For many writers, November is a particular time of the year. It is National Novel Writing Month (or NANOWRIMO). The event began decades ago with a group of friends who challenged each other to write the first draft of a novel in a month. The goal was to write at least 50,000 words (about the average length for a short novel) in those thirty days. It became an excellent motivator for writers, and the contest also created an atmosphere of support.
In the years since thousands of writers have participated in NANOWRIMO every year. The website for the contest provides message boards, trackers, and deals on writing software and tools. The contest has been popular for years, and there is no prize (other than a finished first draft). Several successful writers used other NANOWRIMO projects to launch their careers. My first two novels were written and NANOWRIMO projects.
I have not done NANOWRIMO in a while. Not out of any reason other than time with my day job did not allow me to hit the daily word goals (on an average day, I might be able to get a page or a couple of paragraphs done). But I always enjoyed it, and sometimes participated in the “summer camp” when I had more free time.
However, recent controversies make it unlikely that I will participate in the official event again.
First, vanity presses such as Inkitt are promoted. For those who don’t know the term, a vanity press is basically what it sounds like. They are publishers who prey on the dreams of unpublished authors. It usually starts with an email or a cold call about your work (probably shared via another site where you submit a manuscript). Then, you are given the words you want to hear, “We want to publish your work.” Here’s the kicker: you pay them a fee to publish your book. If you’re lucky, this will include promotion and some cover art. But most people might sell a couple of copies to family and friends, and they get to say they are a published author ( and out several hundred dollars).
If you are an aspiring writer, there is no better advice that I can give you than never paying someone to publish your book. If you don’t want to go through the traditional publishing route, sites such as Amazon Kindle and Draft2Digital will publish and promote your work for free; they will only collect a portion of the royalties.
Another controversy is that some of the people in the organization were local moderators. Several were exposed as groomers or other people with shady histories. Since the organization promotes some school-based programs, this is highly concerning. These bad actors will be quietly phased out, with little to no official statements from the organization. This caused many who donated to the program to donate their money elsewhere.
While it is difficult to vet every local moderator, the fact that it took several months for one particular youth program moderator to be dismissed is concerning. Some moderators were also accused of racism, homophobia, and other actions that would make them unfit for an organization that touts inclusiveness. Other moderators used the platform to promote their work or workshops, violating the terms.
I will even give the people in charge of NANOWRIMO a little slack on this, as they probably did not imagine the program getting so big. With a small central staff, it can be hard to manage every issue that arises promptly. Still, the fact that they do little to address these issues is concerning.
I know from personal experience how toxic some of the moderators on their social media can be. I was part of the NANO Facebook group for a while. While some gave some good, sound advice, a few moderators seemed to want to spout their point of view. If a writer wished to advise on writing a character who was of a different race, gender, or sexual orientation, there were a few mods that would go on the warpath. The chorus was “It is not your story to tell” or “Why don’t you educate yourself instead of making others have to be your Google?”. This would be along with complaints of lack of diversity in certain people’s writing.
So yeah, I quickly left that group. One life lesson I have learned is to don’t argue with strangers on the internet. I have better things to do with my time, like writing.
The final nail in the coffin for many writers came earlier this month. The use of AI in writing has become a hot-button topic in recent years. Many are strictly against it as it takes away the personal touch of creativity. Others state that AI can aid in editing and outlining their work (I have used some of these tools with mixed results). Some make a decent amount of money letting AI programs write for them and then slapping their name on the work, which is why many freelancers are now struggling with content writing gigs.
The organization made an official statement calling those critics of AI “ableists and classists.” The implication is that those with disabilities or who are lower income can’t write without the help of AI. The idea is that they cannot afford services such as editors and marketing to be successful. The organization met with some severe backlash. The organization then backtracked with several statements to try and clarify their statements and edit their comments, but the damage has been done.
So, I will not contribute to or participate in NANOWRIMO for all these reasons. The organization appears to be in disarray and has fallen from its former glory 25 years ago. Its support of vanity presses, its lack of protection of children from predators, and its tone-deaf stance on AI have soured me to the contest and program.
If you choose to participate, more power to you. But remember, you don’t need a shady organization to write a novel. If you can practice time management, you can quickly write a book in a month. There are also plenty of writers’ groups online and possibly in your town or city that can provide support and advice. I would urge you to seek these out, especially if they are free.