Do you enjoy writing? Chances are, you’ve heard of National Novel Writing Month, otherwise known as NaNoWriMo. NaNoWriMo is a nonprofit organization that hosts a yearly challenge, inviting you to “win,” which takes place every November. Beginning in 1999, the goal of NaNoWriMo is to write a 50,000 word novel draft within 30 days.
NaNoWriMo has helped many people, students and adults alike, become novelists. On November 1st, they enter as aspiring writers and leave at the end of the month as authors.
In 2022, NaNoWriMo claimed they had over 413,000 participants, including 85,000 students.
Sounds great, right? Well, you might change your mind after this.
As NaNoWriMo hits its 25th anniversary, controversy has followed. In 2024, NaNoWriMo made some public statements that seemed to endorse the use of AI to write. NaNoWriMo claimed that they do not “explicitly support” nor “condemn” a specific method of writing, however, they shared the idea that to “categorically condemn AI would be to ignore classist and ableist issues surrounding the use of technology.”
Many known authors and loyal participants, knowing both the difficulties of writing and the hypocrisy of using artificial intelligence to “write” have distanced themselves from NaNoWriMo as a result. Daniel Older, a New York Times bestselling author of the fictional series Outlaw City and assistant of the series Star Wars: The High Republic, called NaNoWriMo’s take on AI “vile, craven, and unconscionable.” Ellipsus is a program and NaNoWriMo sponsor that advertises itself as an alternative to Google Docs. They openly oppose the use of AI, stated on their “stance on AI” tab, and have withdrawn their sponsorship for NaNoWriMo due to their views.
There are factors that must be reviewed, however. NaNoWriMo is a small organization, founded by Chris Baty, and run by a relatively small staff. Despite their impact, whether they support AI or not, there is little they could do in order to prevent the usage of AI in participant submissions.
It is important to remember that AI software also has certain limits, and a large majority are unable to produce anywhere close to 50,000 words without spending an unsavory amount of money. Even then, the AI is unreliable in its writing. The usage of AI in NaNoWriMo is encouraged as a method for brainstorming and asking for writing advice, not writing the entire story. To “write” the whole story with AI is unethical and defeats the purpose of NaNoWriMo, which has been kindly pointed out by the program itself.
The choice to participate in NaNoWriMo, in the end, is just that. A choice. While it’s unfortunate that such a controversy has arisen around such a beloved program, there are rumors of alternatives to NaNoWriMo, such as Fic Frenzy and StoryaDay. Other programs can be found HERE.
Happy National Novel Writing Month, and as always, enjoy writing!
