Sep 5Liked by Jackie Dana, Nicole Rivera, Meg Oolders
I was a big fan of NaNo when I discovered it a decade and a half ago. I wrote year after year. I even got my wife to write with me one year. I 'won' and polished and published a book from it. I used it as curriculum in a middle school elective class and after school program when I was teaching.
Now... I hesitate to say I've 'outgrown' it, but I'm writing bigger projects now, and, like many other writers, feel more comfortable distancing myself than embracing it in what may be its final hours. It was a lovely thing for a season, but the leaves have turned. Like the moon, and Rome, and revealing fashions, great things rise and fall, and I look back at fond memories and forward to see the next one.
I have been participating every single year since 2013, and have won every year. I served as a Municipal Liaison for several years and have organized tons of write-ins and NaNo prep workshops. I have written, more than once, about how much better of a writer I am because of NaNo. And I made so many friends through my participation over the years. Indeed, you would be hard pressed to find someone who loved NaNo more than me.
All the stuff from earlier in the year - the forums drama, the grooming, the reinvention of all the rules and procedures, already left a pretty sour taste in my mouth. I had already decided not to do any NaNo write-ins or workshops in part because of their new crackdown on using their trademark and in part because my local MLs listed my write-ins as official "Come Write In" events because they were at a library, taking credit for them even though they had nothing to do with them and hadn't even reached out to me.
But now, with all the latest BS about AI, I'm no longer going to associate with NaNoWriMo at all. (And this is ironic because I actually think AI can be a such a helpful tool for brainstorming, story structure, and so forth). I will still work on a project in November because it's fun, but I won't even be using their website (which honestly has never been terribly functional since the redesign several years ago). I will still organize write-ins but will not promote them as part of NaNo.
It's really a shame to see something I once loved implode in such a spectacular fashion, but all good things come to an end eventually.
Sep 6Liked by Jackie Dana, Nicole Rivera, Meg Oolders
Wow what an interesting tale. I half did it one year, but more as a tool to get started. Didn't use the word counters or get into the community. Hopefully, I can find some of that here on Substack now I'm finally braving up and getting my writing off my desktop and into the world (a little bit of it, anyway). A link to a calendar invite to the zoom session would be amazing.
There are a couple of NaNo alternatives popping up. I took part a couple of times over 15 years ago because I wanted to try my hand at something completely different (and I am just realizing it has the potential to make a great romantic KDrama. Ahem.) But it turned out to be 50k of writing that I would spend twice the amount of time on whipping into shape, and it was just easier on me to write at my own pace (still relatively quick because I finished the challenge early). I have a tshirt that I am sure will tell me the year I participated. So I’d say Nano gave me the habit of writing regularly. Of not stepping out of flow to figure out what word I actually meant.
So I stopped Nanoing a while back but I certainly wouldn’t be returning after all this news I’ve been ignorant of until writers started talking on Instagram.
NaNoWriMo was what solidified my love for writing when I was a teenager. I participated in 2006, 2007, 2008, and 2013. After a couple years of slow writing and editing, I participated again last year, 2023, and it reminded me of the joy of fast-drafting. I always appreciated the organization's original mission, with the power of a writing community for motivation and encouragement, but with what has happened over the last year, I am very disappointed with how poorly NaNoWriMo has handled things. Their complete disregard for the ethical concerns of using generative AI for writing, along with their thoughtless remarks on classism and ableism, have convinced me to disassociate with the organization. It's really sad for me to see, since NaNo was such a huge factor in growing my confidence as a writer. But that doesn't seem to be their priority any more.
I'm still a big fan of community writing events with shared goals though. The community element of everyone working toward the same thing at the same time is a huge motivator for me. This November I'll still be participating in a writing event in a Discord server I'm in, with tiered goals and more of a focus on reaching your own writing goals than just hitting a word count. (It's a Discord community for sci-fi and fantasy writers, if anyone's interested in joining.)
Looking forward to the writing prompt celebration!
I had so much fun today with Nicole, Jackie and the rest of the Prompt Party gang. I enjoy stretching out of my comfort zone. Once we finished the prompt party, I almost immediately went back and finished the first draft. I can't wait to share next week!
I was a big fan of NaNo when I discovered it a decade and a half ago. I wrote year after year. I even got my wife to write with me one year. I 'won' and polished and published a book from it. I used it as curriculum in a middle school elective class and after school program when I was teaching.
Now... I hesitate to say I've 'outgrown' it, but I'm writing bigger projects now, and, like many other writers, feel more comfortable distancing myself than embracing it in what may be its final hours. It was a lovely thing for a season, but the leaves have turned. Like the moon, and Rome, and revealing fashions, great things rise and fall, and I look back at fond memories and forward to see the next one.
I have been participating every single year since 2013, and have won every year. I served as a Municipal Liaison for several years and have organized tons of write-ins and NaNo prep workshops. I have written, more than once, about how much better of a writer I am because of NaNo. And I made so many friends through my participation over the years. Indeed, you would be hard pressed to find someone who loved NaNo more than me.
All the stuff from earlier in the year - the forums drama, the grooming, the reinvention of all the rules and procedures, already left a pretty sour taste in my mouth. I had already decided not to do any NaNo write-ins or workshops in part because of their new crackdown on using their trademark and in part because my local MLs listed my write-ins as official "Come Write In" events because they were at a library, taking credit for them even though they had nothing to do with them and hadn't even reached out to me.
But now, with all the latest BS about AI, I'm no longer going to associate with NaNoWriMo at all. (And this is ironic because I actually think AI can be a such a helpful tool for brainstorming, story structure, and so forth). I will still work on a project in November because it's fun, but I won't even be using their website (which honestly has never been terribly functional since the redesign several years ago). I will still organize write-ins but will not promote them as part of NaNo.
It's really a shame to see something I once loved implode in such a spectacular fashion, but all good things come to an end eventually.
Wow what an interesting tale. I half did it one year, but more as a tool to get started. Didn't use the word counters or get into the community. Hopefully, I can find some of that here on Substack now I'm finally braving up and getting my writing off my desktop and into the world (a little bit of it, anyway). A link to a calendar invite to the zoom session would be amazing.
Looking forward to the prompt party!
Me too! It’s exciting to be back in the swing of things!
This looks fun.
There are a couple of NaNo alternatives popping up. I took part a couple of times over 15 years ago because I wanted to try my hand at something completely different (and I am just realizing it has the potential to make a great romantic KDrama. Ahem.) But it turned out to be 50k of writing that I would spend twice the amount of time on whipping into shape, and it was just easier on me to write at my own pace (still relatively quick because I finished the challenge early). I have a tshirt that I am sure will tell me the year I participated. So I’d say Nano gave me the habit of writing regularly. Of not stepping out of flow to figure out what word I actually meant.
So I stopped Nanoing a while back but I certainly wouldn’t be returning after all this news I’ve been ignorant of until writers started talking on Instagram.
NaNoWriMo was what solidified my love for writing when I was a teenager. I participated in 2006, 2007, 2008, and 2013. After a couple years of slow writing and editing, I participated again last year, 2023, and it reminded me of the joy of fast-drafting. I always appreciated the organization's original mission, with the power of a writing community for motivation and encouragement, but with what has happened over the last year, I am very disappointed with how poorly NaNoWriMo has handled things. Their complete disregard for the ethical concerns of using generative AI for writing, along with their thoughtless remarks on classism and ableism, have convinced me to disassociate with the organization. It's really sad for me to see, since NaNo was such a huge factor in growing my confidence as a writer. But that doesn't seem to be their priority any more.
I'm still a big fan of community writing events with shared goals though. The community element of everyone working toward the same thing at the same time is a huge motivator for me. This November I'll still be participating in a writing event in a Discord server I'm in, with tiered goals and more of a focus on reaching your own writing goals than just hitting a word count. (It's a Discord community for sci-fi and fantasy writers, if anyone's interested in joining.)
Looking forward to the writing prompt celebration!
For those coming tonight, we may be starting a few minutes late due to technical issues. Please stand by! :D
I had so much fun today with Nicole, Jackie and the rest of the Prompt Party gang. I enjoy stretching out of my comfort zone. Once we finished the prompt party, I almost immediately went back and finished the first draft. I can't wait to share next week!