#i’ve got another one in the drafts and a few cooking in some dms i just

[meewz]

quincy’s fingers are so nice and thick, easily able work yakumo open. and he needs to do a thorough job if he doesn’t want to hurt the serpent, being the size he is.

yakumo’s so patient though, he’ll even wait until quincy’s made him come on his fingers alone a few times before he starts to get a little antsy. he’s so wonderfully sensitive, all it takes is quincy’s broad fingers curling in the exact right spot to leave him panting and shaking. and quincy’s relentless with it, rubbing incessantly until yakumo’s thighs shake and he lets out those cute little choked off gasps that he does.

as much as quincy loves to make yakumo squirm and whine, he also loves to tease. he knows it makes yakumo terribly embarrassed to say what he wants outright, especially during sex, but the look he gets on his face when he’s trying to push through that embarrassment is too cute to resist sometimes.

if the serpent needs a bit of encouragement, though, quincy has no problem rubbing and twisting his fingers against that special spot just the right way to leave yakumo writhing and whining breathlessly, hips moving subconsciously trying desperately to find relief.. and then cruelly stopping right before he can cum.

yakumo lets out a whine, a disappointed pout clearly visible on his face.

“m-mr. quincy… please…”

“what do you want?” those teasing words are coupled with the slow movements of his fingers, back and forth, almost grazing against yakumo’s prostate but just barely missing it with each thrust. the serpent shivers, trying to fuck down onto quincy’s fingers but stopping once the forest guardian puts his other hand on yakumo’s hip and easily holds him in place.

“i.. i-i want…. y-you…”

“where do you want me?”

a little more, a little bit closer to that spot yakumo desperately needs him to touch. he squeezes his eyes shut and bites his lip against the whimper that wants to break through. so close, so close…

“….i-inside….”

although it’s barely a whisper, quincy hears the word loud and clear. he angles his fingers just that slightest bit, finally making contact with yakumo’s prostate and rubbing nonstop in a way that punches a loud moan out of the serpent’s throat. before yakumo has time to cover his mouth to prevent more embarrassing sounds like that from escaping, the edging mixed with the sudden relentless assault proves to be too much, and he cums, head thrown back as he lets out strangled gasps and whines.

yakumo’s brought back from his post-orgasmic high by the feeling of quincy pressing a gentle kiss to his stomach as he removes his fingers from the serpent’s entrance. his murmur of protest against being left empty is cut off by another kiss, and two husky words whispered against his gemstone.

“good boy ♡”

[thinkingimmensely]

Okay. III

Part 1 , Part 2 , Part 4

A/N: It’s been a year or two already (I think I’m not really sure) since I last posted and man, this has been sitting in my drafts for forever. But I’m glad I was able to finish this chapter and I hope you guys like it as much as I do. 

This is a long one and I was about to cut it in half but decided not to. I hope that’s all right! 

BTW if you want to be on my taglist for this story or part of the permanent, don’t hesitate to send me a dm, an ask, or just comment here~ :)

MATERLIST

Disclaimer: I don’t own anything from the Potterverse!

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It was easy. Finding a house was easy, getting a job was easy. With your title as an ex-Auror, Madam Rosmerta didn't think twice about hiring you, especially since there were Dementors stationed around the village. She thought that with an ex-Auror around, customers would most likely feel safer. The pay was small but you didn't care about that, you had enough to get you by; besides, Sirius was chipping in as well.

Classes started a month ago at Hogwarts and you knew this was the year Harry could come to Hogsmeade. You tried to calm your excitement down and remind yourself that he may not be as thrilled to meet a godmother he never heard about until now.  

You almost forgot that the faculty loved visiting Hogsmeade as much as the students; so, when the head of houses came trotting in, you almost dropped the tray you were carrying, along with the numerous empty glasses on it. McGonagall's usually stern eyes widened in surprise as well and she rushed over to you like a mother who finally found her long-lost daughter.  

"Y/N Y/L/N!" She exclaimed so uncharacteristically even Professor Sprout raised a brow in mild surprise. "How are you? You've been gone from the earth for who knows how long. Since when have you been back?"

You placed the tray on the counter and whisked it away with your wand so the glasses washed themselves on the sink then turned back to your old mentor. "I've been getting by somehow." You cheekily replied. "I've just been back actually. How's Hogwarts?"

"Oh, absolutely dreadful, dear. The Dementors are sucking the life out of the school." Professor Sprout answered. "If it only weren't for Sirius Black-" She was about to continue but Professor McGonagall shot her a sharp look which made her backtrack on her words immediately. "Ah-yes- I almost forgot. He was your friend. I'm sorry dear."  

You let out a sad smile, "Yes... well, people change, don't they?"  

Professor McGonagall sympathetically placed a hand on your shoulder. "Y/N, you should visit the castle sometimes. Harry- I'm sure Harry Potter would love to meet his godmother. Professor Lupin may want to see you again as well."

You frowned at the mention of his name and you turned away from McGonagall. "I'll um... I'll think about it." You replied awkwardly, "Now please excuse me, but I have to go back to work." You made sure to stay clear of your old professors' presence for the rest of their visit. It's not that you hated them, but you didn't want blasts from the past to hit you.  

The door soon opened and a huge, black dog came trotting in. "Ah, always on time that one." Madam Rosmerta chimed as she came out of the bathroom. "You can go once you finish cleaning up Y/N, can't keep the lovely canine waiting now." She beamed as she went to pat the dog fondly on the head. "You're a good boy now aren't ya Mr. Snuffles?" She cooed.

You held your laughter in as you watched Sirius wag his furry tail and he shot you a glare momentarily. You cleared your throat and went to wash the remaining mugs. You were done in a matter of minutes and bid Madam Rosmerta goodbye as you and Sirius exited the shop. The both of you walked the already empty street of the village and you could feel the cold etching on. Sirius nuzzled your hand in comfort and you flashed him a thankful smile. Auror or not, Dementors still creeped the hell out of you.

You soon arrived at the doorstep of your small house at the edge of the village. It only had one bedroom and bathroom, and the kitchen was connected to the living room but it was livable and that was all that mattered. You closed the door behind you and closed the blinds of the windows and turned the lights on. When you turned, Sirius was already sitting by the fireplace on the rug.  

"What do you want for dinner?" You asked and he just shrugged his shoulders. You sighed and went to the kitchen and searched for something to cook. "You know," you started, "I saw Professor McGonagall today." This seemed to catch his attention because he turned to you. "She said I should visit the castle sometimes, see how Harry is doing, and maybe have the courage to finally meet him."  You rambled, "Oh and guess what? Remus is a professor now."  

You had Sirius' full attention now and he was making his way towards you.  

"Dumbledore offered me a job months ago, for the position of the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor. I'm glad I refused because it seems that Remus was the second choice." You took out the board and placed it on the counter. You tucked a stray strand of your hair behind your ear and whisked your wand towards the spices and levitated it towards the board. You enchanted the knife to cut them and you got some chicken off the freezer.  

Sirius began setting the table, silently listening to you. "McGonagall even told me that Remus might want to see me again. I bet he'd be absolutely thrilled." You sarcastically announced and turned to your friend who was watching you. "You're awfully quiet." You noted.

Sirius raised a brow at you and flashed you his usual playful smirk. "I love listening to you talk of course.” He smirked, “Besides, I might finally learn what happened to the both of you if I keep listening."  

You shrugged your shoulders and casted a heating spell on the chicken to quickly defrost it. "Well in summary, he left me." You simply said. Sirius looked at you as if you had just grown another head.  

"What? I'm confused. Remus was in love with you!"  

You frowned at him. "Well I guess love wasn’t enough to make him stay." You countered. "But it's not entirely his fault anyway, I was probably a handful." You busied yourself with cooking to not let your emotions get the better of you. "I mean, he's had enough on his plate from the start- and just to add me to it; he probably couldn't handle it y'know?"

Sirius shook his head fervently, "No, no, no, no, that couldn't be it, that sounds nothing like him. Y/N, Remus loved you; he- he was planning to propose to you when the war ended!" He held you by the shoulders and looked at you straight in the eyes.

You turned away from Sirius, mainly so he couldn't see the tears that was starting to form in your eyes. You promised yourself you wouldn't cry for him anymore, and so far, you've been able to keep that promise. But knowing that he was going to propose stabbed something deep inside of you. A longing that no one else could replace; regret that maybe you should've done more to keep him. You shouldn't have let him walked out that door that night ten years ago.  "People change Sirius, you of all should know that by now." Steeling your resolve, you turned your back to him to drop the conversation.

Sirius scratched the back of his head then threw his arms up in surrender then stalked off towards the living room. He must’ve had a million questions but you didn’t have the all the answers.  

Dinner was soon served and the both of you ate in silence. Your earlier conversation still played in your heads like a broken record player. Sirius was still mulling over on how Remus could have ever willingly leave you, and you on the other hand, still couldn’t get over the fact that your ex was going to propose. Had things only turned out differently you’d probably have an 11-year-old kid who was probably writing you letters about the horrors of being a first year at Hogwarts, a kid who probably looked up at your 13-year-old godson as a big brother.  

Those thoughts haunted you well into Halloween. Sirius and you apparated to Godric’s Hollow first thing in the morning to visit James’ and Lily’s grave. You brushed off some fallen leaves away and pulled out some weeds as Sirius looked on and whimpered in his Animagus form. You took out your wand and waved it in one swift circle, “Orchideous.” You whispered and a bouquet of flowers conjured itself and you arranged it on the grave.  

After casting a few charms, Sirius turned back into his human form and the both of you ate the lunch you packed. Sirius was awfully quiet and had a weird look in his eye. You reckoned it was just because of visiting your best friends.  

You pulled on your jacket as the wind was starting to pick up. “We should get going.” Sirius mumbled and got to his feet. He held his hand out to you, which you gladly took, and he pulled you up. With a final look at James’ and Lily’s grave, you held Sirius’ hand and Disapparate back to a nearby cave just out of Hogsmeade.  

“Are you sure about tonight, Sirius?” You questioned.  

He gave you a look. “If you have a better plan then I’d like to hear it.” He spat and you furrowed your brows.

“No, I just think- I mean, don’t you think it’s kind of rash to just infiltrate the castle like that?” You backtracked, “Or what if I went instead?”  

Sirius looked at you strangely. Something clouded his stormy gray eyes just as he clenched his jaw tight and his entire body tensed. You instinctively grabbed his hand and gave it a squeeze, never breaking eye contact. Vengeance pumped in his veins right now but you didn’t want him to do something he might regret later. “Sirius please-” You tried but he shook his head and cupped your face with both of his hands. “It’s better if you’re not dragged into this mess. I can’t let anything happen to you. Or Harry, or even Remus.” His hands were shaking, from anger or worry, you weren’t sure. “I’ll deal with Pettigrew tonight. I’ll see you afterwards.” He dropped his hands to his sides while you swallowed a hard lump and tried to steady your emotions.  

When you got back to Hogsmeade, Sirius and you parted ways. You took the day off from the Three Broomsticks but now you just wanted to go to work to take your mind off the forthcoming event that would no doubt transpire later that evening. You walked through the streets and entered Honeydukes, the warm smell of every sweet you could ever find radiating off the entire building. “What do you think Harry likes?” A girl with brown, bushy hair asked a tall boy with flaming orange hair. Hair that reminded you terribly of the Fabian and Gideon Prewett. They were good people and better friends and were part of the Order. But by the end of the war, they were killed by five Death Eaters. Your heart sped up at the mention of your godson’s name but what if they weren’t talking Harry Potter? Harry was such a common name there was bound to be at least five Harrys at Hogwarts right now.

“Oh what about this- chocolate cauldrons.” The ginger answered and reached up the shelf to get the said sweet.

“We can get him chocolate wands too! I bet he’ll like those.” The girl chirped. Mrs. Flume, the owner’s wife, approached them and offered them samples of new fudge, they happily accepted. “Harry’s going to be thrilled! I wish we could get him more though.”

You bit your lower lip nervously and decided to approach them. “Hi, I couldn’t help but overhear.” You started and the two kids looked at you in confusion and suspicion. “I wanted to help. Here,” you fished some coins out of your pocket and handed it to them. “Use this to buy your friend more chocolate.” You smiled at them.

They gaped at you wordlessly. “I-we couldn’t- I mean-” The girl stammered and you shook your head to stop her from trying to return your money.

“I had a friend who couldn’t come to Hogsmeade that much before either...” You trailed off, “We used to buy him all the chocolate we could afford. You two remind me of that time.” You sniffed and offered them one last smile before you turned away and grabbed some chocolate bars and went to the counter to pay. Before you left, the two students thanked you profusely. If they really were your Harry’s friends, then this was the least you could do for him right now.  

You were sat at the kitchen of the small house, a teaspoon absently stirring on a cup of tea that had long gone cold. It was nearly sunset which means that the Halloween feast will start soon and Sirius will execute his plan- a plan he hadn’t bothered to tell you. For your own safety, he insisted when you kept on asking. A tap on the window by the sink brought you out of your thoughts, you turned to see a brown barn owl perched by the windowsill. You flicked your wand and the window opened, allowing the owl to fly inside and land on the table gracefully. You unlatched the letter on its foot and broke the seal to unroll the piece of parchment. A deep sigh escaped your lips and you gave the owl some treats as payment. You pocketed the parchment and went to grab your coat.  

Dumbledore invited you to the Halloween feast. You couldn’t remember people outside of Hogwarts being invited to the feast before, but the Headmaster did what he did you guessed. Besides, if you were inside the castle, you might be of some help to Sirius. You might also catch a glimpse of your godson. What you dreaded though, was seeing Remus again. Though you wondered how he’s been doing, you were far from ready to share a conversation if that would ever happen; you hoped to Merlin Dumbledore wouldn’t make you seat beside him. Hell, you’d take sitting beside Snape than Remus in these circumstances.  

You arrived at the gates of the castle not long after and Mr. Filch let you inside, though he was not happy about it. You entered the Great Hall just before the students started flooding in. It was wonderful, the hall had been decorated with hundreds of candle-filled pumpkins, a cloud of fluttering live bats, and many flaming orange streamers, which were swimming lazily across the stormy ceiling like brilliant watersnakes. “Miss Y/L/N, we’re happy you could join us.” Dumbledore greeted as you arrived at the front. The others barely even noticed you until Dumbledore started talking.  

“I didn’t think it would be polite to refuse such an invitation.” You answered. “Besides, I missed this.” You gestured towards rest of the Great Hall where students were getting seated on their respected tables. Your turned back to the old wizard to see him smiling at you, his blue eyes twinkling behind his half-moon spectacles.  

��You may take a seat beside Professor Sprout, Y/N.” He told you and you sighed in relief. Not only was Professor Sprout seated far away from Remus, but she was seated at the other end of the table, much to your delight. You barely spared Remus a glance, even when you could literally feel his presence radiating towards you. Poor man must’ve been so confused. You took your seat and scanned the Gryffindor table, trying to catch the messy mop of black hair of your Godson, but Professor Sprout took your attention away with a conversation.  

The food was delicious like you always remembered. Sometimes you could hear Remus’ voice as he talked animatedly to Professor Flitwick. Hearing his voice again made you feel weird things on your stomach. You blamed the food. He sounded happy though, and that was all you could ever ask for- his happiness.  

The feast ended with entertainment provided by the Hogwarts ghosts. They popped out of the walls and tables to do a bit of formation gliding; Nearly Headless Nick, the Gryffindor ghost, had a great success with a reenactment of his own botched beheading. It was a such a pleasant evening that you forgot all about Sirius and what he wanted to do.  

“The dementors send their love, Potter!” You heard a boy shout as the students started to leave the hall. You hadn’t had the chance to see Harry at all. There were just too many students. You ran a hand through your hair in exasperation. You wanted to see him so badly; and what was that about Dementors? Were they causing problems to Harry?

Only a few of the staff remained in the Great Hall as you approached Headmaster, “Thank you for inviting me again Dumbledore, I’m really glad to be able to visit.” The man waved you off stating that it was nothing and stated that Hogwarts will always welcome you home. Before either of you could say anything more, a student came running inside the Hall asking for Dumbledore because of an emergency. The wizard immediately excused himself and followed the student out. You looked at the remaining teachers; Professor McGonagall, Snape, and Remus stood up from their seats and started out as well and you opted to follow them, remembering Sirius and praying that this wasn’t because of him.

The Fat Lady was gone. Her portrait slashed to pieces. You stood behind the teachers and looked around; your heart was beating madly, alarms sounding off your brain. You locked eyes with green orbs and gasped when you realized it was none other than your Godson. He was standing beside the bushy-haired girl and ginger boy from Hogsmeade earlier that day. He was looking at you too, and you could tell he wanted to ask a million questions at once. Lily gave you a lot of that look before.  

You were so emotional at seeing Harry again that you almost missed Dumbledore ask Peeves if the Fat Lady knew who tore her painting.  

“Oh yes, Proffesorhead, he got very angry when she wouldn’t let him in, you see.” The Poltergeist grinned, “Nasty temper he’s got, that Sirius Black.”

The Gryffindor students immediately began whispering amongst themselves and Dumbledore sent them back to the Great Hall. They were soon joined by the other houses. You stayed behind by Dumbledore’s request and helped the teachers in searching the castle.  

While going through one of the corridors, someone grabbed you and pinned you against the wall so suddenly you instantly pointed your wand to the person’s chest, about to blast him away. Your breath got caught in your lungs as you realized who it was. “Remus?”  

“Y/N, you didn’t have anything to do with this did you?”

Shock was no doubt written all over your face. First conversation and already he’s assuming the worst in you? “Pardon me?” You asked incredulously.  

“Y/N, tell me the truth, did you help Sirius break in?” His voice firm, his usually warm eyes burning holes into your very soul.

You furrowed your brows and pushed him away. “Of course I didn’t. In case you missed it, I was at the Great Hall the entire time.” Though you really did help Sirius, you didn’t help him break into Hogwarts.  

“Then why are you here exactly?” He asked, one of his hand held his wand like a flashlight while the other rested inside his pocket.

“Dumbledore invited me.” You flatly replied and you could see him roll his eyes and groan tiredly.

“You know that’s not what I’m talking about. Why are you here Y/N? Near Hogwarts, at Hogsmeade, working a job you don’t even like? Do you really think I’d believe it’s just mere coincidence? You suddenly moving at Hogwarts the moment Sirius breaks out of Azkaban?”  

Damn was he good, but you weren’t about to let him get the upper hand on this. Your mind reeling, you thought of an excuse fast. “It’s not a coincidence, no.” You admitted. “I’m just worried about Harry’s safety.” He raised a brow at you but didn’t say anything so you continued, “I heard from old contacts that Sirius may be after Harry, so I wanted to be close by incase anything happened.” Your voice actually wavered and you hoped Remus thought it was because you were getting emotional. “I can’t let anything or anyone harm Harry. Even if it was Sirius.” You held his steady gaze and you knew he believed you then.  

Remus sighed. “Snape no doubt thinks one of us did it. Helped Sirius I mean.”

You shrugged. You never liked Snape but you didn’t have anything against him either. “He probably thinks both of us did.”  

Remus actually let out a small chortle. A smile broke out on your face. “Take care of yourself Y/N.” He said and started to walk away.  

You stared at his back moving away from you. “Hey Rem,” You called out before you could stop yourself, heat rising on your face as he stopped and turned to look at you in question. “It- it was nice to see you again.” He let out a small smile as he nodded and turned back to walk away. Well, you thought, that wasn’t so bad.  

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[mad-madam-m]

So I'm just curious, how do you get yourself to write? And do you use prompts and if you do where do you get them? I meant to use NaNo to get me to write but it took 4 days into November for me to realize November started so I failed lol. I've been meaning to start this original thing and it's just not...working.

First of all, anon, you could start writing RIGHT NOW (yes, with 10 days left in the month) and you would not fail NaNo. You might not hit 50k (although I know people who have hit 50k in that amount of time, or less), but you won’t fail. NaNoWriMo isn’t about hitting 50,000 words so much as it is about putting a stake in the ground and saying, “Here. Today. I will start writing the project I’ve always wanted to.” And doing it. Doesn’t matter what that project is—original novel, short stories, fic, poetry, revising something, a series of blog posts—NaNo is about just. Fucking. Doing it. And you still have time to Do It.

To answer your questions:

Do you use prompts and if you do, where do you get them?

For original stories, particularly novels, I usually don’t. For fic, particularly short fic I’m writing for events, I do. Tumblr has a wealth of writing prompts that range from “here’s a situation” to “here’s a line of dialogue GO,” and I tend to reblog them under the tags “fic prompts” or “writing prompts.” Honestly, most of them would work for either original fic or fanfic, so if you are a writer who likes to work from prompts, go forth and enjoy!

How do you get yourself to write?

That’s kind of a big question, and uh, the answer to it got long. Very long. (I said once that if you give me half a chance, I’ll talk about writing all the live-long day, and this answer is no exception.)

Different things motivate me for different projects, and as with all writing-related advice, YMMV, but here’s a few things that really help for getting myself to write:

1) Develop your story.

The current original story I’m working on, for example, I have not really had to struggle to get myself to write at all because 1) I’m stupid excited about it and 2) I have developed the hell out of it.

I’ve talked before about outlining my stuff here, so I won’t go too much into it again; suffice it to say that I have done about the same amount of development on my current original story that I had on ADA by the time I started writing. I started around the very end of September developing my characters and spent a good chunk of October working on setting, worldbuilding, plot, and finally my notecards.

Shockingly, having some idea of what’s happening and where I’m going is making this story easier to write.

Right? Like WHO’D HAVE THOUGHT.

Because of that, I’ve been excited about writing my story, so getting myself to write on it has been (comparatively) a cakewalk.

That’s not to say any of the writing is good (oh God no) or that there aren’t parts that need fixing, or that I haven’t been stuck. But it’s been stuck like “how do I describe seeing a tree-covered mountain in the middle of fall from the POV of someone who has never seen something like this” rather than “I have no fucking clue what happens next uh…”

The stories I struggle the most with writing are the ones that I’ve worked the least on developing. The stories that have been the easiest to write have been the ones I’ve spent at least a month doing prep work on before I ever start drafting.

2) Love your story.

Being in love with a story makes it a lot easier to write, at least for me. Because here’s the thing, ideas are easy.

If you’re a creative person, you’re going to end up with a file of story ideas—maybe prompts you liked, dialogue that stuck with you, one of those “humans are space orcs” tumblr posts that’s just really clicking in your brain—that will be longer than you could conceivably write if you had a hundred lifetimes. That’s okay! That’s great. But it means a lot of them are never going to get past the idea stage.

For me, the stories that get finished—the ones that not only get started but actually make it through the first draft and then three rounds of editing and revisions—are the ideas that I’ve been percolating on for months, if not longer. They’ve been cooking in the back of my brain while I’ve been doing other things, sorting themselves out, and most importantly: they will not let me go.

Coming up with ideas is easy. Finding an idea that will last and sustain a story and my interest for at least a year, if not longer? That’s harder.

Y’all know how much I’ve been talking about Tiger & Bunny over the past year? We’re talking that level of obsession with a story that I want to write, whether it’s fic or original. Sometimes it takes months or years for all the puzzle pieces to come together. Sometimes the whole thing will congeal within a few weeks, or there will be one crucial piece of story that will just make EVERYTHING come together, I will literally shout “OH MY FUCKING GOD” and that’s it, I’m off to the races. (In this particular case, it wasn’t anything I’d done in the first two weeks of poking at steampunk-y ideas; it was the realization that I could put a circus on an airship. The whole story just went WHOOSH after that.)

BUT. But. Sometimes you don’t have that. These stories are great and I love them and they remind me why I love writing so much (and if you’re writing something that’s gonna be 90k+, like I have a tendency to do, you need to be in love with it, IMO), but sometimes you’re in situations where you just have to get it done. In those cases:

3) Resort to bribery.

I’ve been poking at the third part of Alpha & Emissary, oh, basically since I posted the second part. My problem is that my fandom focus has been, shall we say, split for the past year. *coughs delicately, shoves Tiger & Bunny fics under the bed*

But here’s the thing: I hate having a published WIP on AO3 (it’s why I don’t publish long!fics until they’re completely drafted and mostly edited). I hate—HATE—having an unfinished series on AO3.

So that’s the rub: I have an unfinished series that I want to finish because I hate that it’s not finished. I also have a new fandom that is wresting my attention and inspiration away from said series. What’s a girl to do?

A girl tells herself she can’t write any more Tiger & Bunny fic until she finishes this one WIP, that’s what she does.

And it’s motivated me to sit my ass down and work on that WIP, because goddammit, I have a “but there was only one bed” TaiBani fic that I would really like to have up by New Year’s.

Your bribery will be different. Maybe you get to watch 1 episode of your favorite show per every 1k you write, or you get to try a new knitting project when you finish this short story. Maybe you binge-watch an entire season of your favorite anime if you exceed your NaNo goal. Or you write 50 words and get a cookie. The point is, find what works for you to get it done.

4) Figure out a minimum daily goal and stick with it.

For me, this was 500 words a day. 500 words. That’s it. That’s one 30-minute word sprint for me. That’s something I can do without stressing myself out.

Because of this point and point 3, I wrote more than 7000 words on a story I’d been stuck on for the better part of a year before I had to stop to work on NaNo stuff. Another 7k, and I’ll probably have it finished.

Your minimum word count will almost certainly be different. Maybe it’s 300 words a day, maybe it’s 1000. Hell, maybe it’s 100 words. Again, find what works for you, what you can write regularly without stressing yourself out.

Another important thing: If I didn’t hit 500 words, I didn’t beat myself up about it. Maybe I wrote 350. Or 220. Or just 93. The point is, did I write? Yes? Then I did good. I got myself a sentence or a paragraph closer to finishing. And it all adds up.

(And hey, you don’t have to write every day. I do, or I try to, because that’s what works for me. If it stresses you out to do so, then find another way to make it work.)

5) Deadlines, deadlines, deadlines.

This one’s hard because I can rarely keep a deadline that’s not set by an external source. If you tell me on December 20 that you need a story by December 22? Then on December 22, you’ll have a story, edited and ready to post. But when it comes to something I set for myself, the chances of a deadline working are 50/50.

That being said, it is something that helps me keep on track and even if I don’t finish something by a self-imposed deadline, it does get me writing.

6) Sprint with friends!

NaNo is really great for this because all your writer friends are coming out of the woodwork going I need to hit 5k by the end of today, will you sprint with me? Sometimes it just helps to have that kind of accountability. You all get together (I’ve used Discord, Google Hangouts, IRC, and Twitter DMs for this), set a timer, and write for 15 minutes or 20 minutes or 30 minutes. Then, when the time’s up, you post your word count, everybody congratulates everybody else, and then you take a break before doing the next one.

Sprints are the reason I’ve been able to make some pretty significant headway on my word counts, and few things get me writing like knowing I’m going to have to tell everybody in my group what my word count is in 30 minutes or less. >.>

Like I said earlier, YMMV on all of these. What works for me may work for you, or it might not. But if you aren’t sure, it’s worth giving it a shot.

Happy writing!