International Mac Podcast

This is my first post for IMP, so I figured that it would be fitting to write about something to do with writing (about something to do with writing about something… you get the idea.)

I found a really cool website today! I should probably tell you where I got it, but the problem is that I don’t remember and due to the nature I can’t go look it up now. You’ll see why in a sec. I’ll probably put it in “in post.”

(POST: I got it from MakeUseOf.com, and the blog post title was Cool Websites and Tools (edition #197))

The site is Write Or Die, but the URL is kinda wacky. It’s made by a guy that calls himself Dr. Wicked (and the site can be pretty wicked–again, you’ll see in a sec), so it’s at drwicked.com. It’s part of his lab section, so it’s at lab.drwicked.com. But since it’s a project in it’s own, it’s at lab.drwicked.com/writeordie. Hey, that’s what they invented bookmarks for!

I have always admired Allison Sheridan for her idea that a review should tell you what the problem is that the product solves, and I aim to keep with that tradition. This problem happens to be a big one for me, and it’s this:

Distraction

(I put that on its own line so you couldn’t get distracted.)

Write Or Die minimizes distraction by actually punishing you for it. If you go to the site, it will have a fancy Java/Flash/AJAX/What Do I Know, I’m Not a Web Developer widget where you put in how long you want to write for and how many words you want to write. You can select from different grace periods, and different modes.

After you click the perky Write! button, you are given a page that looks a lot like this:

It has a big field for you to type in, a timer counting down from the time you said you wanted and a word count. There is also a Done button, which you push when you’re done writing, and a pause button you can only use once. You start writing, and if you stop typing in the box several things happen…

After a grace period, which ranges from 10 seconds (forgiving) to one second (evil), the screen starts getting red. That shows you that you better start writing again! If you don’t it gets one shade redder every second, until it’s fire engine red.

Writing area with red background

At that time one of three other things will happen:

• If you chose Gentle Mode, a popup will keep appearing reminding you that you should be writing.
• If you chose Normal Mode, a really annoying sound will play until you start writing again. REALLY annoying. Think tortured cat, idiot with a violin, multiply it by seven, and you start to get the idea.
• If you chose Kamikaze mode, it will start deleting your precious words, so you better start writing again very, very quickly!
• They haven’t implemented the Electric Shock mode yet, presumably because most computers lack the necessary hardware.

That’s the punishment, the stick behind the proverbial bull. Now we come to the carrot:

• A pretty sound
• A pretty badge
• Your finished work

Yes, that’s what you get when you reach your desired word count, or your desired writing time, or just push that pretty Done button. You can hear a triumphant trumpety sound, get a braggy badge to put on your site (like the one below, but I cheated on this one because I didn’t give myself enough time, and I hadn’t figured out you could choose not to have a time). Most importantly, though, that writing piece that was hanging over your head is done with! Finally!

I would also suggest donating to help Dr. Wicked defray his server costs. I would if I could, but I can’t so I won’t. (I love saying that, especially very fast and out loud.) If you have a credit card and use this more than twice, I would strongly suggest donating.

This is a great tool for anyone who, like me, has to write and has a distraction problem. Twitter, anyone? However, if your assignment/task doesn’t envolve a set amount of time or a set word count, don’t provide one. That’s what that done button is for, and not having that hanging over my head has already caused me to go off task twice after my time ran out and then, after I restarted the session, I reached my word count.

This is also a great tool for people participating in NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month, but try saying it out loud and you’ll find out why it’s called NaNoWriMo). The author of this webapp is participating, and you can see his progress widget as well as his amazing and surprisingly creepy addition to the story of the Grinch, at his website http://www.drwicked.com/. (Permalink to the Grinch story)

Happy writing, and don’t you dare stop until you’re done!