If you have been struggling to meet your nanowrimo quotas each day, then this little piece of productivity software for writers is just what you need to stay on track.

Write or Die is ideal for writers who are prone to distractions, spend too much time thinking or editing (rather than writing) or just succumb to procrastinating.  There is a free online version, however for top productivity, and to eliminate the time sink of the internet, the desktop version is worth a download, and at just $10, if it ups your productivity even by 10% it should be a worthwhile investment.

Once loaded, the program will ask you to set your goals.  Perhaps you want to type 1,500 words in two hours?  Next you can alter the settings to adjust the intensity, for example allowing yourself a grace period or disable backspace to prevent on the fly editing, a particularly useful setting for wrimos since the goal is to first produce, and only revise once the word count has been met. 

Although at first glance it may seem gimmicky, after all what kind of punishment could a computer program possible spit out?  It is similar to the parent who warns their child, "Stop that, or else..." where the "or else" never materializes to add weight to the threat.  All credibility lost, the child comfortably ignores the warning and carries on eating mud/pulling hair/riding the pet dog, safe in the knowledge that tangible punishment is something that only happens to other, better behaved children.

However, fail to meet your deadlines and there are indeed consequences. There are four levels of punishment... gentle, normal, kamikaze and electric shock.  Stop writing at "gentle" level and a pop up box appears with a friendly prompt.  In "normal" mode any lack of productivity will be met with an irritating sound such as Hanson or dissonant chords.  The second may sound uglier, but the first will stick in your head all day!  The "kamikaze" mode is perhaps the most disturbing of all; stop writing for too long and your words will literally start to come undone... disappearing from your screen.  The thought of that would certainly motivate me to keep writing!

For those of you wondering about the "electric shock" mode I suggest picking a different profession or calling a therapist.

Sadly, there is no version available for those who are better motivated by a reward system, rather than a punishment one.  Suggestions might include a vending machine that serves up a fresh cup of coffee and a muffin after 5,000 words?  Or perhaps a word powered foot massager? 

Another simple motivator, and great way to see just how often you slip into idle mode,  is to set your screensaver to a blank color with "KEEP WRITING" in large, bold font.  Thanks to Dave for this simple but effective tip.  I'm off to set it up on my laptop right now, although perhaps that's just another way to procrastinate!