Both myWriteClub and Pacemaker are amazing resources if you’re trying to set a goal, with a deadline, and stick to it.  Both of them are websites that give up the capability to set a goal of a certain amount of words by a certain time (e.g. 50,000 words by November 30th, 2016.). I use both of them and love them both for different reasons.

myWriteClub

I love myWriteClub because it has a very clean, simple, non-distracting design which comes in handy because it also includes the ability to sprint with others around the globe or to set a custom sprint.  I’ve learned that I write best when I’m just getting the words down and completing against other word counts.

There are a handful of pros and cons:

Pro –  Once you figure the website out it’s pretty simple.

Pro – It’s completely free, you just have to sign up.

Pro – You can follow and connect with other writers.

Pro – There doesn’t appear to be a limit to how many projects you can do.

Con – It’s still in beta and it’s a bit difficult to navigate at first.  Spending time familiarizing yourself with the website would be a good idea.

Con – You can’t currently customize your plan, beyond the basics.

Pacemaker

Pacemaker also has a pretty clean, non-distracting design. I find that Pacemaker is a better tool to use when I want to completely customize my plan.  There are so many options that you can use to keep your writing goal from seeming daunting.  I used it during NaNoWriMo and exceeded the goal word count with a bit over 51k. It was my first NaNoWriMo too! It was encouraging to see that i didn’t really have to write enormous amounts every day to win (I wound up doing so anyway though.).

Pro –  It’s free, for the most part, all you have to do is sign up.

Pro – You can completely customize your plan.

• choose how to update the word count
• choose a strategy
• choose the type of project
• make an overall goal or daily target
• display word count three different ways… etc.

Con – The free service only allows you two projects at a time, I believe. As someone who is currently working on 5 projects this spring, it can be a bit annoying.

Con – You can’t sprint with others or follow other people on the site.