I love the forums over at NaNoWriMo.  They’re not only really helpful, but there’s a lot that I would never think about.  One being the NaNo Survival Kit.

Essentially it’s something that helps you get through the month of November.  Writing a novel in one month is a roller coaster.  And with work, and school (Note: this year, there’s no school and no work), there are certain things that help people through the month. 

Things that I would put in my NaNo Survival Kit:

• my magical binder- it has all the notes and characters essential to my novels
• music- i can’t write when there’s silence.  i need some kind of background noise, but of course, i don’t need anything too loud either.
• USB drive- backing up my work is really important, plus I’m paranoid that I’ll lose everything before I manage to validate it.  and I work on 2 different computers so I need to have the most updated version in one spot. 
• pencil, eraser, highlighter and pens/sharpies in assorted colors- I love color-coding, plus it’s a good way to organize my notes
• post-its/index cards/paper- good way to write short notes, or to do an outline, and on the plus side, it’s easy to rearrange things.
• the forums over at NaNoWriMo- there’s a wealth of information and distractions, plus I get to talk to other people who are in the same boat as I am
• coffee- I love coffee, and it helps me focus long enough to actually get writing done.
• snacks- I have to eat sometime, and I don’t always want to make an actual meal.  The actual snacks vary from year to year, but halloween candy is always good the first week or so.

I’m debating whether I should have a writing hat or something.  Some people swear by it, and I’m curious as to whether it could work for me.  Maybe I’ll spend some time looking at hats.  Or failing that, maybe there’s something else I can wear while I’m writing. 

There will definitely be at least one more post in the next couple days.