National Novel Writing Month 2026

About National Novel Writing Month

National Novel Writing Month asks writers to get a complete rough draft onto the page in one month. The usual target is 50,000 words by midnight on November 30, which works out to about 1,667 words a day. The point is momentum rather than polish: participants are encouraged to keep going, skip the self-editing and revise later. Anyone who reached the word count was declared a winner, and the draft always stayed the writer's own.

Chris Baty launched the project in the San Francisco area in 1999 as an online community built around the monthlong challenge. NPR reported that the first year had 21 participants and six finishers, while the 2012 event drew more than 341,000 people. The organization became a 501(c)(3) nonprofit in 2005 and added volunteer-led local meetups, online forums and a Young Writers Program used by teachers and students. Publishers Weekly has reported that hundreds of traditionally published novels started as NaNoWriMo drafts.

The nonprofit's later years were difficult. It faced criticism over moderation of its forums, and in the fall of 2024 a statement that seemed to accept generative AI as a writing tool led several authors to leave its board or distance themselves from it. In spring 2025 the organization announced that it was shutting down, citing financial problems and a six-year decline in participation.

The closure ended the official website and events, but the idea of writing a novel in November does not depend on any one group. Many writers, writing circles and libraries can still use the month the same way, and the name National Novel Writing Month is now best understood as an informal tradition rather than an organized program.

Sources: Publishers Weekly: NaNoWriMo Nonprofit Shutters (April 2025), NPR: That'll Always Be The Dream: National Novel Writing Month (2013), Publishers Weekly: NaNoWriMo Empowers Young Writers. How we check dates.

How to mark National Novel Writing Month

• Set a word goal that fits your life, whether that's the classic 50,000 or a smaller target, and track it daily.
• Outline loosely in late October so you start November with characters and a basic plot.
• Book a regular writing slot, even 30 minutes before work, and protect it for the whole month.
• Join or start a weekly write-in at a library, café or online video call with other writers.
• Turn off your inner editor: keep a list of things to fix later instead of rewriting as you go.
• When the month ends, let the draft rest before you start revising it.

National Novel Writing Month dates