How to Do NaNoWriMo

01

Choose a Goal

The classic NaNoWriMo challenge is to write a  50,000-word novel in 30 days—but you can pick whatever writing project makes sense to you! Set a challenging-yet-attainable goal for yourself and dedicate the month of November to reaching it!

02

Tell Your Friends

Studies show you are 957% more likely to achieve your writing goals when you let people know about them. We’re keeping things simple for our first year, so we don’t have any sign-ups or profiles. But we encourage you to broadcast your November writing goal far and wide, sport a 2025 participant badge, and find writing buddies in one of the many communities that are supporting NaNoWriMo authors this fall.

03

Dive In

Starting at 12:01 AM on November 1, your writing adventure begins. We’ll be with you every step of the way. We’ll be sending out pep talks, posting week-by-week advice on our blog, offering support and creative mayhem on Instagram and Bluesky, and hosting open writing sessions on our word sprints account. We’ll also be handing out winner’s badges and certificates in late November to everyone who meets their writing goals. Happy writing! You’ve got this.