NaNo Goodies page:
nanowrimo.org/sponsor-offersThree different companies are giving out free prints of yr book. Our Createspace and Lulu copies last year turned out really well.
PROGRAMS:
Dark Room -- a super blank, full screen app that you can write in if you are prone to distractions. It auto saves too which is convenient. For PC
jjafuller.com/dark-room/Here is the original Mac version, which I have not tried:
www.hogbaysoftware.com/products/writeroomI've prob shilled enough for Scrivener, but I do recommend it. Lots of people use it for Nano:
www.literatureandlatte.com/nanowrimo.php It has a free trial which would last you the whole contest if you don't want to buy it.
REFERENCE:
You'll never know when you wanna look of the etymology of a word. Particularly useful if you're writing something historical and need to know when words came into use.
www.etymonline.com/index.phpI used this site to create a lot of HELLen SCARson jokes.
www.idiomsite.com/Decent online spell checker if you don't have one:
www.spellcheck.net/This site is dope as hell, a 'reverse thesaurus'. You could look up 'anger' for instance, and get a list of how someone would display anger. As well as words associated with say, a forest. Perfect for when you're really stuck searching for a word or how to describe something.
writershelpingwriters.net/thesaurus-collections/How to write realistic injuries -
www.users.totalise.co.uk/~leiafee/ramblings/realistic_injuries.htm Seems to come up a lot for me.
NAMING AND OTHER RANDOMIZERS:
This is a fun randomizer for UK-esque fake town names:
www.inkalicious.com/elizabethan.html I'll admit I used it for a few place names in my last book.
They also have some others on the site.
I use this site for random names a lot:
www.behindthename.com/random/ You can specify ethnicity, and turn on last names if you like. Be forewarned that they are very sparse in some ethnicities. Be prepared to see the same two kenyan names over and over, and one of them is Obama. -_-
This is a good site for modern names, especially for kids and more exotic choices.
www.nameberry.com They also create lots of organized lists by themes.
Handy dandy boring ass surnames for plain folk:
genealogy.about.com/library/weekly/aa_common_surnames.htmThis is really great for coming up with modern job titles, separated by field and subcategories:
www.mithrilandmages.com/utilities/Occupation.phpPretty damned comprehensive.
SOME GENERAL ADVICE:
* get reference photos
I found it was really useful to save lots of reference photos of locations, objects, people etc that were important. I could pop them open and get ideas as I'm describing, which is really great to boost your word count. I wrote a scene in my book listening to a recording of rain and looking at photos off to the side, and another scene I watched youtube videos of people hiking through forests at night. If you use Scrivener, they have a reference tab which is helpful.
*keep your reference organized
Besides photos I'm talking about lists of names/locations you're using,dates, ideas for future chapters, notes to self... etc. You'll need to flip through stuff rapidly many times, and it's annoying to cycle through trying to find what you're looking for. Also be sure to include important notes and details you'll in a place you can find it. Before I used Scrivener, I generally pasted those notes to self at the very bottom of the document.
* back up!!
Everyone says this, but nevah forget all the work that has been lost to errant cats on keyboards. We'll always remember u.
Send email copies, put it on yr dropbox, etc etc. But label those bastards sensibly or you'll end up with a bunch of NOVEL_3_FIN_ACTUALLYFIN2.blah
* try to not get behind, and do get ahead early on.
Getting an edge in the beginning is really nice so you can balance out any future lagging. Also, don't get behind more than a day or two, it will quickly stack up and become impossible.
*Just write, even if it's shitty.
Sometimes I'll skip a scene if I don't feel like it, but don't just write all the fun parts first, and then spend the rest of the month on tedium. If you're writing and you hate it, go as far as you can stand and maybe later it won't seem so bad... Also it will help your word count whether it's awful or not.
BTW -- if anyone needs reference of a specific type, ask me and I might have some good links. I've got everything from how Victorian's cussed, to disgusting medieval torture methods. Ask me, ask me ask me.