NaNoWriMo Resources

During the two years of NaNoWriMo I've done, I've collected ideas and made some tools to help keep track of progress or get over various writing slumps. I'm putting them here to share with you. If you find any bugs or problems, please let me know and I'll be glad to fix the official version out here - also if you have any comments or suggestions on how to improve these, please let me know. Feel free to use my contact form (once I've got it active) or PM me if you got here from a forum.

NaNoWriMo Report Card 2006 edition - This is my version of the original report card (created by Erik Benson) with a few enhancements: it's been updated to keep all data entry in one place on the page, carry a few more statistics than the original, and display most common stats on the first page (instead of the progress graph). It also uses a minimum goal for tomorrow so even if you get ahead it encourages you to stay ahead at the same rate instead of letting you slack. Enjoy!
Updated 11/2/2005

• Fixed issue with Words Per Hour from Day 2 onwards
• Fixed issue with Writing Hours Left from Day 2 onwards
• Fixed issue with Formatting in the "At this rate you'll be done on" column - Nov 30 was showing Red. Now it shows green!

Character Creator - The perfect way to create those useless characters for your subway filled with people. Learn a bit about that murder victim you're about to get rid of. What's the height and weight of your main character's next door neighbor? All the answers can be found with this nifty tool! I took United States Census Information along with some additional stats and help from some programming friends to come up with this.
Updated 10/18/2005

• Thanks to Paul Hawke, the following updates are now available: Names sorted and capitalized, weight computation now based on Body Mass Index and indicates overweight, underweight, or normal. He also pointed out that you can just use your F9 key to generate a new character.

Online Character Creator - Generate a character FAST without waiting to download the giant zip file. This online version contains all the same valuable information as the download version, but without the messy files. Also, something to keep in mind is that the online version will be receiving updates and enhancements, but the Excel version most likely will not.
Added 9/27/2006

Outline Helper - After stumbling across Randy Ingermanson's "Snowflake Method" of writing a novel, I decided to create a tool that would help me progress my outline from single-sentence concept to full-on scene and character list. While it is not as detailed as the Snowflake Method, it does take you in the same direction from concept to conflict to fleshing out each scene. This is new for 2006 and something I plan on trying out, so don't blame me if it is a bit buggy. Also, best to get started with this sometime BEFORE November so you've got some good planning time in there. The deadlines are flexible and work off of the proposed start and end dates of your book (presumably November 1 and midnight December 1 for NaNo enthusiasts).

NaNoEdMo Report Card 2007 Edition - So if you finish your novel this year (or just have one sitting around that you need to edit) and plan to do it next March, here's a spreadsheet to help you track your progress.
Updated 9/20/2006

• Updated dates and formatting for 2007 edition.
• Fixed issue with conditional formatting.