NaNoWriMo is shutting down after content scandals

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NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month), a well-loved event that encouraged people to write a novel in 30 days, is officially shutting down after over two decades. 

The organization announced in a video and an email to its community that financial struggles have made it impossible to continue.

NaNoWriMo began in 1999 with writers challenging themselves to complete a novel in a month. 

Over time, it grew into a nonprofit organization in 2006 and became a global phenomenon, inspiring hundreds of thousands of writers each year. 

In 2022, over 400,000 writers participated in its programs, proving how popular and influential it had become.

However, things took a turn in 2023. Many writers distanced themselves from NaNoWriMo after the organization refused to take a clear stance on AI-generated writing. 

Maureen Johnson and Daniel José Older, New York Times bestselling novelists, resigned from the nonprofit’s board in reaction, highlighting a rising concern among writers about how their work is being stolen to train the AI models that compromise their careers. (via: TechCrunch)

Around the same time, one of NaNoWriMo’s moderators was accused of child grooming, which further damaged the organization’s reputation. These events led to a decline in participation and donations.

According to interim executive director Kilby Blades, NaNoWriMo has been struggling with low participation and reduced fundraising in recent years. 

Since the program relied heavily on donations and community support, these financial setbacks made it unsustainable. While the NaNoWriMo website will remain online for now, it will no longer host its annual writing challenges.

In their farewell message, the organization acknowledged the sadness and disappointment many in the writing community feel about this closure. 

They compared it to the unexpected ending of a book, one they wish they could rewrite. However, they remain hopeful that something new will come out of this, like an “epilogue” to the NaNoWriMo story.

Despite NaNoWriMo’s shutdown, writers can still take on the challenge of writing a novel in November on their own or seek out alternative writing communities.

What do you think about the end of NaNoWriMo? Did you ever participate? We want to hear from you below in the comments, or via our Twitter or Facebook.