Let's use this thread for posting resources useful for completing NaNo.
I'll kick it off with a thread in the reaching 50,000 forum with links to beautiful desktop wallpaper of calendars with the numbers of words you need to meet.
Neat!
--Tim
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Tim Yao aka NewMexicoKid
co-ML, Illinois::Naperville
Fog Readability Analysis
Writing resources
30,018 / 50,000
Oct 10, 2008 - 17 28
You can find this at http://www.truckpoetry.net/labels/NaNoWriMo%20author%20resources.html
This was posted in the Technology forum not too long ago.
--Tim
30,018 / 50,000
Oct 14, 2008 - 09 50
Just found this nice summary of all useful threads in the NaNo Soundtracks forum. Good starting off place for finding inspiration music to write to.
27,727 / 50,000
Oct 14, 2008 - 10 28
I just posted on my blog two days ago some great articles on NaNo and a link to a handout on "30 tips for 30 days"
http://writerinspired.wordpress.com
9,055 / 50,000
Oct 29, 2008 - 13 01
I found a podcast called Writing Excuses that has some great, quick tips. Their motto is: "Fifteen minutes long, because you’re in a hurry, and we’re not that smart."
You can listen to them online or download to your MyPod player. And they're nicely cataloged so you can skip over one that won't interest you this month.
Cheers
Carol
3,917 / 50,000
Oct 29, 2008 - 17 25
http://www.xtimeline.com
You upload events, it generates visual timeline representation. You can provide descriptions, images, tags, and can record events to the date or minute. You can also give events a date or time range rather than a single point in time. There's a field to capture a source of the information if you want. You can make timelines private and restrict access by others.
You can also upload lists of events, or download the event list for use offline - CSV (spreadsheet) or RSS/XML both down and up.
I think there are some other similar online timeline generation services.
30,018 / 50,000
Nov 4, 2008 - 21 59
I had nearly forgotten this cool resource: streamingsoundtracks.com - I love writing to movie music in the background, songs without words that pack a huge emotional punch...
What music do you listen to? Pandora is nice, but too many of their songs have words...
--Tim
30,132 / 50,000
Nov 7, 2008 - 22 01
zoho.com offers a suite of online office tools, including a word processor that was a life saver for me last year. You can upload your document and then it is not only backed up off site, but it is available to you wherever you have access to an internet connection. I was able to access my novel while on break at work, on my laptop, on my desktop, even from the library.
Many of the zoho.com tools are available free of charge for the moment. Give it a look!
30,018 / 50,000
Nov 8, 2008 - 13 34
Brian found this neat site: http://www.esposthumus.com/
This has streaming soundtrack music.
--Tim
10,661 / 50,000
Nov 9, 2008 - 19 36
This perhaps may not strictly be a "resource" but I find it to be very useful and motivating.
Write or Die is a lovely little application that pretty much forces you to keep writing. It has three different modes with different negative consequences for stopping.
Gentle -- a box pops up that says "Hey, keep writing!"
Normal -- annoying music starts playing loudly if you stop writing after a few moments
Kamikaze -- the application begins erasing your work one word/sec until you continue writing.
I used it for the first time today and got 2029 words in a bit over an hour =]
30,018 / 50,000
Nov 18, 2008 - 04 11
Check out this free online book: NaNo for the New and the Insane.
It includes:
INTRODUCTION TO THE INSANITY
What is this Madness?
The First Step in a Crazy Journey
How to Go Crazy Once a Year
Why I Wrote This Book
The NaNo Question for Zette
An Interview with Chris Baty
PREPARING FOR NANO
Attitude
Challenges
Pre-Writing Work and NaNo
Outlining for Fun
Phase Outlines and NaNo
Characters and Other Nuisances
The Time and the Place
The Last Steps to Getting Ready!
FORUMS, BLOGS AND WEBSITES
Forums are Good -- and Evil
Posting Fiction on Open Boards
Forward Motion and Other Writing Sites
Helpful Sites
GOALS AND KEEPING THEM
The Actual Writing
Four Steps for Working up Openings
Easy Daily Goals: Moving Ahead with the Story
A Different Goal: Moving up the List
Almost Random Events
Keep Writing to The End
Don’t Stress
Why Do You Bother?
It's Not Your Fault If They Quit
Prolific Writers and NaNo
THE AFTER NANO BLUES
Writing for Publication -- and the Dread of Editing
"It's a dull word," she said.
Hints from a Small Time Publisher
The Question of Publication
JUST FOR FUN
The Angst of Hero Naming
Author versus Character
A Few Books on Writing
From Lizette Gifford
25,530 / 50,000
Nov 18, 2008 - 22 51
Pandora Online Radio is AMAZING. You can type in an artist you like, and it will play similar artists. I use this when I'm writing for some good background noise, and a special challenge for myself where I will write non-stop for one whole song.