Countdown to NaNoWriMo: Resources

NaNoWriMo can be done with nothing more than a pen and a big stack of paper (although unless you're planning to sit there and count 50k words by hand you probably want to use a computer, and to officially win you'll need a computer with an internet connection at the very end). But there are a multitude of other resources out there that can help you along the way.


The place to start is at the NaNoWriMo official site. As well as all the official rules, the site features a pretty comprehensive set of forums (although the trick can be to spend as much time writing your novel as you spend on the forums). There is also a NaNoWriMo Facebook page and NaNoWriMo on Twitter.

There's a lot of writing software out there. Previously I've always just used reliable old TextEdit (combined with the odd bit of handwriting and typing into emails on lunch breaks), but since that has yet to get me over the 50k mark (plus, for some reason it doesn't have a full-screen mode on Lion), I thought I'd mix it up a bit this year. The Official Offers page has a nice sampling of what's out there.

Personally I'm not fond of the whole writing in the browser, saving to the cloud idea. I'd rather rely on my own computer than someone else's, and if I want an offsite backup it takes a few seconds to email a copy to myself or upload it somewhere. I can see the appeal of web solutions if you are writing from multiple computers though. The official sponsors in this category are Yarny and Pangurpad. The functionality is a little basic compared to the offline options, but it's still an upgrade on TextEdit.

There are three official downloadable software options. All three have demo versions that will last all of November and then discounts if you decide to buy. WriteWay is Windows-only, so I can't comment on that, which leaves Scrivener and Storyist. After looking at both, I've decided to use Scrivener for NaNoWriMo.

To be honest, I didn't spend that long looking at Storyist, because the first couple of minutes confused the hell out of me, and NaNoWriMo is not the time you want to start using software with a steep learning curve. But the real turnoff came when I realised that although Storyist has a plot outline feature, it's completely unconnected to the manuscript. So in the end, it has the same functionality as having TextEdit open and a pile of index cards on my desk.

I was leaning towards Scrivener before I downloaded either program because it comes with a recommendation from Holly Lisle, and I've been trusting Holly Lisle on writing advice since I was thirteen. It's got way more functionality than I think I can use at this point, partly because I've already done all my pre-writing in plain old text files, but it was pretty easy to get into (especially with the most comprehensive tutorial I've ever seen) and if I decide to fork out the money for it once November's over I'll have plenty of time to learn more. It has slick integration between the plot outline, notes and the text itself and a clean full-screen mode. I'm sure I'll have more to say about it in a month, but for now I'm all set up and ready to go.

For software that just gives you a much-needed kick up the bum, I don't think you can go past Write or Die. Available online or as downloadable software, it annoys you when you stop writing, and even threatens to start deleting what you've already written if you slack off too much.

For inspiration and tips, Zette has a new version of her free e-book NaNo for the New and the Insane out, and Lynn Viehl is offering her e-book Way of the Cheetah for free. Both are ultra-prolific writers for whom NaNo is a slow month, so they have some useful things to say about getting the word count. Chris Baty's official book, No Plot? No Problem!, is also a good source, although I find it's tailored more for people who want to write a bunch of crap for fun rather than people who actually want to write a novel.

One of the key parts of NaNoWriMo is tracking your word count. Although the official site has a nice looking graph (or at least, it did last year), if you want a more permanent record try Simon Haynes's low-tech NaNo progress forms (including the 7500-words-in-one-day catchup form) or the more sophisticated NaNoWriMo report card (hosted and updated this year by S.M. Worth, originally be Erik Benson).

Other key resources are of course chocolate, coffee, and an understanding household (preferably including someone who will bring you the aforementioned chocolate and coffee). You'll have to find your own source for those.

But most importantly, you need the determination to write 50k words in a month, and the willpower to sit down for a couple of hours a day and just write. Good luck!