Why I’m not Doing NANOWRIMO Anymore

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.