Write or Die

Punishment will continue until word count improves.

It’s like a gun pointed at your head.

You have 30 minutes to write.

If you stop writing.

The gun goes off.

You’re dead.

Or, in the case of Write or Die, an unpleasant sound will blare from your computer, infusing you with shame while simultaneously annoying the hell out of you and propelling you to keep writing to make that stupid thing shut up!

I just stumbled across this great application for people who are working at churning out a first draft and have word counts or time lines to follow. It’s based on one of the basic principles of psychology – negative reinforcement.

For those undisciplined or unashamed of failing, this application will beat you into submission. You can use it for free online or download the application for $10.

As is written on the site:

• Excellent for getting your 1667 words a day for NaNoWriMo
• Good for writing on lunch breaks, just enter 30 minutes in the time limit box