I know some of you are probably really behind in your word count. Its possible to get there still. Clear away your distractions such as the internet, your house (yes, sometimes a structured environment such as a coffee shop or the library where you can’t get too comfy helps), and naps.

I’ve got a few more dares to get you through the next few hours.

• Your character meets up with a group of nannies for a night on the town.
• A software upgrade doesn’t go well.
• Someone becomes incapacitated at the worst possible time.
• An ancient, magical book was discovered in a used book store.
• The antibiotics your character took is causing hallucinations.
• A bank error is discovered.
• The tax man delivers an overdue notice.
• A ghost with no particular purpose.
• A door designed to open when kicked.
• Dare someone to lick a porcupine.
• Dialogue in only six words.

Good luck!
~Amber

If you’re making steady progress then you’re getting close to the end of your novel. But guess what today is? It’s “Start Your Own Country” Day. Can you find a way for a character to make his or her own country?

Good luck!
~Amber

It’s another word war weekend. How are you doing so far?

Here are some new dares for you:

1. Change the genre of your novel for a chapter.
2. Create a situation in which a character needs to use a dictionary.
3. Your character discovers a long lost twin.
4. Someone loses an eye.
5. A pet or child latches onto your main character.

Good luck!
~Amber

Today is “Take a Hike” Day. Have your characters either go for a walk (unexpected or planned) or get someone out of their life.

Good luck!
~Amber

It’s Day 15 and you’re halfway to victory. Have you been eating to keep up your strength? What have your characters been eating? What does it smell like? Is it crunchy? Slimy?

Have they been marooned on a desert island and have to fend for themselves? Write about what they out, how they get it, etc. Use adjectives to pad your word count.

Try not to make yourself hungry.
~Amber

You’re closing in on the end of week 1. If you’re steadily working on your words you should have 9,996 words written by the end of the night.

Use this as your prompt:
Transportaton

It’s NaNoWriMo time so get as crazy as you want. Do your characters ride the back of dinosaurs to get from one village to another? What happens when that hot air balloon is unmoored?

~Amber

It’s Word War Weekend!

Here’s a list of dares to help you add to your team’s word count.

1. Give a character an unusual phobia.
2. Include song lyrics in your dialogue.
3. Include a poultry accident.
4. A character temporarily loses control of his/her body.
5. Make up a holiday and create a celebration around it.
6. Put a character on a diet.
7. Have an audition go wrong.
8. Write in someone else’s character.
9. Have a character do something illegal.
10. A character breaks a limb.

Good luck!
~Amber

Today is King Tut Day.

Today’s dare:
Include an Egyptian artifact in your novel.

~Amber

It’s November when we usually don’t post the writing exercises or prompts so everyone can concentrate on meeting their NaNoWriMo goal.

This year I’m not participating but I’m cheering all of you on to victory. And to help you reach the end, I’m going to post some different prompts and dares throughout the month to help you when you need a push. These are random, so you never know when one will pop up.

Here’s the first prompt:
Surprise a character

~Amber

It’s mid-July and some places around the globe are experiencing scorching heat.  This won’t last forever.  Think ahead to when leaves have fallen and there’s a slight chill in the air.  Children dressed as witches and goblins go from door to door looking for treats.

Magazines have early deadlines so waiting until September or October to write a Halloween story is too late for that year.  So I dare you to think ahead and write one now.

The Verb has a nice Intense Suspense writing contest with a September deadline.  Imagine your protagonist is in danger and the cell phone won’t work!  I think NPR had something about this… of all the disaster movies, apparently 2012 had the best cell phone coverage.

Good luck!
~Amber