If you need some motivation to get writing, I have a couple of resources that could be just what you need. One offers a small carrot to encourage you to write, the other whacks you with a stick–-from a small branch to a large limb.
First the carrot: Written? Kitten! displays a random cute kitten photo every time you hit your word goal. For example, if you set it at 100 words, then every time you type another 100 words you get to see another kitten. Available settings are 100, 200, 500 or 1000 words. (No, they don’t kill the kitten if you stop writing. How could you even think such a thing?)
You can access Written? Kitten! free online at http://WrittenKitten.net/. When you are done writing you can copy and paste what you have written into your word processor to save it.
As implied by the name, Write or Die is a more vicious app. Their tagline says they “put the prod in productivity.” The concept is simple: You set a goal and a time limit and start writing. If you stop writing for a period of time before you have met your goal or time expires, there is a penalty. You configure the goal and time limit, as well as the penalty. Your penalties can range from Gentle (where a box pops up and reminds you to keep writing) to Normal (which includes the playing of a most annoying sound) to Kamikaze (where what you have written so far begins deleting itself).
Having a deadline and a possible penalty can definitely keep your fingers moving across the keyboard. This is a great tool for NaNoWriMo, if you need to get a blog post done, or anytime you want to write and write quickly.
Write or Die is designed for writing, not editing. Once you have a draft, you can copy or export it to your favorite editor for polishing.
You can use the free web app or buy the more fully-featured app for the PC or iPad for $9.99.
The next time you need some motivation to get writing, why not try one of these apps and see how fast your fingers can move? (Those kittens are pretty cute, doncha know.)
This is kinda funny, although the kitten one is cute. This would never work for a stay-at-home mom like me. I get interrupted to many times. By the time I’d get back from who knows where, my work would have eaten itself up – I’d never get anywhere…. lol, just kidding. It sounds quite effective.
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