Hey writer!
I've gathered some resources that might prove useful in your writing ventures!
What with November being right around the corner, and October being the month of preparation for it (known as "preptober"), I figured it was a good time to share these links so that you can have them on hand during NaNoWriMo without needing to go searching up randomness for hours on end just to find a few things to help you, thus interrupting the writing flow and hindering your journey to 50k words.
I've gathered some resources that might prove useful in your writing ventures!
What with November being right around the corner, and October being the month of preparation for it (known as "preptober"), I figured it was a good time to share these links so that you can have them on hand during NaNoWriMo without needing to go searching up randomness for hours on end just to find a few things to help you, thus interrupting the writing flow and hindering your journey to 50k words.
Without further adieu, here's the aforementioned resources:
1. Height Comparison
This is a site just for size comparison between two people, you have the option of male or female, and then type in whatever sizes.
This helped me figure out the sizes of two of my characters and adjust it accordingly; it's quite useful.
Here's the link
Of course, you should always fact-check these things when you can, but this is a great place to start gathering information for a first draft, or even to gather things to make a check-list of points to study for a later draft
And if what you want to know isn't there, you can always start a new thread for the question (or you can be anti-social like me and go find your information about whipping elsewhere).
1. Height Comparison
This is a site just for size comparison between two people, you have the option of male or female, and then type in whatever sizes.
This helped me figure out the sizes of two of my characters and adjust it accordingly; it's quite useful.
Here's the link
2. Strange (and likely questionable) Information
World Building Stack Exchange
When looking for information on the specifics of how a small woman and twenty or so lashes from your average whip would mix, I came across this website called "World Building Stack Exchange". It has information on just about everything. From zero gravity flogging, to how to make disappearing bullets, to magic software systems, to vortex information, to underground fight club realism.
Of course, you should always fact-check these things when you can, but this is a great place to start gathering information for a first draft, or even to gather things to make a check-list of points to study for a later draft
And if what you want to know isn't there, you can always start a new thread for the question (or you can be anti-social like me and go find your information about whipping elsewhere).
NaNoWriMo Forms
If you don't fancy World Building Stack Exchange's forums, check out NaNoWriMo's 'Reference desk' forms. I personally prefer these forms, mainly because they're easy to carry a conversation on if you need more information and I'm familiar with the website.
All you do to start a thread for your question there is start a thread at link provided, label it properly (example: "Whips and their effects") and give a description in the opening post (example: I'm writing a torture scene for my characters. The girl is about 5'5 and pretty frail. What kinds of whip should I use and how many lashes should I give for an outcome with permanent scarring, mild blood loss, and passing out, without causing any fatal or more serious then the aforementioned things?).
Then the users of the website will give you the information they know.
Once again, you should make sure to fact check any information they give (and maybe even ask for resources from the people offering information) for the final product.
3. Remembering a Lost word
Have you ever been writing, and then came to a sudden halt when you couldn't remember a word? You know it's the perfect word for this sentence, but you just can't remember it. And even if you tried to substitute the word for a different one, you're distracted by not being able to remember the first word and your writing becomes out of focus?
If it hasn't happened yet, it likely will happen soon enough, especially during the frenzy of trying to reach 50,000 words in a month's time.
Tip-Of-My-Tongue
For times such as those, the website Tip-Of-My-Tongue exists. All you do is enter in the things it requests concerning the word if you have them (like the meaning of the word, what letters it might contain, and words that it sound like), and then all the words that match the description will be shown in list.
Personally, I haven't made much use of this website; It seems to never have the words I'm searching for. So either I'm making up words and thinking they're real, or this website isn't perfect.
But in case it helps save your sanity (if such a thing exists among writers), I've included it on this list.
But in case it helps save your sanity (if such a thing exists among writers), I've included it on this list.
4. World Building
World building is something that's vital for any high-fantasy or sci-fi writer. Coincidentally, it's something that a lot of writers struggle with. And that's because you're developing a whole world. It's awesome, but it can be difficult. Especially when you're trying to write an entire novel in one month.
That being said, it's a pretty good idea to develop your world before you go to write it as much as possible so you don't get stuck mid-goal (at least it is in my experience).
Scribes and Archers blog and Pinterest board
R.M. Archer is a writer and blogger with tons of useful posts about world building that I'm sure you'll find help or inspiration in. Here is a link to World building related posts.
Also, she has a post called Worldbuilding Resource Round-Up which is a collection of posts from various sites and blogs as well as links to tools and books for helping you world build. It's amazingly extensive.
Lastly, also form R.M. Archer, is a pinterest board devoted to collecting information on world building. This includes her own blog posts in addition to links and advice from all over the place.
(Warning: You may fall down the rabbit trail of reading posts and effectively using up all of your free time and end up not writing at all. Proceed with caution.)
5. Character Name Generators
Sometimes when you're panic-writing during NaNo, a new character has the audacity to show up uninvited and you sit there trying to come up with their name for a good thirty minutes.
Name-Generator.org
This character name generator is a really unique name generator. You have the option to fill in the information provided based off of your character, and it will give you a name based off of it.
And even if you like your characters having really epic, near unreadable names, it's great to at least get inspiration for the name.
And even if you like your characters having really epic, near unreadable names, it's great to at least get inspiration for the name.
RandomWordGenerator.com
Here is another character name generator that is similar to the first, but is less extensive. You still have the option to provide things like gender, what letter you want it to begin and/or end with, and how many syllables and/or words long you want it to be.
6. Random Prompt Generator
TheStoryHack.com prompt generator
One thing that I miss about NaNoWriMo's old website is their prompt generator. I'm not sure why, but they didn't keep it when they made the new website.
However, some wonderful soul was gracious enough to make a prompt generator that works just as well (so far, at least).
However, some wonderful soul was gracious enough to make a prompt generator that works just as well (so far, at least).
It has multiple generator options, including plot, random verb, noun, and adjective generators, theme, random word, story title, book title, character personality, random phrase, writing prompt, random question generators.
Something to keep in mind when using a prompt is that it is just a prompt. It is meant to probe and prompt your brain into thinking something up and keeping your creativity coming. So if a prompt includes something like "a character catches on fire" but your characters are, somehow, fire proof, or if it says "write a short story using the words afghan, terrain, and cinder block" but you need inspiration for you novel and not a short story, change it up. You don't need to follow the exact prompt, it's just the inspiration for your story.
So maybe your character doesn't catch on fire, but maybe a fire breaks out around something important (like a super secret log-cabin base) and sets their work back by burning it.
So maybe your character doesn't catch on fire, but maybe a fire breaks out around something important (like a super secret log-cabin base) and sets their work back by burning it.
Or if you're supposed to write a short story, just don't write a short story, but use the rest of the prompt to fuel inspiration for your novel.
Long paragraph short: Remember that it's just a prompt, and you don't have to follow it word-for-word.
7. Getting Words Out Fast
Fighter's Block
You've very likely heard of the app/website known as Fighter's Block. If you haven't, allow me explain.
Fighter's block is a app/website (I use the website) to help you get words out fast. You set your goal of words in the "<goal>" bar, select your fighter, and click "fight".
Once in the "fight", you can hit 'pause' and adjust your setting (how hard the monster is, how fast it is, the background theme, etc).
Then, you defeat the monster by reaching your word goal before the monster kills you. It's a pretty fun concept, but I admit I haven't personally used it beyond checking it out. I might this November, but knowing me I'd likely get side-tracked with killing the monster and thinking about the character instead of writing my actual story.
A Word Crawl For the Motivationally Challenged
This word crawl is one that I use very often. It's designed so that you're given small amounts of words (I think the biggest goal you're given at a time is near 700 and that the smallest is 10, but I'm not sure) that add up to 3,000.
This crawl has helped me turn out a lot of words in a relatively small amount of time, and so I highly recommend it. If you were to do this crawl once a day, you'd finish the NaNoWriMo challenge in less than seventeen days.
This crawl has helped me turn out a lot of words in a relatively small amount of time, and so I highly recommend it. If you were to do this crawl once a day, you'd finish the NaNoWriMo challenge in less than seventeen days.
8. Non-distracting Writing Programs
I've heard writers talk about getting easily distracted by the writing programs they use. Here's a few alternatives to the more common writing programs that are designed to be more peaceful.
ZenWriter
While I personally haven't used this application, I've heard great things about it.
ZenWriter is designed to keep the atmosphere adjustable and peaceful while you write. It has a variety of backgrounds and music, you can add a typewriter sound affect for while you type, and it automatically saves your progress.
ZenWriter is designed to keep the atmosphere adjustable and peaceful while you write. It has a variety of backgrounds and music, you can add a typewriter sound affect for while you type, and it automatically saves your progress.
Apparently, it doesn't give you the ability to italicize, underline, or make your words bold.
I would say that this program is best used for writing your work in distracting settings, and then copying the work over to something such as Microsoft Word or Google Documents and go through adding the italics, bold, and underlined lettering later.
If I end up using this this Nano, I'll do it by marking my words like this:
I would say that this program is best used for writing your work in distracting settings, and then copying the work over to something such as Microsoft Word or Google Documents and go through adding the italics, bold, and underlined lettering later.
If I end up using this this Nano, I'll do it by marking my words like this:
/italic words/
*bold words*
-underlined words-
Then I'll copy it to Gdocs, and once Nano is over, I'll do to ctrl+f (which allows you to search the document) and type in the "*", "-", or the "/" to find the respective lettering type. Then I'll be able to easily add the proper inflection.
(This same order for format is what I use for the Word Crawl for the Motivationally Challenged.)
That's all for now. May these links serve you well!
- Edna Pellen
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