog post on a holiday that celebrates death and sugar, actually.
4.Chaotic Shiny
A mecca for genre writers, this site is a treasure trove of various generators. If you're stuck on a name for a city, not sure what symptoms to give your fatal plague, looking for the perfect constellation to guide your protagonist's epic quest, or undecided as to what your characters should eat with their mead, Chaotic Shiny has a generator for it! Outsource that detail to their very capable hands and move on.
5. The Seven Minute Workout
Sometimes getting the blood flowing for a couple of minutes does more good than yet another cup of coffee. I think this is because the blood vessels expand for better caffeine consumption. Avoid fatigue and chair-ass with this quick workout that scientists say is as good for you as working out for real.
What are your favorite writing resources? What are you planning on doing on your last night of innocent, unfettered bliss?
Can you write article about essay writing prompts ?
ReplyDeleteI think it would be very interesting for your audience!