I love the NaNo thread where you a) post a 2-paragraph summary of your novel, and b) post a playlist of at least 10 songs that fit someone else's novel.

Since the NaNo forums are dead, I was hoping to get one rolling here. Please post a) and reply b) in the space below!

Hello, I'm in my late twenties. I'm doing my own mini NaNoWriMo, and I'm looking for an accountability partner as I work on finishing my novel. I want to share ideas and discuss the writing process along with any issues that we are having with our writing. I typically write longer fantasy and literary works, along with a few short stories and poems, but I’m open to people who write in various genres. I want to make serious progress on my novel by the end of the summer. Let me know a bit about yourself if you are interested.

Hi everyone! I'm relatively new to Reddit so please forgive me if this is super obvious. One of the things I found most useful in the NaNo forums was the "personal experience" category where you could essentially ask whatever random question and someone who was either an expert in that arena or had personal experience could respond. Helped me out with a few story details I wouldn't have known otherwise. Is there something similar on Reddit?

I’m new to Nanowrimo. Is anyone else doing the July boot camp?

I realized that some of these hadn't been posted in this sub except in comments here and there. Thought for Camp NaNo we might do a "so where are they now" on all of the changes after last year's scandal. (basic summary of events so far is here)

• In February, Grant Faulkner officially stepped down as Executive Director and Kilby Blades, former president of the board of directors, stepped up as interim. The executive director position was posted, but hasn't been filled yet. Kilby has announced that her planned six-month stint as interim ED has been extended at least three more months.
• In April it was rumored that almost all of their remaining staff walked out for unspecified reasons surrounding Kilby's leadership. Based on LinkedIn profiles, that rumor does seem to be at least partially accurate. There seem to be only three remaining staff members left at the organization, which usually has a staff of more like 14. Job positions were listed for Director of Communications and Director of Programs, with no sign so far that those positions have been filled. With the NaNoWriMo staff page no longer public, it's difficult to tell how many staff members they currently have or in what roles.
• Age gating has been implemented. If you haven't added your date of birth to your profile or if you're under 18, it's supposed to lock you out of local region pages and the forums. Anyone with the direct link to the forums/regions can still access those things through the direct link. The site doesn't stop them. It's worth noting that the privacy policy on the webpage doesn't specify how that data is stored and may not be GDPR compliant.
• ML onboarding hasn't progressed for any MLs since they were wiped from their regions in March. Despite being told next steps are coming in each email, there are no next steps at the moment for any volunteers. Forums remain closed until those volunteer positions are finalized.
• Camp events are being run solely by sponsors. Events for LGBTQIA+, disabled writers, and writers of color no longer appear to be a thing at NaNo. All events appear to be paid advertising opportunities, so far. The most recent pep talk in April and almost all of their blog content have also been written by sponsors as promotional opportunities.
• Almost 20 sponsors previously listed on the NaNoWriMo website no longer appear anywhere as sponsors.
• In early July, NaNo allowed one of their sponsors, ProWritingAid, to use NaNo's blog to advocate for AI in creative pursuits. They received widespread criticism during the hour or so the post was up. After trying to defend AI for a while, their interim ED then tried to enforce NaNo's codes of conduct in another user's DMs to try and shut down the debate.
• While the NaNoWriMo Board of Directors promised monthly updates through the coming changes, their last update was in January. The Changes at NaNoWriMo page posted in May promises: "In its upcoming letter to the community, the Board will speak candidly to earlier discussions about adjusting NaNoWriMo’s operating model, its longstanding plan for leadership shifts, and indicators they received that a different approach was needed." This letter to the community hasn't been released as of July 3rd.
• That same Changes at NaNoWriMo page suggests that a "full-scale website redesign" is in the pipeline. No further details about that have been posted. Without a tech director, currently, it's unclear how far in the future we can expect updates about a new site.

Our weekly discussion thread to discuss all things to do with writing! You can get help with ironing out a plot hole or two, ask for a prompt to get the juices flowing as well as talking about how your Nanowrimo project is looking.

No self promotion please and please also keep your tone civil. Moreover, we are open to suggestions via modmail as to what you want to see in the sub.

Tell us about your project here!

Hey, everybody. I'm a freelance journalist reporting on the NaNo incident and how that is affecting it as a organization and us as a user group and writing community. Please let me know in my DMs or comment here if you'd like to chat with me about this. I'd love to hear your own experiences with NaNo, its data security, and how you feel about its handling of the Young Writers incident.

I've registered for Camp NaNo this month to see what happens, poke around in the forums, and receive any official communications. I've also seen and saved the information you all have compiled here, especially u/TheNaNoChronicles. Your work on this is invaluable.

Unfortunately I'm still pitching news outlets and haven't found anyone to bite yet, but I've still got a number of places to contact on my list and am hoping at least one will give me the green light for an official article soon.

I've talked to a couple of you already and I really appreciate your willingness to talk to me. I want this to be the community's story. Thanks so much, and happy writing!

Please use this thread to request or post that you have a code available. Please edit your post once you've received one or given it away. A new thread will be posted each month.

Hi! Just reaching out to invite my fellow adult writers to join our writing discord, Library in Progress! We're about to start our second of three yearly 50k writing challenges, this one themed around The Princess Bride! Feel free to join the challenge or just talk writing with us! We do daily questions and prompts, we have an Accountability Club if you want help staying on track for your word count goal for the month, and we have different events every month! It's honestly been so fun and I've never written more in my life! We even have published authors participating and our March to Mordor channel was a huge success!

For the first time in many years, I’ve actually started making progress on my novel. (The idea has been percolating in my head for a few years and something got into me and I have put over 15k words down on paper in three days.)

What I am realizing is that I hate my tone when I write in the third person. I’m strongly considering moving the perspective to first person because I feel like it is more natural to have insights into thoughts and intentions in that voice.

Has anyone else run into that issue? Any suggestions on how to make third person feel more natural, if I end up going that route?

Hi everyone! I know a lot of us are missing traditional style NaNo activities so I wanted to invite you to join our 25+ writing group for a NaNo Camp style challenge in July. Our group has been running our own challenges since NaNoWriMo last November. If you're interested, I'll drop the link below.

A little bit about our group and the Camp challenge:

• Our members are all 25+ with average age around late 20s to early 30s
• We're very lgbtqia+ and neurodivergent friendly!
• Camp is completely self-paced and you can set your own word goal for the month
• We have a server tracker where we keep track of writing progress
• Camp Winners will receive a winner's certificate similar to those during official NaNoWriMo
• We have daily writing discussion/creative writing prompts running alongside our Camp challenge in July for extra motivation

This link should never expire: https://discord.gg/6eUcazJc3n 💚💚

I've been going back and forth if I should post it here because I sometimes feel awkward advertising. But here I am.

My small writing community on Discord is holding its own summer writing event during July and August. I loved NaNo. It's the reason I found my writing passion back and started my self-publishing journey, but with all the controversy, I wasn't comfortable joining the official one. I also felt a month was a bit short xD

But enough rambling:

Welcome to the first Datura Summer Writing Event

𓍊𓋼𓍊 You get access to special channels with a place to share your goal, project, and how much you've written

𓍊𓋼𓍊 There will be writing sprints

𓍊𓋼𓍊 There are multiple stickers/badges you can claim, and there are goal- related stickers/badges you can earn

𓍊𓋼𓍊 We will have weekly prompts, and there will be a "What would your character do" game

𓍊𓋼𓍊 If you want, you can get a shout-out on our Wattpad and Social Media as a writer who joined our summer event

𓍊𓋼𓍊 At the end of the event, you can get a special summer event role

https://discord.com/invite/gZaPydqk4Q

I’m using this camp to finish the project I started last November. I just finished outlining the last 15 chapters! Of course this will just be a rough draft, but I’m so excited!!

I completely lost steam after November and never went back to my novel, so I’m really psyched to have all this sudden motivation to finish it!

Anyone else ready to go with their official or unofficial camp projects? :)

So, yeah. Basically, I started a YouTube Channel to keep me accountable and not abandon projects. I've been writing a huge project comprised of multiple series, standalones, and crossovers (think of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but with books). I have a habit of jumping from projects, hyperfocusing on one so much it takes me forever to get to others, and taking long breaks from writing general.

Well, I'm trying to stop this. Recently, I've been very into writing/book content on YouTube and got really inspired. A lot of the videos are just like open journal entries, and I wanted to do something similar. So I did.

I'm on my fourth video and just made a vlog about Camp NaNoWriMo, in which I intend to write a gritty, Neo-Noir detective novel. I'm super excited to write again. Basically, I say all this to say: find something to get you motivated again. Doesn't have to be making videos, but maybe journal about your projects? Watch some movies/TV. Talk to someone about your projects. Do something to cultivate that spark, so you can get some words on the page.

That's all I've got for this post. Thanks for coming to my TED talk.

I am working on a 10-14 chapter book where the views tell me what to add or change about the story. If you are just someone that have great ideas or want to be intimately part of the writing process but don't want to write, DM and I'll send you to the site.

Our weekly discussion thread to discuss all things to do with writing! You can get help with ironing out a plot hole or two, ask for a prompt to get the juices flowing as well as talking about how your Nanowrimo project is looking.

No self promotion please and please also keep your tone civil. Moreover, we are open to suggestions via modmail as to what you want to see in the sub.

Tell us about your project here!

Hi all! Tagged this as heavy topic in case folks are tired or triggered from discussing the events and fall out ov November 2023.

But I just spent the last hour and a half reading through the new terms and services and code of conduct that nano has put out...and might I say....I have MANY critiques. Like, from the aspect of digital design formatting choices, grammar, word choices, lack of definitions, the structure of the document, the contradictions it makes, the way it is written to avoid any accountability for any similar situations, and how NONE of the 'changes' they've implemented will actually have an effect on protecting youth writers from dangers we've already seen.

I actually thought ahead and recorded my self going through it, Incase they update it later or if I forget my thoughts. I'm thinking about either condensing it into a thought out email to send to them, or just making into a YouTube video and sending it to them.

I know a lot of people will argue that they won't care or respond, and I don't disagree with you. But when their TOS encourages you to email them ABOUT complains etc, it is so much more impactful to see them ignore concerns again.

Anyway, thoughts? Have any of you read through it?

Hi, i have a little problem with the webside

i can't see anything in my home region, neither members nor messages. I don't know what is happening.

(reddit don't let me send a image) QnQ

searching for writing buddies/ writing group! needing people to share thoughts and bounce ideas off of while I am writing my first romance Novella. Don't have to be other romance writers either, I am also a reader of anything and everything!

Hi all!

I plan on doing a 50k challenge in the month of July. I've been in writing groups on Discord before to do this but would like to find some sci fi writers to form a group together where we can support one another. Please feel free to comment or PM me if you are interested in something so we can support one another ! :)

Our weekly discussion thread to discuss all things to do with writing! You can get help with ironing out a plot hole or two, ask for a prompt to get the juices flowing as well as talking about how your Nanowrimo project is looking.

No self promotion please and please also keep your tone civil. Moreover, we are open to suggestions via modmail as to what you want to see in the sub.

Tell us about your project here!

I know most people on here won't be doing an official nanocamp in July, but are you doing an unofficial one, maybe on Discord? Or something else in the spirit of nanocamp?

Maybe some short stories; editing and revision; prompt writing; sprints and just trying things; or a novel. Whatever you're planning, let's talk about it here!

I started to comment this on another thread but it got a little long soooo...here we go.

I have never really participated in regional activities except for maybe once, but I'm in a Discord for at least one author whose YouTube channel has grown a bit off the NaNo buzz (among other things!), and people in there were discussing whether or not they were participating in April. A lot of them had no clue anything had happened in November. The author was aware but not saying anything yet "until more information was available." Which to me felt like a cop-out for someone who at least indirectly makes money off NaNoWriMo.

When that email went out last November, it kind of brought out feelings for me that had been bubbling up for a while and had nothing to do with the organization's internal issues. I've been following NaNo stuff on YouTube for 10 years and the transition from "Come watch me try this writing challenge" to "Here are my Preptober tips and a workbook!" and "Buy my 50k in 30 days course!" and "watch all my NaNo content so I can get the ad revenue" has been WILD. And I'm frankly tired of it. They're all the same regurgitated videos year after year and I feel the only reason they still get made is because people are making money off them. To me, that has killed the magic.

So that on top of NaNo's internal issues combines to sour me on the entire thing. I've taken down my NaNoWriMo posters and eventually, I'll pull 10 years worth of the t-shirts out of my closet. I used to wear them on a weekly/daily basis. I believed in what NaNoWriMo stood for, but just...not anymore.

I'm interested to see if the bigger channels I still follow will do their usual stuff for NaNoWriMo again this year, because only one of the smaller channels I've followed has even MENTIONED what happened last year.

These have always helped me get the most of my writing done. Thank you for any suggestions!

I just received NaNo's most recent update email. In it, Kilby says that April was a success and that there was a huge grassroot movement. In the FAQs she links there are also mentions of it being a choice not to communicate so openly so they can focus on putting out resources.

From where I stand, nothing was released over April camp other than two sponsor posts. The social media feed was dead. There was nowhere to congregate with other writers. Their social spaces were dead. There were no events, no write ins, and there certainly was no (internationally available at least) grassroots movements. She's made some bold claims with nothing to show for it.

Apparently MLs are in the process of being reinstated. I've not heard of a single ML who planned to return who has heard a peep. And what happened to the last email's call for interesting ways to thank past volunteers? That has just gone completely silent.

Kilby keeps saying all this stuff, but it's all just hot air! Where is the proof of anything she says is happening? Where is ANY engagement with the community?

But hey, at least she had the gall to ask me to buy merch, right? Presumably that merch actually exists, although at this point I wouldn't be surprised if that's an outright lie too.

I'd be more than happy to pay the full price but I can't afford it and I'm looking for any unused discount codes 50% you kindhearted people might have. Thank you :)

Hello everybody.

My workplace offers us days off in the year that we can use expressly for the purpose of doing work with registered charities. With very little interest in spending a day working for NaNoWriMo (if such a thing was even possible) I am looking for alternatives.

Are there any charities that I can contact that focus on fostering creative writing, maybe in connection with libraries etc?

The Adoption Society was my favourite NaNoWriMo forum and the one I found most helpful… so I wonder whether it’s permitted to start such a thread here?

If so, for those who don’t know how it works—post any (original) opening line[s] you are happy for others to “adopt” and adopt some for your own use too!

I dont support nano anymore, due to obvious reasons, and haven't touched anything involving it since everything blew up big time. I've heard the site isn't doing too hot, and trying to create/update projects becomes evermore janky by the day. Maybe its just me, but this all really sucks. I genuinely enjoyed the sites way of displaying information (charts, etcetera) when I used it for nano23, back when what was happening wasn't as well known/documented as it was now (I say, since I hear the issues had started to show since as early as the month prior). The way a lot of other 'alternatives' designs don't really mesh with me, either, to no fault of theirs. I just have my own preferences, lol

Am I the only one? And, if anyone ever plans on making a project/wip tracking site thats aesthetically/technically similar to the nano site, I'd love to be notified.

Our weekly discussion thread to discuss all things to do with writing! You can get help with ironing out a plot hole or two, ask for a prompt to get the juices flowing as well as talking about how your Nanowrimo project is looking.

No self promotion please and please also keep your tone civil. Moreover, we are open to suggestions via modmail as to what you want to see in the sub.

Tell us about your project here!