Reclaiming NaNoWriMo
a Novel Writing Support Series
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In this post:
Do you know about National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo*)?
Are you preparing to participate in NaNoWriMo this November?
Have you participated in years’ past but are hesitant to be involved with the nonprofit organization that uses the same acronym because of the controversies made known since last year?
Well, I have a plan.
Through the end of November, join me in reclaiming National Novel Writing Month and doing so in a safe, ethical way. Every week, I’m offering free tools and insight to help you participate in NaNoWriMo without having anything to do with the messy storm surrounding the nonprofit organization.
First, let me clear the air on A) what NaNoWriMo is and B) what happened to cause writers like me to delete our accounts and search for ethical alternatives to participating in the month-long novel writing activity.
NaNoWriMo: What it is
Back in the early 2000s, a group led by Bay Area freelance writer Chris Baty decided to make the most of late autumn’s dreary weather by knighting the month of November as National Novel Writing Month and endeavoring to complete the first draft of a novel in 30 days. After a few years, as the event expanded from a handful of writers to thousands, Baty shortened the observance name to the acronym NaNoWriMo and registered it as a nonprofit organization.
Originally, National Novel Writing Month involved setting a goal to write a 50,000-word book between November 1 and November 30. Why 50K? Well, this number seems to be the going average for the first draft of a novel.
I first participated in NaNoWriMo back in 2020, setting my goal at writing a novella, self-editing as best as I possibly could, formatting the book, designing its cover, publishing it by November 30, and then giving it away to my Instafriends. With time parameters and work-life balance entirely shifted by the pandemic, I was able to achieve those things in 13 days. What a magickal number! The result was a sweet little fanfiction novella titled Always Remember November.
The Fallout (and, no, it’s not a game)
Last year, I learned that the NaNoWriMo organization had been participating in unsavory activities involving scammers and the grooming and trafficking of underage writers by members of their forum leaders. These leaders, in my understanding, were vetted and appointed by the organization’s Board, and when harmful activities were made aware, the Board did not act to remove the perpetrators. Only until word spread through the writing community about what was happening did the NaNoWriMo officials make any moves or address the public about what was happening.
As if trafficking minors isn’t horrible enough, a couple of weeks ago, the organization (which has reported undergoing a transformation in order to rebrand themselves) issued a statement promoting the use of AI to write books.
However, please don’t take me at my word alone; I highly recommend that you conduct a Google search of “NaNoWriMo controversy” and thoroughly inform yourself around what’s happening.
In everything I do, I always try to remain thoughtful, considerate, and I like to stay above the fray, avoiding messy behavior that doesn’t sit well with my soul. After doing my own research, I decided that I would not, could not ethically or morally connect myself with an organization that exploits, endangers, and corrupts. As such, I severed ties with the organization in 2023, deleting my account and nursing my disappointment. I penned the article Managing Expectations and Dealing with Disappointment: NaNoWriMo Edition in which I explored how the tarot’s Swords cards can be used as a mirror for reflection. You can read that article here.
Reclaiming NaNoWriMo
This year, I’m on a mission to reclaim National Novel Writing Month, and I’m doing it by giving away free materials to support writing a first draft, along with all the methods and activities I use when writing my own.
#NaNoWriMo Series Part 1
To get started, here’s one of the tools I provided to my Backers of the Mystic Storyteller BackerKit campaign. It’s a Novel Writing Checklist, and my hope is that it helps you plan and craft your first draft by November 30. Click or tap the image or button below to download your copy.
What do you think?
Interested in penning a first draft by November 30? Share your plan in the comments! I would love to champion your efforts!
About Mandy
Amanda "Mandy" Hughes is an author and instructional designer who uses the tarot to inspire storytelling. Her book Mystic Storyteller: A Writer’s Guide to Using the Tarot for Creative Inspiration and companion tarot deck are coming soon! She also writes fiction under pen names A. Lee Hughes and Mandy Lee. Mandy lives in Georgia with her husband and four sons, two of whom are furrier than the others (but not by much). Visit her website at www.haintbluecreative.com and follow her on Instagram @HaintBlueCreative.
I most certainly am interested. I was unaware of what was happening with NANOWRIMO. I don’t have the internet at present due to Helene. We do have electricity now though. As soon as I can, I’ll download the information you’ve supplied and get ready to write. Thanks for all you are doing for us writers.
I might have to try a Memoir lol