#nanowrimo post

[eric-bogosian]

Re-sharing this post I found on Twitter for people looking for alternatives to NaNo. I haven't tried any of these sites but they might be worth looking into.

[novella-november]

Novella November 2024 Announcement Post

Hate AI, but love writing challenges?

Want to take part in a global, fun project to write a Novella in one month?

Grab some friends, and take part in Novella November, by writing 1,000 words a day for the month of November, ending with a 30,000 word Novella to test and stretch your novel-writing skills!

Your goal is not perfection, but merely getting into the habit of writing a litte bit every single day :D

No website, no sign-ups -- Just a community initiative to write using only your own word!

What are the rules? Just Three so far!

#1 - No AI

#2 - No Plagiarizing

#3 - Wordcount for the month should only come from what you write during the month.

What does that mean?

Only words written during November should go towards your Wordcount for the month... but! Feel free to use your 30k words as a continuation of previous writing, or just make it the first 30k words in a longer novel!

Don't think you can write a whole entire 30k word story? Write a series of short stories that total up to 30k!

Not ready to write original works yet? Write a 30k word fanfiction that you can post after the month is over!

Share your writing experience, tips, encouragement, and questions in the #Novella November tag!

---

EDIT, from the tags: Want a progress tracker? Track your progress with TrackBear!

https://trackbear.app/

Don't have a word processor? Use LibreOffice , the free and open-source alternative to Microsoft Word!

Want to organize/storyboard your Novel and don't want to pay a subscription? Try 7writer by Simon Haynes!

Want to be able to listen to your story aloud for proofreading using TTS (text to speech)? Try Balabolka!

Or, create some custom progress / Goal Cards in advance you can fill out as you reach word goals! For ideas and templates, search this blog for "goal cards" :D

Want to do a writing challenge in more than just November? Check out my ideas here for year round challenges to keep you writing consistently! Got feedback? Send it in, I'd love to see everyone's ideas!

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EDIT 2: I almost forgot to mention, if you are unable to write/type your story, you can also narrate/dictate your story to your preferred recording device!

If you're doing a Recording only and it doesn't automatically generate a transcript, it would obviously be hard to judge the word count -- but you're also working with a lot of obstacles, so I'd say if you're able to complete your story via voice recording from start to finish, you've definitely achieved the goal!

Edit #3: added the title "Novella November 2024 announcement post" to the top to make it more standard with my Ominous October and Drabble December posts (will be updating Outline October shortly) , added "Official Announcement Post 2024" to the tags so people can easily find the monthly events for 2024, and added a bit of bold to the third bullet point in the original post from September 2nd 2024 for emphasis.

[taibhsearachd]

Hey guys... I met my wife through NaNoWriMo, I am as attached to the concept as a person could be, but if we're going to recreate it... I'm begging you to not put it in November. November is possibly the worst month for it if you live in the US. In school? You're probably studying for finals toward the end of that month. Adult? Some part of your family is going to want you to come visit them, which is a whole thing if you have to travel to see them.

We can break free of this. We can have a whole new novel writing month. I'm begging you. Even as someone whose life partner came to me through NaNoWriMo. Do not put this fucking month in November.

[remaketheworld]

2/3 of the way through nanowrimo. might scrap my depressing jewish family drama in favor of a screenplay about cowgirls in love. need to write more lines like "I ain't got a lammy or nothing. I came here with my hat, my horse, and my California prayer book. That's all." which is a real line i wrote for a different project also about gay cowfolk

[clarislam]

NaNoWriMo Advice/Resource List

Though I am not participating in NaNoWriMo this year, I know that many of you fellow writers and readers might be doing so! 

Linked below are blog posts I’ve written about my past NaNo-related experiences, and I hope that by sharing these, they will be of use to you! Happy writing, and good luck achieving your NaNoWriMo goals!

Things I learned in Camp NaNoWriMo July 2020

Camp NaNoWriMo April 2020: My journey, and what I learned while writing.

I Won NaNoWriMo 2021!

[ettle]

Hey from one disabled person to another:

If one accessibility device available to me used ten thousand bagillion pounds of precious water, stole from a bunch of people who didn't consent, led to mass economic disaster for millions including my fellow disabled people, AND was objectively just shitty and poor quality, I wouldn't want to use it or advocate for it in any way. I'd maybe look at other accessibility devices.

[impishtubist]

Ah, I see all my NaNoWriMo pals are on Tumblr instead of writing this morning.

[lastoneout]

Hey so why the fuck is NaNoWriMo's AI policy page talking like the challenge is about writing a book that you then go on to publish and not a challenge where writers throw caution and their sanity to the wind in the interest of getting a first draft out within 30 days?? Do people usually edit their NaNoWriMo novels while writing them? Do they send them off to friends or paid editors while writing for feedback and grammar/spelling checks? Do they immediately take what they wrote and start pitching it to publishing houses as soon as the clock hits midnight on December 1st??

I've never completed NaNoWriMo but I was always under the assumption that this is a fun challenge mostly for amature/indie writers that's about just finishing a draft of your story at all, it's not about trying to get a book completely finished and published within 30 days?? I mean just WRITING a first draft in that time is impressive, but pulling off also getting it all the way to store shelves in a month?? That's not just absurd it's fucking impossible. No one is doing that.

Like under classism they are saying not everyone can afford an editor...but who the fuck is sending any part of their novel off to an editor or reviewers mid write?? And for ableism, arguing that not everyone can "see" the issues in their writing...it's not about that?? Like Shannon Hale said, your first draft is shoveling sand into a bucket so later you can build castles, if you're worried about fixing errors mid-write you're never going to finish anything. Plus NaNo has never had requirements that your story be polished or edited or whatever, it's just about word count. And focusing on the indie writer scene and publishers??? Again, that's not the goal of this challenge???? You're just supposed to finish your first draft, everything else comes after. Even writers who do plan on trying to get their novels published are probably not sending their FIRST DRAFT that they wrote while sleep deprived over the course of 30 days to editors and agents?? Arguing that some people need AI to make a publishable, edited, polished novel is missing that the point of NaNoWriMo was never about writing something perfect the first try, it's about shoveling sand into buckets so LATER you can build castles. Or idk just shoveling sand into a bucket for the fun of it.

Like am I insane?? None of these arguments hold up for loads of reasons but specifically because if you are doing NaNoWriMo you do not need an editor or reviewers because your first draft is just supposed to exist, adding on the burden of taking that novel from first draft to polished and publishable while also just trying to finish it at all in 30 days is a fever dream, not an achievable aspiration. You don't have time to do that AND write. Hell, most writers in general will tell you to never edit as you go!! Where is this assumption that anyone is doing this to make money coming from?????

(And like, if you do want to go on to look for feedback/editing and try to publish your story and you feel like you need AI for that, you're wrong, but you can do that AFTER the event, that isn't something you need to do while it's happening. While it's happening all you need to do is write. The few times I tried NaNoWriMo I didn't even fix spelling errors as I wrote, I just wrote because all that mattered was the word count. I could worry about the rest later.)

I mean, I know that apparently the team got gutted and replaced which is probably why this shift happened, it's well documented that AI fanatics cannot conceptualize someone making art simply for the joy of creating rather than producing something they can sell for money, they legit see the process as secondary to the goal of getting rich which makes them incompatible with almost all artistic communities, because artists do what they do for the love of the process, not just to have a sellable final piece, but like christ alive I have never seen such a disconnect between what the people running a community think everyone is there for and the wants and needs of the actual people in that community.

Writers don't want AI to write our stories!! Take it from someone who grew up dirt poor and is disabled in a way that makes writing extremely difficult(dyslexia, adhd, hEDS, chronic migraines, fibromyalgia, ect.) I do not want AI to write any story for me. I want to write it. Beating a dead horse here but you are not defending poor or disabled people, you're using us as a meat shield so you can pretend your plagiarism and pollution machine is totally the future~ and take it from me, we're FUCKING sick of it.

From what I remember NaNoWriMo was never about making money for the people who took part, it was about sharing the joy of writing with other writers while tackling a huge challenge. This shift is bullshit for a lot of reasons but it's absolutely bullshit for misunderstanding what the hell drew people to the challenge in the first place.

[airplanned]

Frequently Asked Questions from the last two days:

There have been a lot of questions shot my way lately, and I'm a little overwhelmed. Sorry if I've missed anything.

Recurring things:

"I was going to do NaNo this year, but now I guess I won't!" NO! Writing is great! Just don't use their website! There are other online trackers if you don't feel like using excel. There are other online writing communities. I recommend 4theWords. I recommend finding out what your former ML is doing or asking your local library/bookstore if they're hosting anything.

"I didn't know there was an organization. What did they even do?" They had a website that tracked your progress and hosted an online forum of writers also doing NaNo. They also hosted the Young Writer's Program, which mostly ran out of schools and had more direction than the adult version. They also supported the MLs, who hosted in person write-ins, kick off parties, and occasionally a pot luck Thanksgiving dinner. Also, the sponsors of NaNoWriMo would often give discounts to winners. This is how everyone I know in real life affords Scrivner.

"Why is this time stamped from July?" A NaNoWriMo timeline of events: In 2023, there was a grooming scandal. It was ignored for months and then handled poorly. Later that year (*correction: it was in 2024), in response to the grooming scandal, they offered the MLs (Municipal Liaisons) new contracts that required them to moderate their regional forums, accept all liability for behavior at their in-person write-ins and their regional forums, and threw in an anti-defamation clause for good measure. In July of 2024, they posted on tumblr about "Ethical Ways to use AI." My screenshots result from that debacle. In September, they put out their official AI policy, and here we are.

"Why are you canceling them now and not over the grooming scandal?" My history with NaNoWriMo: I started doing NaNo in 2009. I stopped using the site in 2019, when the website was so glitchy that it wouldn't keep track of my word count, but I kept doing the challenge without them. I deleted my account in 2023 when the ML scandal broke. I forgot to unfollow them on Tumblr, because they don't post much. When I saw their July AI post, I commented "Boooo!" and unfollowed them. They promptly slid into my DMs.

[syn4k]

anyways it sucks that nano said that about ai generated writing but im broke so im not gonna be giving them money in either case.

my approach to this is going to be: in my creative writing class, one of our midterm grades is to compete in one of three writing related contests, one of which is NaNoWriMo. HOWEVER, since our class has a high percentage of disabled people (both physically and mentally) who are incredibly prone to burnout when it comes to participating in traditional NaNo, our teacher (also disabled so she Gets It) edited the challenge slightly this year to make it easier for us to participate.

instead of writing 40,000 words in one month, our goal is to write 10,000 words a month for four months, starting in August and ending with 40k at the end of November. this is much more manageable and realistic for us, it still provides a challenge, and it also means the participants write an entire novel in four months, which is still a big deal for obvious reasons especially considering the majority of the class are very much amateur writers.

i've adopted this much more relaxed model while writing salt & the sea and will probably continue to use it next year regardless of if our teacher keeps it in the rotation for our midterm grade or not. if traditional nano has been too exhausting/intimidating for you in previous years for whatever reason like it has been for me, you're welcome to join me in participating in this unofficial offshoot of it!

another thing: i am a fast writer. i write a lot and i write very quickly. however, due to burnout, depression, the time of year that NaNo happens in, and a couple other things, 40k words in one month is a goal that i simply cannot hit in any way without hurting myself a LOT right now and that's okay. Reaching a goal means nothing if you destroy yourself in the process of getting there. It's okay to make a huge challenge easier for yourself in order to accommodate for your own disabilities, workflow, etc. or even just so that you aren't put off trying in the first place!

I don't have a name yet for this edited NaNo challenge and it probably won't go anywhere which is okay but I'm thinking of referring to it as Mini NaNo, Mitosis NaNo, or something else that preferably emphasizes it's an unofficial offshoot of the challenge.

(my) monthly goals:

Start: Aug 1st (you can dust off an old draft or concept if you'd like)

August 31st: 10,000 words

September 30th: 20,000 words

October 31st: 30,000 words

November 30th: 40,000 words

Current word count as of Sep. 2nd (started this draft on May 30th, I know, I cheated a bit): ~19,000

wish me luck!

[putting-gangle-in-places]

Happy Gangle in a McDonalds playplace?

Now she can have some fun!

[carolrain]

an invitation to say yes to

Hi, so NaNoWriMo starts in a week, and maybe you’re thinking about doing it? (Or maybe you’re not, but keep reading.) I thought it was a good time to share this thread by Linda Holmes. She wrote it on Twitter on October 31, 2022. I read it a year ago and have thought about it often since.

She starts by saying that sometimes NaNoWriMo (or just using the occasion of NaNoWriMo to do your own thing) is useful because some of us have to psych ourselves into writing. She says, “If you have to bet yourself, trick yourself, bribe yourself, that is fine. Especially at first.” Then:

I just really like the framing she’s giving us—to think about invitations to write, and to think about saying yes.

[capricorn-0mnikorn]

What I'm (tentatively) thinking for MyNoWri"Mo":

One: Right now, I'm aiming for a 6-week challenge: From January 2 to February 13: The dullest of doldrums times in my particular culture. Also, I've heard that it takes six weeks of steady practice to get a habit rooted.

Two: Word count be damned. Instead, I'm thinking along the lines of "A Plot Chain Unit A Day": Situation -> Disruption -> Reaction -> Consequence. Start the next day with New Situation. That might be covered in 300 words, or it might take 1,000. If you don't have all the words in your brain (or time in your day), jot down the synopsis. As with NaNoWriMo, if you're on a roll, you can always write more.

Three: (Because, I, personally, need to be be connected to other people, as well as a schedule, to keep on track) Schedule in periodic breather days (every 3 days? once a week?) for getting feedback on knotty plot units, with a willing partner(s). That partner might also be writing (in which case, you'd trade) but they don't have to be -- they could just be your "sounding board." Breather Days could also be used for going back and filling in synopses, if need be.

(NaNoWriMo's culture of "Never look back, never pause, just throw as many words on the page as you can, regardless of what those words mean," is ultimately what always led to my mental and emotional burnout by the end of November)

There is no fixed word count for success. The point is to finish a satisfying story.

Whatcha think?

[writeblrfantasy]

ANNOUNCEMENT

I DID IT

I FINISHED EDITING THE NIGHT AUCTION TONIGHT

🎉🎉🎉IT'S DONE🎉🎉🎉

I WON NANOWRIMO (I STARTED ON OCTOBER 13 AND TOOK THE LAST WEEK OFF BUT SHH)

SO SO HAPPY AND SO PROUD OF MYSELF, IT'S ONE OF MY TOP BOOKS I'VE EVER WRITTEN

a line from the last scene for you. as a treat. click for better quality

can i see some 🎉 in the reblogs please ??

the night auction taglist: @theglitchywriterboi

GENERAL TAGLIST: @worldbuildng @muddshadow @nikkywrites @47crayons @directionoftime @chayscribbles @magic-is-something-we-create

[snailtaco]

A story never told.

(Explanation under cut)

In English, my teacher made us participate in NaNoWriMo where we write for the whole month. Of course the rules were more lax (we only had to get to 11,000 rather than 50,000), but we still had to plan and write an entire story (or beginning of one in my case).

If you couldn’t guess from the image above, I basically made a glorified fanfic oops (note: this will never see the light of day.)

The main story plot line (at least the beginning) is based off of "in this game, no, you're not the only target" by gin (tabanthas) (great fic would recommend!) but with a worst case scenario cuz I'm a sucker for trauma bonding (i hope thats not weird, i just like my favorite characters suffering)

I did have to change names as to not raise suspicion from my teacher and alter some basic features, but ultimately I got to just shuck a whole bunch a head cannons on these poor boys.

Left is the reference to the boys. The right is just the top image without shadows cuz I'm indecisive.

Sorry for making this lil rant so long I never get to talk about this unfinished story and I really wanted to recommend another :)

[uwudonoodle]

Writeblr: "NoNoWriMo are sell outs. Let's cancel them!"

Me, who is brand new to writing, thinking it was just an activity people chose to do, much like making a New Year's Resolution: "It's an organization...? With like money and stuff???"