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Are there a million things you haven’t done? You’re not alone.

This year, don’t you think your imagination deserves a new, fresh, beautiful place to hold its creations? We’ve rounded up some of our favorite journals for a fresh start. Let’s get those creative juices flowing!

With only a few days left of NaNoWriMo, the exhaustion is probably setting in (unless you’re one of those barbarians superstars who's already finished. These last days will be an adventure for your mind and hands, and we're looking out for both. Here are time-efficient "exercises" to make sure you stay in mental and phalangeal tip-top shape, so you can finish out strong and WRITE THAT NOVEL.

The Chomp

Place your hands together as if you're holding a burger. Now hold a burger and take a bite. Writing is a serious business and you need the protein. Pro-tip: If burgers aren't your thing, pick a food inspired by one of your characters to help you plot while you eat! 

Finger Stretches

You've probably experienced your fair share of finger fatigue this month. If your digits start cramping up, you might want to try a nifty finger stretching app like this one. Or, take the time to pause and really ponder what's next for your characters.

The Imbibe

Curl your hands as if you're holding a glass. Struggling with the proper form? We are too—that's why we recommend trying this one with an actual glass of wine, for motivation.

Nuke It

Place your food of choice in the microwave, and press start. You're probably full of noveling stress, so you might want to have a mini-dance party while it's cooking to clear your head.

Halo Time

Pull out that wallet and make a donation to the Office of Letters and Light. You'll feel good, and good feelings make good novels, right?

These are just a few of the things you can do to hold on to your sanity for a couple more days and write that 50,000th word. If you're really struggling, join other writers in your area by attending a write-in! Alternatively, you can become a hermit for a few days and stick with Written? Kitten! to help you stay on track. You can also see if there are NaNo-related socials or events in your region to help keep your motivation levels high.

For more inspiration, check out our previous post, A Round-Up of Tools to Help You Finish Your #NaNoWriMo Novel. Happy noveling!

When November and #NaNoWriMo begins, there is no shortage of great ideas, inspiration, and motivation. You sit down at the computer convinced that by the time December rolls around, you’ll have easily surpassed 50,000 words.

(Photo credit from @neilhimself)

Neil Gaiman has always given the world much to think about: Do dogs understand when we’re trying to write and decide to impede us anyway? Is it all right to go next door for a pad of paper and a writing utensil upon being locked out? Armageddon…or tea? These are the important questions.

Though he’s surely the next Nostradamus, Gaiman is probably better known as a writer than as a Doomsday-Darjeeling soothsayer. To celebrate this sir on his birthday, and in light of NaNoWriMo, we scoured Gaiman’s tweet backlog for ages (and by ages we mean hours looking through Twitter’s advanced search function) finding the best tidbits on writing that this jovial tea-sipping nerd king has to offer.

(Image Credit: what.you.don’t.see.photography)

For those who don’t get enough from the daily grind of actual life there’s a board game: The Game of Life. You probably think we’re going to tell you we turned it into a bookish edition but this time around, in honor of NaNoWriMo, we turned it into a writer’s edition. So grab your little car, get ready to pick up some peg people in the form of literary agents and publishers (if you’re going the traditional route) and spin that dial…