Fiction Writers Review » NaNoWriMo

Your newest ally for NaNoWriMo? Google Docs.

Celeste Ng — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 13:00:48 +0000

It’s November 1, and that means–yup! NaNoWriMo is upon us.

We’ve posted here before about various tools that can help you in your mad writing binge–see below–but this year, we wanted to share a techie tip for distraction-free writing that’s easy and free. Did you know that Google Docs can provide a clean, tool-and-menu-free writing environment? That’s right–nothing to buy, download, or install. Power Tips for Google Docs tells you how:

If you are a big fan of WriteRoom on the mac, or the Windows clone, you’ll be happy to know that you can achieve a similar distraction free experience in Google Docs. WriteRoom is a full screen writing environment that helps you focus on the words on the page by eliminating all the tools and features commonly found in most editors. Serious (and no so serious) writers like how it keeps the focus on the writing, instead of the formatting.

Just follow the instructions, and you’ll get the digital equivalent of a blank page: no menus, no tools, no buttons–just you and your words. (Gulp.)

Further Reading:

Visit our archives for more tools to help you brave NaNoWriMo, including pared-down word processor FocusWriter, daily writing-nudger One Page Per Day, organizational whiz-bang Scrivener, and more tools to help you read, edit, and minimize distractions than you can shake a typewriter at.
Learn more about NaNoWriMo at the event’s website, or follow them on Twitter.
Read FWR contributor Gwen Glazer’s account of why she decided to try NaNoWriMo.
And if you’re doing NaNoWriMo this year, tell us in the comments!

Thankful for NaNoWriMo, and you

Lee Thomas — Thu, 25 Nov 2010 13:00:44 +0000

NaNoWriMo via Flickr

Fiction Writers Review would not be here without you, our readers. We’re thankful for your insightful comments, engagement with the site and participation with this great community of writers and readers.

As we sit down to hearty meals today, or maybe just another Thursday dinner if you’re in India or England, I’ve also got the NaNoWriMo champs on my mind. One week to go! Think of all the ground you’ve covered in the past 25 days, the dedication and discipline that’s been required, the problems you’ve worked out on the fly. Last week, Michael turned me on to GalleyCat’s inspired daily writing tip for NaNoWriMo. I’ve been reading them every day, even though I’m not participating this year. Their Monday tip reminded me of a truth about the writing life I often forget, “It’s not a sprint; it’s a marathon.” So many writers I’ve admired have written some of their best work late in their careers. Sometimes an author’s work doesn’t get the recognition it deserves until he tops 70 or 80. We’re thankful for the long game, and hope you take encouragement from the community here at FWR. We raise a glass to you!

Robot Assistants: 2010 Edition

Celeste Ng — Mon, 01 Nov 2010 13:30:32 +0000

Image Credit: Flickr - Gastev

Much has been said about what technology is doing to literature from the reading side. But what can technology do for those on the writing side?

Several programs have recently been released to make the writer’s difficult task easier—or at least more manageable. Here’s a roundup, just in time for the start of NaNoWriMo:

First, to help remove distractions, FocusWriter gives writers with a pared-down word processor that fills the entire screen, theoretically minimizing the temptation to waste time on the internet instead of writing. Unlike other stripped-down word processors, though, FocusWriter still provides basic features like word, paragraph, and page counts; spell check; pretty themes for “ambiance”; and the option to set daily goals by either page count or time spent writing. The program is freeware and available for Mac, Windows, and Linux. (Via.)

For those who need a little more prodding to sit down and write, there’s One Page Per Day, which aims to help writers produce just that. The site describes itself as “a very simple web typewriter that presents you with a single blank page each day. You are free from the tyranny of the infinite page.” Users log in with a Google or Twitter account and get a blank page with a minimalist interface—and gentle reminders to fill that page. Reports Lifehacker:

Your work is saved automatically, and every day that you haven’t been over to the app, you’ll get an email or Twitter reminder to do so. You can see what other users have been typing up for inspiration in the Glimpses section, and share your own work that way, if you’d like.

For writers needing organizational help, Literature and Latte will soon release a version of Scrivener for Windows. Last year we noted that Scrivener offered a free trial in honor of NaNoWriMo but was for Macs only; the Windows version will be out in early 2011, but NaNoWriMo participants can get try it early. PC World reports:

The official release of 2.0 isn’t scheduled until November 1st–to coincide with NaNoWriMo’s kickoff–but Literature & Latte released this trial version, which will remain fully functional from now until December 7, so that prospective NaNoWriMo participants can give the software a shot. It even comes with a special NaNoWriMo novel template which automatically sets your target at the requisite 50,000 words.

And those who achieve 50,000 words in NaNoWriMo this year will get a coupon for 50% off a purchase of Scrivener for Windows once it’s released. Their website offers more information on the both Windows and Mac versions and the opportunity to download beta versions of each.

Finally, if you just want your typed words to look a little more… personal, GalleyCat reports on Pilot Handwriting, a program that lets you turn your own handwriting into a font.

NaNo___Mo

Celeste Ng — Mon, 18 Oct 2010 13:00:52 +0000

Image Credit: Flickr

For those of you keeping count, there are 2 more weeks until the start of NaNoWriMo.

But why stop at just writing a novel in November? Writer Ian Healy has some ideas for other NaNo-type events that—as he puts it—might just save the publishing industry. Here’s one of them:

NaNoBuyMo

Acquiring editors for publishers don’t get let off easy. They have to acquire ten books between November 1 and November 30. That means they don’t have a lot of time to think things through. If they kind of like something, better to take a chance on it. Sure, maybe they won’t pick any big sellers, but if you give ten debut authors a chance to see their books in a store, you may be surprised at what will sell that you never considered before…

Check out Healy’s other ideas, and let’s get agents, editors, and readers on this, stat.

NaNoWriMo Grab Bag: Robot Assistants and More

Celeste Ng — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 08:08:37 +0000

As Gwen announced last week, it’s NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month), the annual challenge to write a 175-page (50,000 word) novel during the month of November. How many of you are taking part? We have at least one FWR editor and one contributor on the scene, and so far they’re keeping up with the wordcounts. You’re 1/10 of the way through your novel by now, right?

Right?

Here’s some extra motivation. NaNoWriMo’s profile has risen from Crazy Thing 21 People Did in 1999 to Mass Writing Event in 2008. Last year, NaNoWriMo reported over 120,000 participants, 20,000 of whom finished their novels by the November 30 deadline. With that rise in popularity comes a rise in attention–and publication. In 2006, Gayle Brandeis sold her novel Self Storage, originally written as part of NaNoWriMo, and this past fall Jessica Burkhardt sold her12-book Canterwood Crest YA series based on, yep, a NaNoWriMo novel. And no matter what happens with your book, there’s always the satisfaction of finally doing what you’ve always wanted: writing that novel.

This year, several companies are offering NaNoWriMo participants some technological tools to help along the way. Online self-publisher Fast Pencil will send you a coupon for a free (print) copy of your book if you use their (free) program to write it. Meanwhile, Scrivener–which describes itself as a “a word processor and project management tool created specifically for writers of long texts”–has a special NaNoWriMo trial version, as well as a discount on the full version of the program if you reach your word count. And Amazon’s print-on-demand site CreateSpace is offering writers a free (papreback) proof copy of their completed NaNoWriMo novels.

Full disclosure: Fiction Writers Review does not endorse any of the above services or products and offers the preceding information solely for the possible benefit of our readers (and would-be NaNoWriMo-ers). But people–if you try any of the above, let us know about your experiences!

NaNoWriMo: FWR FTW!

Gwen Glazer — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 16:08:57 +0000

For a few Novembers now, I’ve been dimly aware that a few thousand people around the world were doing some weird writing thing during one of the busiest months of the year. NaNoWriMo: National Novel Writing Month. 50,000 words — a whole novel — in one month. No editing, no going back, no working on previous projects. Quantity over quality. Revise later.

That’s crazy, I thought. Who would do that?

Then I came up with 10,000 reasons not to do it, including but not limited to my travel schedule in November, my schoolwork, my job, my boyfriend, my family, my nonexistent pets, my imaginary herd of goats, my lack of progress on my current novel, my lack of motivation to try to get an agent for the already finished novel, my commitment to knitting holiday gifts, my commitment to watching bad reality TV, my feelings about my own special-snowflake writing process, my feelings about something involving Mercury in retrograde, my IQ, and everything else I could imagine.

Then I ran out of reasons.

Then I read this on the NaNoWriMo Web site:

Make no mistake: You will be writing a lot of crap. And that’s a good thing. By forcing yourself to write so intensely, you are giving yourself permission to make mistakes. To forgo the endless tweaking and editing and just create. To build without tearing down.

[T]he glow from making big, messy art, and watching others make big, messy art, lasts for a long, long time. The act of sustained creation does bizarre, wonderful things to you. It changes the way you read. And changes, a little bit, your sense of self. We like that.

And some little crazy part of me thought…yes.

If some little crazy part of you is thinking yes right now too, come find me in the “writing buddies” section; I’m gwen17. We’ll be Fiction Writers writing fiction. I’ll also be posting sporadic blog entries on FWR, and maybe we can cobble together our very own sort of support group/accountability network/complaint forum/sanity maintenance program.

Who’s in?