The Rise and Fall of National Novel Writing Month (Nanowrimo)
For a quarter century, from 1999 to 2024, National Novel Writing Month was a haven for writers worldwide in November. What began as a private hobby with a few friends in Oakland in a few short years became a worldwide phenomenon. The idea was simple: write 1667 words per day for 30 days and you can produce a 50,000 word novel. It was not just the writing that provided the attraction: it was the community. The were regional offices worldwide, including a very popular (and prolific) group in the South Bay area. I was introduced to Nanowrimo by a former librarian. It never mattered if what you wrote was worth reading by someone else. What mattered was not even getting across the finish line of 50,000 words. What mattered to each and every Nano participant was that—hey, you might not have written a novel, but at least you tried. And that’s worth something. Just under 500,000 writers worldwide participated in the program at one point.
I participated for fourteen years, from 2010 to 2024. For every single one of those fourteen years I managed to write 50000 words in thirty days. My record was finishing in nine days. Every November was a roller-coaster ride into the unknown: what was I going to write about this year?
Even more importantly, it was a springboard for schools to get students into writing. Libraries would host write-ins. And a few authors actually managed to get their works published, breaking into writing as a profession, and seeing their work make it into print. One close friend of mine who I never imagined becoming a writer went this route, turning it into a 5-year adventure with ups and downs all along the way. She can now say she’s a proud author and write-fully so.
Unfortunately, in 2024 it all came to an end.
What happened?
There were several problems that led to the downfall of Nanowrimo. The primary one was money. It took a lot of money to keep the website going. They did not get grants they needed to keep the website working, and very few notable authors or publishers contributed either. The inability to stay solvent produced a lot of finger-pointing at who was to blame. Many people who believed in Nano tried to keep it open but in the end it just wasn’t enough.
The second problem, however, was far more avoidable. The Nano headquarters decided to put out a statement on Artificial Intelligence (AI) saying that they felt that excluding AI from writing was ableist and unfair to disabled writers. As a disabled writer myself, I do not necessarily agree with their viewpoint. But their statement upset a lot of people who felt that AI compromised the artistic integrity of the craft. As a result, Nano faced a lot of backlash. Many people left Nano as a result, feeling betrayed by this statement and offended by their point of view. I’m unclear as to why they had to make this statement but do see it as an unintentional shot in the foot that could easily have been avoided. This caused a loss in donations which in turn contributed to problem #1.
The last problem was with the forums. On the Nano website there were a number of forums people could post on to get ideas, say where they were on their novel and connect with other Nano participants on a wide variety of subjects. Nano was supposed to monitor these forums for inappropriate behavior, and failed to do so. Unfortunately (and perhaps inevitably), a number of bad actors did appear and compromised the integrity of the forums in a very unpleasant manner. By failing to keep the forums free of malicious behavior, it undermined faith in the system and again drew bad publicity. This caused a loss in donations which in turn contributed to (again), problem #1.
But even before Nano went under, I noticed a distinct lack of energy to the Meet and Greet party and a noticeable drop off in the write-ins. There were fewer participants and less enthusiasm. I found this very disappointing.
Eventually, National Novel Writing Month went bankrupt. The video sent out by the company of why Nano went under can be found here.
What’s next—or is there one?
As of this writing, there IS a plan to resurrect the program. The original website and organization have been shuttered for good. But the new program is called “nano2.org”. Think of it as “Nano light”—no forum, no logins and just a commitment to set a goal and seek to meet that in November. This was formed by Chris Baty, who was the founder of the original Nanowrimo program in 1999. This is a program specific just to the Bay Area—it is NOT world-wide, as the previous Nano program had been. There is also a young writers program as part of this.
It does not look like Nano will ever be quite the same again. And that may not be a bad thing. There is the opportunity to correct the mistakes that were made the first time and hopefully the lessons will have been learned. I hope.
Whether this new “Nano” will succeed remains to be seen. It certainly has my support. Because what the program offered was far more than just fun: it was a chance for people who either have the interest, students who are willing to explore, or those who have never written before and are willing to take the plunge. And I, for one, am excited to take it once again.
For those who want to write more, here are a few suggestions from the San Jose Public Library:
Be inspired, find helpful tips, and receive guidance in these books and resources for the aspiring writer just in time for #NaNoWriMo selected by SJPL librarians.
Add a comment to: The Rise and Fall of National Novel Writing Month (Nanowrimo)