Well, it’s February and if you’re anything like me, your New Year’s resolutions to write more, submit more, write on a schedule, finally finish that scene, that story, that book have all faded away like champagne bubbles. To help you get back to being productive, here are some websites dedicated to helping writers get motivated:
- You’re probably already familiar with National Novel Writing Month, where optimistic writers set out to write 50,000 word novels during the month of November.
- 750 words is similar, but you can use it 12 months out of the year. It encourages users to write 750 words (about 3 pages) a day. You can earn badges for your writing by being speedy and consistent.
- Written? Kitten! Give you a fresh image of a super-cute kitten every 100 words (or 500, or 1000; it’s up to you). This is a surprisingly good motivator, but it is hard to resist the urge to cut and paste the same 100 words over and over again!
- Write or Die utilizes the stick, rather than the carrot. If you stop typing for long enough, it will start to delete what you’ve already written. I imagine this would be especially useful for shutting up an over-active inner-editor who never lets you get out a sentence unless it’s perfect.
If you know of any others, leave them in the comments! How are you getting motivated this year?
Aubrey Hirsch 