7 Fun Tips to Write Your Novel With Dropbox Paper

Every year, we’re lucky to have great sponsors for our nonprofit events. Dropbox, a NaNoWriMo 2017 sponsor, is a connected space to create and ideate together. Today, the Dropbox team shares a few fun tips for writing your novel this November with their new writing platform, Dropbox Paper:

Sometimes the hardest part about writing is just getting started. That’s why you might try using Dropbox Paper—a workspace that traces its roots back to NaNoWriMo. Simple and free from distractions, it’s the perfect place to just start typing, working out early ideas and getting your first few chapters on the page. Here are seven ways Dropbox Paper might make starting your novel a little less scary.

1. Get inspired.

The creative process doesn’t have to start with words on a page. If you need a little inspiration first, Paper can help. Paste a link in a Paper doc, and Paper will magically display the full post or video. Maybe you want to include a tweet from your favorite author, or add a Pinterest board to visualize your novel’s setting. You’re going to procrastinate on Instagram anyway. You might as well take advantage of it.

2. Avoid distractions.

Most of today’s word processors are cluttered with tool bars, formatting choices, and menu options. That’s fine for people with lots of time on their hands, but you’ve got an award-winning novel to write. Paper puts the bells, borders, and whistles aside, making your words look beautiful by default.

3. Get into your flow, and stay there.

If you do want to spruce up your text, Paper provides helpful keyboard shortcuts so you can organize as you go along. Add italics, headers, and section dividers without your fingers ever leaving the keys. Jane Austen didn’t use a mouse. Why should you?

4. Add a to-do list.

With Paper, you can add a checkbox on the fly, simply by typing open and closed brackets. Whether you want to add a 27-item list at the top of your doc, or just a single reminder in the middle of Chapter 3, Paper can oblige. If you’d like, you can also set a deadline and get an email reminder right before a task is due.

5. Stay organized.

Paper gives you simple ways to keep things neat and tidy. You can check your table of contents at any time—automatically generated on the left side of the page, but out of the way until you need it. Did you make a separate doc with a glossary of terms? Link your docs together as you go, simply by typing a plus sign and the name of the other doc.

6. Keep things light, friendly, and fun.

Even if you’re writing a grisly murder mystery, the novel writing process doesn’t have to be dreary. Paper comes complete with emoji (just type a colon to see your options) and room for animated stickers in the margins. Add a friendly wizard to mark the arrival of a wizened mentor, or a dinosaur to flag old sections that still need work.

7. Sleep soundly.

Every Paper doc is automatically backed up to Dropbox in real time, so your draft will stay safe, even if your computer crashes. If your computer starts smoking, you can simply revel in your record typing speed, rather than scramble to save your novel.

The world needs your novel, and Paper is here to help. It’s completely free to use—just sign in to a Dropbox account to get started.

Check out Paper now.