It’s a lot easier to finish writing novels you begin if you can make a habit of writing regularly, but it’s a hard habit to get into. It’s tempting to sit around and wait for the muse before diving into your novel, and sometimes writer’s block just happens. Sometimes you can’t master your own procrastination, and even though you’re already sitting at your computer looking at your document, you just can’t make yourself write the next words. That’s normal–but that doesn’t make it all right.
Fortunately, there is a way to work around this, and even make it fun! It might even be as simple as typing a URL onto your browser and taking things from there. Let’s take a look at some sites that can help you get that rough draft finished!
writeordie.com. I used this one just today to help myself plunk out 2500 words in one novel in a matter of a few hours. This website uses fear to get you to write–if you stop for too long, the screen starts flashing red and horrible, loud music begins to play! The downloadable version also includes a stimulus mode, but you can use the online version for free. It’s intimidating, but if you really want to pump out a number of words every day, try it and watch that word count climb.
www.book-in-a-week.com. I’ve been taking this challenge for several months now, and I’ve come to look forward to it. Even though you set your own goals, and the challenge is only once a month, I have found that keeping up with Book in A Week has helped me get into the habit of writing daily–from an average of only a few hundred words a day back in spring to several thousand a day now. It’s definitely worth signing up for!
www.nanowrimo.org. I’m not talking about doing the NaNoWriMo challenge (though that’s good too). I’m talking about the Procrastination Station–the forums where people share all of their tips and tricks. You could spend hours looking at different strategies that people list, and there’s bound to be something that will work for you.
www.fantasynamegenerators.com. If you’re looking for a quick prompt or flash of inspiration, try looking at some of the awesomely generated names on this site. There are names for everything in every genre, as well as generated descriptions of cultures and characters that could definitely give your writing a great twist. It’s easy to get carried away on this site, but I’ve gotten some good ideas from it in the past.
www.finishthatnovel.org. Again, I’m not just talking about my own site here. I mean the resource section. I’ve put together an awesome list of all sorts of resources that can help you take your novel to the next level, and I can promise you they’ll work. Also, you should come back in a few weeks when my new book is out (it’s expected release is on Halloween 2014).
Hopefully you’ll find some inspiration here. Please let me know if I missed anything, and feel free to share your own writing tips in either the comments section or submit it to be included in my book here. Happy writing!
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