After NaNo wrapped in December, we sent out a survey to everyone on our mailing list. Almost 200 folks took it, and the results were really illuminating. You can see the answers to the multiple choice questions below!
Here are a few things that stuck out to us:
- Our community has done NaNoWriMo many times in the past. (We were assuming it would be more evenly split between newcomers and veterans.)
- Most people were noveling solo or with friends rather than participating through a larger writing community or website.
- The newsletter, email pep talks, links to writing resources, badges, and the word-count validator were the most helpful things we created.
- The simplicity of the NaNo 2.0 site was refreshing, but people really missed having a way to track and share their progress. They would also like to see their writing buddies’ word counts and be able to chat with other participants.
- People would like some merchandise, particularly winner’s t-shirts.
- Overall, people were just really happy to see a positive, fun version of NaNoWriMo back in action.
Thank you to everyone who took the survey! Your feedback has helped us immensely in figuring out what to prioritize in 2026.
1. How many times have you done NaNoWriMo?
Responses: 184
7+ times
116 (63.0%)
4-6 times
37 (20.1%)
2-3 times
18 (9.8%)
This year was my first time
13 (7.1%)
2. If you've done NaNoWriMo in the past, how were you involved?
Responses: 172
3. Which aspects of NaNo 2.0 were most useful to you?
Responses: 179
4. What kind of project were you working on in November?
Responses: 184
New novel
90 (48.9%)
Existing novel
52 (28.3%)
Short stories
15 (8.2%)
Non-fiction
5 (2.7%)
Memoir
3 (1.6%)
Poetry
2 (1.1%)
Script
2 (1.1%)
Other individual write-ins
15 (8.2%)
5. What was your writing goal?
Responses: 182
Writing 50,000 words
116 (63.7%)
Editing for 50 hours
6 (3.3%)
Other
60 (33.0%)
Top "Other" write-ins
Percentages are shown against the full question response count, matching the source data.
6. Did you reach your goal?
Responses: 181
Yep
119 (65.7%)
Nope
62 (34.3%)
7. What did you use to track your writing progress?
Responses: 184
8. Were you a member of any writing sites or communities that helped support you?
Responses: 175
Top 5 "Other" write-ins
Includes a tie for fifth place, so six write-ins are shown.
9. What should we add to NaNo 2.0 to make it more useful?
Responses: 178
10. Where do you hang out on social media?
Responses: 181
11. Do you plan on doing NaNoWriMo next November?
Responses: 184
Yes
165 (89.7%)
Not sure
18 (9.8%)
No
1 (0.5%)
Young Novelist Challenge: Teacher Bonus Questions
12. How many years have you taught NaNoWriMo to students?
Responses: 7
2–3 years
3 (42.9%)
7+ years
2 (28.6%)
4–6 years
2 (28.6%)
12b. What grade level(s) do you teach?
Responses: 8
13. Which aspects of NaNo 2.0 were most useful to you and your students?
Responses: 7
14. What did your students use to track their writing progress?
Responses: 7
Young Novelist Challenge paper progress trackers
3 (42.9%)
A spreadsheet I created or found elsewhere
2 (28.6%)
We didn’t track our progress
2 (28.6%)
20. What should we add to NaNo 2.0 to make it more useful to you and your students?
Responses: 8
15. Do you plan on teaching NaNoWriMo next November?
Responses: 10
Not sure
5 (50.0%)
Yes
3 (30.0%)
No
2 (20.0%)