NaNo Tips and Tricks

At midnight tonight, you should be at 5001 words. Are you there yet? I'm certainly not. I am currently at the grand total of 2394, a paltry number comparatively.  But I'll catch up though using these tools:

Dr. Wicked's Write or Die: This is definitely my favorite. You can do it online or buy the desktop version. You set time, word count, and difficulty level and then write, trying to hit your word count in the set time. However, this has an added twist- you stop typing, you're punished. Gentle and normal mode have sounds and flashing red lights. I personally set it to kamikaze. I stop typing, words begin deleting themselves. It makes you type and not stop, which is PERFECT for NaNoWriMo. Personally, I spend the 10$ to buy it and use it year round when I'm stuck. The desktop version comes with a hard to easy meter which determines how long you have to start typing again too and other cool stuff including a word war feature.


Word Wars: This can be against yourself or another person. You write as much as you can in a set amount of time. You try to beat your previous score, your opponent's score, or both. There are threads on the NaNoWriMo.org forums and in some other writer's forums, you can find a friend on facebook, use Dr. Wicked's Write or Die word war feature, or just sit across from someone and war. If you do it against yourself its even easier- just keep track of your scores.

Turn off your internet. Its distracting. Open up word or notepad or whatever program you use and just that program. Distractions are bad. They make you take longer. Worry about getting a fact just right in December.


Make yourself write. Some people will recommend you not do this while you have writer's block, but during November, go for it. Make yourself. It is the ONLY way you are going to get it done.

Accept that your novel is not going to be perfect. Rome was not built in a day.

Treat it like the competition that it is and set times to write everyday. Calculate your typing speed and then calculate how long you need to write 1667 words in a day. Set aside at least that amount of time and be prepared to spend twice that.

Carry around a notebook. Every time you have some free time, write. Bring it even when you don't think you'll need it. Murphy's law is inescapable.

NaNoWriMo.org: It has forums and you can sign up for e-mails of "pep talks." They really do help.

Write-ins: These are part of treating it like a contest. You get a set time surrounded by other writer's and a set time to write.

Tools
This site has even more tips and tricks.

And if you need more than that, you may be wasting time with your internet. Shut it down and write!

And if you have some crazy awesome methods, leave a comment!