Yes, the clock is ticking and you have a goal to reach, but with the right tools, you can still cross that finish line with time to spare.

Productivity Tools

1) Write or Die

A good timer is essential for helping you stay on track but for NaNoWriMo writers, no ordinary timer will do. You need a tool that will not only track your time but will push you to succeed.

You need Write Or Die! Write Or Die will make sure that you meet your writing goals by providing consequences for distraction and procrastination, such as flashing lights, unpleasant noises, and even the deletion of words.

If this sounds a little too intense you can dial it back and try out the Stimulus or Reward modes instead, which offer more positive types of encouragement.

2) Ilys

NaNoWriMo is all about getting your story onto the page without letting yourself get distracted by self-doubts and critiques.

But if you’re finding yourself simply unable to resist the urge to edit, then Ilys is the tool for you. With Ilys editing is not an option. When you log in, Ilys will ask you to input your word count goal for the day, after which you will begin writing.

From that point on you will only be able to view the single letter that you are currently typing. There is no looking back, no editing, and no deleting. In fact, you can’t even see anything that you have written until you reach your goal, so you have no choice but to keep going forward, one letter at a time.

3) Evernote

You’re out shopping when suddenly you get slammed by a genius idea for your story.

Before that idea can slip away, pull out your phone and jot it down in Evernote. Later, when you’re in front of your computer, you can open up Evernote and pull up the notes you had left yourself.

In short, it’s a fantastic tool for taking notes, making lists, and creating reminders, and it can be easily accessed from any device. Evernote has even created special templates in honor of NaNoWriMo to help writers plot their stories and characters.

4) yWriter

Organize your story plan with this simple, clean word-processing program. In the words of Simon Haynes, the program’s creator, “keep track of your work while leaving your mind free to create.”

Hanes designed yWriter to help fellow authors organize their projects by scenes, which can be created and moved around as the story develops, and even generated into reports.

5) Trello

Although Trello is often thought of as a project management tool for team collaboration it can also come in very handy for organizing your novel.

Trello’s similarity to a corkboard with movable sticky notes makes it easy to visualize the development of your story, with all of its characters and plot lines. The colored labels make it simple to keep track of storylines and you can even create deadlines for yourself that will sync with your calendar.

6) OmmWriter

Omm Writer aims to provide writers with the perfect creative atmosphere by offering a clutter-free writing space, with just a few “extras” to help set the mood. Select a background, choose your music and get writing.

The audible clicking of your keystroke enables you to hear each letter as it lands on your screen, offering additional encouragement to keep going.

7) One page per day

If writing 50,000 words seems like a herculean task, then perhaps just start off by filling up a single page. Simply log in with your Google or Twitter account and One Page Per Day will present you with a blank page.

Fill it up and you’re done. If you miss a day and then you will receive a gentle reminder to come over and get your page written. Once you get the ball rolling you can ratchet up your daily word count and aim towards your NaNoWriMo goals.

8) Bibisco

Having trouble getting your novel started? Then Bibisco is the text editor for you.

Not only does it provide you with a space to pen your prose but it will also help you organize your ideas, build your characters, develop your setting and analyze your narrative. And all of these features are completely free and open-source, thanks to Bibisco’s creator, Andrea Feccomandi.

9) StayFocused

If the internet keeps sucking you in then StayFocused is the gatekeeper that will help keep you out. Available as a Chrome app, StayFocused allows you to block all of those distracting sites that you keep finding yourself on when you should be working on your novel.

Creativity Tools

10) Character Name Generator  

Coming up with the perfect names for your beloved characters is a consuming endeavor that, frankly, you don’t have the time for right now.

Instead, head over to the Character Name Generator and create a whole slew of names with just a few clicks of a button. Each name even comes with a detailed personality, which might help give you some ideas as well.

11) Plinky

Feeling uninspired? Get your creative juices flowing by tackling one of the many writing prompts on offer at Plinky. While the site is no longer active the writing prompts are still there, along with the discussions that they generated, which could offer additional fuel for your imagination.

12) Thesaurus 

Does the dark road appear to be dangerous, or perilous? Maybe even menacing? When you’re in search of the perfect (ideal… sublime…superb?) word, the Thesaurus is the place to go.

Sounds & Music

Some writers find that playing music in the background helps them to write, while others prefer the sounds of nature. Personally, I can only concentrate if I have complete silence or white noise. Whatever your preference is, there is a tool out there for you.

13) Focus@Will

Get focused with the right background music to help you match your mood or energy level.

14) Moodfuse

Writing a thriller? Then how about some “disturbing” music to help you set the mood? Or perhaps something sweet or sentimental to accompany the writing of your romance novel.

15) Coffivity

Studies have shown that certain background noises can help increase productivity, such as the murmurs in a coffee shop or library because they distract you just enough to help you become more creative.

At Coffivity you can let your creativity levels soar by tuning into the sounds of a university library or cafe, with a free account. The paid account offers more options such as a Paris Paradise or Brazil Bistro.

Post-NaNoWriMo Bonus Tool!

These two fantastic tools can help you clean up your manuscript once NaNoWriMo has come to an end:

Cliché Finder: Clichés have a tendency to make their way into our writing whether we intend to let them in or not. With the Cliché Finder, you can hunt down those clichés to ensure that your writing is fresh and original.

The post 15 tools for nailing NaNoWriMo this year appeared first on WiseStamp.

Finding and using great images doesn’t have to be expensive, you can actually get free stock photos if you know where to look. And not those cheesy fake ones either.

To save you time and headache we made you our list of best free stock image sites, that we know, love, and use every day.

How to use free stock photos to make handsome content that people love

Our list of top stock image sites is NOT a tool to make horribly cheesy content. Save yourself, and your users, from those cheesy fake stock photos you see on spam sites. Read our basic guidelines for turning free stock images into engaging paying content.

What to look for in a stock photo site.

• Make the image relevant to your surrounding content – When you perform a keyword search for a stock photo, the results should closely match your query
  
• Drive for authenticity – Unless you want a funny or exaggerated vibe, the best stock photo sites will offer authentic-looking photos where people look natural and not like they’re acting. Some of these real looking photos will actually be real people the photographed themselves.
  
• Stay safe with flexible licensing – It’s important to familiarize yourself with the different types of licenses that legally define how you can use a photo. Do this wrong and you could get sued.
  
  “creative commons public domain” licenses are the most flexible and let you use, modify, copy and distribute stock photos even for commercial use.

Now, let introduce the free stock sites you’ve been waiting for:

1. Unsplash

How does the platform work?

Unsplash is one of the best free image websites. Unsplash’s selection is organized into popular categories like Each selection is organized into popular categories like “Business & Work,” “Travel,” “Fashion,”. Use the search bar to find the image you are looking for.

Terms of use

Unsplash photos can be used freely, their license reflects that

• All photos can be downloaded and used for free
• Commercial and non-commercial purposes
• No permission needed (though attribution is appreciated!)

Ideal for: General use and business use

2. Pexels

How does the platform work?

Pexels is one of the top photo-sharing platforms with high-quality photos. There is a large selection of visuals and videos that are tagged, searchable, and can be found id discovered pages.

Terms of use

It provides images and videos that are licensed under the (CC0) Creative Commons Zero license.

Fun Fact

Pexels is one of the few websites that provide free space images, such as pictures from NASA. Browse for images by themes, including locations, emotions, and pastimes, as well as search for a specific image.

Ideal for: General use and business use

3. StockSnap

How does the platform work?

StockSnap has a good number of search options. Users can search for visuals with a certain keyword.

StockSnap uses a very clever filtering method by organizing images by dates, analyzing which images are trending. It identifies the number of downloads or views. According to the results, they will adjust their placement accordingly.

Term of use

It provides images that are licensed under the (CC0) Creative Commons Zero license.

• Download the image file
• Publish, revise, copy, alter, and share that image
• Use the image (as-is or as you’ve altered it), in both personal and commercial contexts

Ideal for: B2C, media sales, consumer technology

4. FoodiesFeed

How does the platform work?

If you are in the food industry, Foodiesfeed would be a great alternative if you can’t take your own food photos. This website is dedicated to food photographers from all over the world. You can browse the website or filter your image search by providing a keyword.

Terms of use

Sharing visual content under a creative commons zero.

Ideal For: food-related online advertising

5. Gratisograph

How does the platform work?

Gratisography is probably one of the most captivating and creative free photo stock sites out there. This is not your ordinary photo choosing site, according to the site creator states that

“To become a Gratisography image, a picture must bring something unique to the table. Of course, it has to be perfectly composed, with the right amount of light and exposure, sharp focus on the central subject. But that’s just the beginning.”

Ryan Mcguire

Terms of use

Gratisography offers high-resolution photos as well as royalty-free, similar to others all photos are categorized and organized by themes. For example business, nature, sports and more.

Ideal for: Media and advertising sales, entertainment, and consumer technology decks.

6.Pixbay

How does the platform work?

Pixbay offers a vast library of free images, the unique advantage of Pixbay is that you can easily search for illustrations, vectors and video in addition to photos. If, for example, you need to source a graphic for your website and not a photo, Pixbay is a great resource.

Term of use

Pixabay images, videos, and music can be used freely for commercial and non-commercial use. However, there are some restrictions.

Ideal for: Media and advertising sales, entertainment.

7. Kaboompics

How does the platform work?

Kaboompics offers a big selection of free-of-charge high-resolution photos that can be used for both commercial and personal use. There are a lot of color-oriented collages and albums that can be useful for advertisement purposes.

Terms of use

Under the Creative Commons Zero license with one rule redistribution for distributors. They may not share their photos with other photo stock sites that have already been approved by Kaboompics.

Ideal for: Media & consumer technology

To end things

These are the top free photo-sharing websites that you can use for your small business. Note that a beautiful and vibrant image has the power to captivate your audience, competitors, and or any other person in between.

With your photos, you can bring your brand to life and voice your opinion. Most importantly don’t underestimate the strength of your graphics.

The post 7 Best free image sites that will make your content look great (and original) appeared first on WiseStamp.