FAQ

What is NaNoWriMo?

National Novel Writing Month (aka NaNoWriMo) is a free, worldwide writing challenge that takes place every November.

Many participants tackle the classic NaNoWriMo challenge of drafting a 50,000-word novel in 30 days, but the event welcomes all sizes and styles of projects.

Whatever you’re working on, you’ll find a friendly community offering lots of encouragement along your writing journey.

What is NaNo 2.0?

NaNo 2.0 is an all-volunteer group of longtime NaNoWriMo enthusiasts, including National Novel Writing Month founder Chris Baty. We came together after the official nonprofit closed to support writers taking part in the challenge.

Are you the official NaNoWriMo organization?

There is no longer an official NaNoWriMo organization. We are proud to be one of many grassroots groups helping writers explore their imaginations in November.

What can I write?

Anything you want! Novels, short stories, memoirs, scripts, fanfic, poems, Ph.D. dissertations, and more are all great. You can even use NaNoWriMo to make progress on that novel-revision you’ve been procrastinating on for years.

Where do I register on your site? How do I post a writing goal and track my words?

Starting October 7, 2026, you’ll be able to create an author profile and track your progress on the NaNo 2.0 site. We’ll post a registration link on the homepage!

You can also subscribe to our newsletter to get author pep talks and other creative mayhem. And join us on Instagram and Bluesky for inspiration and procrastination. (When it’s time to write, we also have a Bluesky account dedicated to daily words sprints in November).

How do I win NaNoWriMo? Are there prizes?

To win, just set a goal and then reach it by November 30. Write using whatever tools you like, and chart your progress on your own or by using our brand-new tracker. We’ll be handing out highly collectible winner’s badges and certificates in November to everyone who meets their writing goals. The value of a single NaNo 2.0 winner’s certificate was recently appraised at over $3 million by Sotheby’s auction house, so you definitely don’t want to miss these.

We’ll add instructions on how to validate your winning manuscript after NaNoWriMo kicks off.

How do I update my word count on your site?

We’ll have a complete tutorial for you before the tracker goes live on November 1.

Is it safe to paste excerpts of my novel into your site to update my word count?

Yes. The text you paste never leaves your browser and remains totally private to you. We can’t see anything or save anything that you paste.

Can you tell me more about the magical NaNo 2.0 Validator?

The Validator dispenses a special set of winner goodies to people who have met their NaNoWriMo writing goal. It works for both writing and revision projects. You can paste in your manuscript to get an official count or just use it on the honor system.

Whatever you choose to do, nothing you type or paste is sent anywhere—it all stays in your browser and remains private to you. The Validator will go live in early November.

Can I edit instead of write for NaNo?

Yes! The community spirit and shared deadline work powerful magic on revision projects too! The NaNo 2.0 tracker even lets you set an editing goal, with revisions tracked in number of hours. We plan to add other revision units (like pages or chapters) down the road.

Has anyone ever published their NaNoWriMo novel?

They have indeed! Hundreds and hundreds of traditionally published NaNo novels and tens of thousands of self-published novels are on bookshelves now. Just a few of the best-known books that started out as NaNoWriMo manuscripts include Wool by Hugh Howey, The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern, Cinder by Marissa Meyer, Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell, and The Astonishing Color of After by Emily X.R. Pan.

What happened to the old NaNoWriMo nonprofit and websites?

In 2025, they posted a video saying they had run out of money and were shutting down. None of us at NaNo 2.0 were connected to the organization at that point, but it seemed like fundraising had already been challenging when a forums moderation scandal, unpopular policy decisions, and weird statements on AI all damaged community trust and made it tough to keep going.

What is your AI stance?

NaNoWriMo is, and has always been, a wild joyride through the human imagination. We hope you’ll give yourself the gift of creating without AI intervention in November.

All the words and images on this site were created by humans (except for the ones you don’t like, which were made by Chris’ cats). We do not give or sell anything submitted by participants to AI companies for any reason.

Is this site safe for minors to use?

We’re committed to the safety of all participants, especially our younger members. When we launch accounts and word-count tracking in October 2026, they will be restricted to writers 16 and up, and there will be no social features on the site. We clearly mark external links, and you can report any content concerns through our contact form.

Are you taking donations?

Our team has all the project costs covered. Thank you for asking!

How do I find other participants?

There are lot of sites, communities, and classes where NaNoWriMo participants will be writing together in the fall. We profiled a bunch on our blog in 2025 (here and here), and will be adding more in October 2026. You can also find links to local writing groups on NaNoWriMo.ca, a resource site run by former NaNoWriMo volunteers from Toronto.

On social media, it’s easy to find your people by searching the #nanowrimo hashtag. Most social platforms also have fun, timed writing sessions called “word sprints" happening in November. We’ll be hosting some on our Bluesky word sprints account. We hope you’ll join us for one!