Even though I'm not participating, there are a few things I do in November that might help some of you get over the humps and around the walls.
Music. Plug in your iPod with a playlist that pumps you up and gets you inspired. It could be something that relates to the theme of your story or just something that helps your fingers go faster. I find that "Buckbeak's Flight" from HP and "Jack Dawson's Luck" from the Titanic soundtrack work well.
Get out of your room. Working at home is great, but sometimes it's easier to procrastinate at home. Grab your laptop/tablet/pen and paper, music and headphones, and whatever notes you need, and go someplace else to write for a while. Sometimes the act of going someplace specifically to write can give you the boost you need. If you aren't meeting up for a write-in with others, find a corner in a coffee shop (bonus here: caffeine and snacks to keep you going!) where you can tuck in for an hour or two.
Jump around. Start with the ending. Work your way out from the middle. You don't have to go from Chapter One to The End, if you don't want.
Download a timer app. Just because you aren't in a group write-in, it doesn't mean you can't race yourself. Set it for 30 minutes and go. Don't worry about spelling or punctuation mistakes. Just keep typing.
Which brings me to my last trick, one I have trouble adhering to - backspace is your enemy. Misspell your characters' names? Forgot to capitalize the beginning of that sentence? Ignore it. If the squiggles under everything make you nuts, turn that feature off on your computer. Once the month is over, you can go back and fix all of those errors. For now, leave them alone. All you care about right now is dumping your ideas onto the page and reaching that golden 1,667 word count for the day.
Good luck, everyone, and keep posting how you're doing. The Cheer Squad is here for you!
