NaNoWriMo Alternatives [pixietails.club]

This page is read only. You can view the source, but not change it. Ask your administrator if you think this is wrong.
====== NaNoWriMo Alternatives ======

So NaNoWriMo-the-company announced that they are shutting down (announced March 31, 2025) and a lot of people are both happy/sad, including me. I did NaNoWriMo years ago as a teen and enjoyed it, but honestly the company has taken such a nosedive in the last few years that it basically needed to be killed.

<wrap hi>Wanna leave a comment? [[https://tozka.dreamwidth.org/139147.html|Visit me on Dreamwidth here]].</wrap>

===== What happened? ===== 
[[https://the-nanowrimo-chronicles.tumblr.com/|NaNoWriMo Chronicles]] explains in detail, but basically a predator was luring in victims on the forum (as a MODERATOR) and when people found out, NaNoWriMo-the-company didn't respond appropriately and shot themselves in the foot. Then they ran out of money.

===== What's next? ===== 
If you want a writing community then there's lots to choose from, including ones that have been around just as long as NaNoWriMo. I've got a list here for places that have both writing goals and community at their centers, so take a look and see if something calls to you.

Note: most of the community stuff is on Discord, which is a kind of chat app and can seem intimidating at first but isn't too too difficult to use. Think of it like a fancier version of IRC; each "server" is a chatroom and within that room is smaller sections for different topics. [[https://support.discord.com/hc/en-us/articles/360045138571-Beginner-s-Guide-to-Discord|Here's a 101 guide]] that goes into more details for getting set up.

[[https://shutupwrite.com/|Shut Up and Write]] -- does online AND in-person events.

[[https://www.getyourwordsout.net/|Get Your Words Out]] -- only open for new members at the end of the year. You can pick a wordcount pledge or a habit goal. They do monthly events like writing sprints and hangouts. Has various communities including on Dreamwidth and Discord. 

[[https://bookishchallenge.forumotion.com/|#ZapWhamPow]] -- a challenge that includes both readers and writers. Basically, you either read or write all month and after a certain number of words/books/whatever you earn a letter. They're on Discord for 2025, [[https://discord.gg/fazGEAJn|here's the invite link]] per their forum page.

[[https://roguewriters.net/|Rogue Writers Network]] -- international writing group which hosts monthly challenges and a big Novel/Project in a Month even in October. They have a private Discord server for members.

[[https://discord.com/invite/Yp8gnYJ3|Library in Progress]] -- a Discord server for writers that hosts 50k writing sprints in March, July and November, plus smaller challenges throughout the year.

[[https://discord.gg/Cf88M6XhcP|Writer's Flock]] (18+) -- a year-round group that does big events in April, July and November. They also have a lot of smaller events, like beta reading events or watching writing lectures together.

[[https://discord.gg/bVdUAmAn|The Word Sprint]] -- for people who just want sprint support and not necessarily huge discussion topics, this server might be a good option for you.

[[https://discord.gg/6eUcazJc3n|Coze & Prose [25+]]] -- a NaNoWriMo-adjacent group that does year-round events, including Camp NaNoWriMo (April) and November.

[[https://www.royalroad.com/forums/8651|Royal Road]] has two 5-week long write-athons each year, in April and November. They also have a proper forum, if you want to avoid Discord.

[[https://www.writingquests.org/|Writing Quests]] -- hosts weekly/monthly (maybe daily?) writing sprints; sister to [[https://novelquest.org/|Novel Quests]] which is an annual 50k writing challenge.

[[https://www.roughdraftmonth.org/|Rough Draft Month]] -- a 30 day creative challenge; next one is in June 2025. Community part is on Discord.

[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U32ZjGxqKc0|Heart Breathings on Youtube]] is hosting the Rough Draft Challenge in April, where the goal is to write a book in 30 days.

===== Bonus stuff =====
[[https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1id_8vvsSv-Sg1vauO4NQzkhqvFwXDioEekkoJAM_EQI/edit?gid=0#gid=0|Writing tracker]] (Google Sheets) which you can use to keep track of your wordcount.

[[https://writingmonth.org/|Writing Month]] -- very basic writing tracker (free, no ads). Pick your own goal for whatever month you want, add a writing buddy, etc. (h/t kalloway)

[[https://archive.org/details/writeor-die-3|Write or Die 3]] download link; it's a program where you HAVE to keep writing or else it'll delete your stuff. There's also a browser version on [[https://www.roughdraftmonth.org/locked-in|RoughDraftMonth.org]].