 Just trying to drive a nail by hand in there is going to be frustrating. Unless you're a very skilled carpenter with a hammer and you can just tap it in and then swing like crazy, you'll find that you'll save your fingers and a lot of bent nails and frustration by just pre-drilling little holes where you want the nail to go. Not a big loose hole, but just enough that the shank of the nail can fit snugly in there.