The countdown to NaNoWriMo is picking up speed. Okay, so that’s a physical impossibility, but with only 12 days left, it does feel like the time I have left to get ready is dwindling more than I’d like.

While NaNo is so often seen as scary, panic-inducing mania, it’s good to remember the fun of the event. Today, I thought I’d share some of my favorite things about NaNo that don’t specifically relate to the writing itself.

Fair warning: all of these involve the same over-excited, over-active Asian guy. It’s not that there aren’t other great NaNo-related songs or comics out there, but these are some of my favorites (for good reason).

NaNoToons: A webcomic about a group of characters who participate in NaNoWriMo. The comic runs daily throughout the month of November. Some years it starts partway through October so the story can ramp up before NaNo starts. I’ve seen no indication as to whether that will happen this year or not, but until it does start, you can catch up on the NaNoToons from previous years.

During November, you can check in every day to see the continuing adventures of the group as they eat their weight in chips, pass out early at the yearly overnight event, and write their way through November.

NaNo songs: There are a plethora of songs about NaNoWriMo on YouTube. One only need search for “nanowrimo songs” to find plenty of fun tunes. My favorites are in this playlist, or this site.

Songs about NaNo are great for hyping yourself up for the day’s writing or for playing over the next few weeks during your prep time.

NaNoMusical: Yes, it’s a musical about NaNoWriMo. And it’s one of my favorite things of all time. It’s a 6-part web series made by WE Tangent, with music by Debs & Errol. From the site itself: “NanoMusical follows Dale, a legend who has surpassed the 50,000 word count every year, and his three friends as they navigate their way through the exciting and often tumultuous month of November…with music.”

The musical came out in 2012, one episode per week from the days before NaNo started until the week after. I personally think that was the best way to watch it–spread throughout the event. However, as with binge watching on Netflix, it’s fully accessible now and can be watched all in a row. Still, if you watch the first episode and like it, you can use the following episodes as rewards for finishing certain milestones in your writing.

Do you have favorite NaNo-related songs or other fan creations like these? Are you already anxiously awaiting the start of this year’s NaNoToons? Is there a bit too much Errol in this post? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments.