NANoWriMo, which stands for National Novel Writing Month, has announced in an email that they will no longer be running after 25 years. The non-profit was founded in 1999 and acted as a writing challenge facilitator which encouraged writers to pen 50,000 words in the 30 days of November.
Novels that began during NaNoWriMo include Erin Morgenstern’s The Night Circus, Sara Gruen’s Water for Elephants, and Rainbow Rowell’s Fangirl.
A combination of factors has reportedly impacted the organisations ability to continue including funding issues and serious missteps. NaNoWriMo were called out for inappropriate behaviour by volunteers and moderators, as well as their more recent controversial stance on AI creations, which has been a huge cause for concern among many in the writing community.
The full email which was posted to the NaNoWriMo Reddit thread explains: “After six years of struggling to sustain itself financially, NaNoWriMo (the nonprofit) will begin the process of shutting down.
“Explaining how we got here is both simple and complex. The funding woes that have threatened so many nonprofits in recent years are an unextraordinary trend. Many beloved organizations announced their closure last year. Many more are fighting for their lives.
“Media coverage of financial crisis within the sector—especially among arts nonprofits—has been widespread. Yet, there are ways in which NaNoWriMo is extraordinary—and reasons why we had hoped we could buck that trend. The sheer size of our community, its global reach and its longevity, held at impressive levels, even during a tumultuous year. There is no shortage of writers who want to participate in NaNoWriMo. Yet, building a community and being able to sustain it are two different matters.
The email continues to add: “We recognize that the closure of NaNoWriMo represents a huge loss to the writing community, and that grief over this outcome will be exacerbated by the challenges of the past sixteen months. This is not the ending that anybody wanted or planned. And—believe us—if we could hit the delete button and rewrite this last chapter, we would. But we do have hope for the epilogue.
“We hold no belief that people will stop writing 50,000 words in November (and April, and July) or stop seeking support for the journey they’re on. Many alternatives to NaNoWriMo popped up this year, and people did find each other. In so many ways, it’s easier than it was when NaNoWriMo began in 1999 to find your writing tribe online. Our greatest hope at this moment is that you do two things: support arts nonprofits you love (they really, truly need you) and keep writing words. Your stories matter.”
Further information regarding the organisation’s financial affairs, as well as issues of community safety and trust are also delved into deeper in a video from interim executive director, Kilby Blake:
