National Novel Writing Month, more commonly referred to as NaNoWriMo, was a month-long international creative writing event that took place every November. The goal was to kickstart a novel; to win, you had to write 50 000 words in 30 days. That is an average of 1667 words per day. Their website, nanowrimo.org, provided a forum to speak with other writers, make friends, and log how many words you write per day. Their rules were very broad, with everything from original works to fanfiction being counted as novels. Their website FAQ stated for years that “if you believe you’re writing a novel, we believe you’re writing a novel too”. The event was free, and no registration was required. The event was widely accessible and marketed to writers of all ages.  

NaNoWriMo Logo (nanowrimo.org)

When Chris Baty first launched this project in 1999, he did not anticipate the worldwide success it would have. In its first year, NaNoWriMo was an event held in July with only 21 participants, all local to Baty in San Francisco. In the year 2000, it was moved to November to make light of bad weather. In 2006, Baty registered NaNoWriMo as a non-profit, and by 2012, he stepped down from his position as executive director. The position was left instead to another writer, Grant Faulkner. Since then, the event has grown exponentially — in its final years, NaNoWriMo had an estimated 500 000 participants. 

Despite reaching an insane number of participants, NaNoWriMo did not ride that high forever. For years, the organization faced a lot of backlash regarding its lack of child safety when it came to moderation on their forums. While the organization was widely marketed to students — at its peak, 100 000+ students and educators were participating — the discussion forums on their website were vastly unsafe for minors. Forum moderators were accused of child grooming, and staff was blamed for not acting sooner. The NaNoWriMo board of directors responded by temporarily taking down the forums until a new solution could be found, but they were never reopened before the organization’s eventual collapse.  

The major controversy that led to the shut down of the 25-year-old event stemmed from a statement made by the organization regarding A.I.. On September 1st, 2024, NaNoWriMo posted to the Q&A section of their website stating that they did not “explicitly condemn any approach [to writing], including the use of A.I.”. They narrowed their point to a more pro-A.I. stance, claiming that “the categorical condemnation of Artificial Intelligence has classist and ableist undertones”. This statement led to a lot of outrage from many participants and staff members alike. Many authors either chose to step down from their board of directors or to stop associating with the organization.  

In a YouTube video posted to announce the organization’s shutdown, interim executive director Kilby Blade stated that their eventual closure in early 2025 was due to “a six-year downward trend in participation” as well as the large debt they were in; however, it is quite clear that it was their statement on A.I. that eventually pushed the non-profit over the edge.  

Despite the collapse of National Novel Writing Month, writers have not stopped challenging themselves. Many writers are creating personal challenges, writing alongside other authors they have met through NaNoWriMo over the years, or turning to other organizations now advertising NaNoWriMo alternatives. There is even a new website, nano2.org, that states it is “a group of longtime NaNoWriMo volunteers and enthusiasts, educators, and founder Chris Baty” that has been created to “support a new, community-led era for the event”. This new site provides resources, advice, and open writing sessions for all participants.  

Shutterstock/Suradech Prapairat

Even though the original organization has collapsed, writers all around the world continue to stay connected and work on a novel every November. Take this as a sign to start writing. It is never too late in the month to start participating in NaNoWriMo, and you are encouraged to set your own reachable goals. There is never a better time to start writing!