I was on the fence about doing NaNoWriMo this year. Last year there was a huge scandal including abuse/exploitation of minors which I didn't hear about until more recently, and this year they've decided using AI is okay with them.
There are many, many, articles about the scandal and here are just two as a starting point:
No More NanoWriMo Reddit post with a bullet point list of concerns and this article
The Fall of NaNoWriMo by Raven OakThe AI thing...they got called out and doubled down claiming it was essential for those with differences and disabilities and really they meant stuff like proofing and feedback (except they refused to specifically call out using an AI to write the actual words). Again, more kickback, including from those with differences and disabilities whose work has been used to train AI without consent.
No More NaNoWriMo by Cass Morris Writes is a good starting point.
There are plenty of tools like Grammarly to help proofread your work for SPAG errors, and I don't see how AI can possibly give you good feedback the way a human reader can. There's little community with the boards closed and issues around meetups, and the AI push, some have said, feels like more of the same, a move to isolation instead of the joy of meeting other writers.
It also detracts from the fact that writing is something personal for most. We're not talking about using AI to write a good cover email when applying for a job, it's more like using AI to write a journal article for a job article and pretend it is your own work, or to write a poem and pretend it came from your heart.
As
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kitarella_imagines said when I mentioned this latest debacle, it's more like "NaAiWriMo".
There have always been issues with NaNoWriMo. There have always been detractors of writing 50k in a month as valuing quantity over quality, and the idea of an AI churning out words for you just adds to that.
Despite that I've participated a few times. But I've won twice; I won NaNo in 2022 and used my 50% off discount 'prize' to purchase Scrivener. I don't need to win there again. I haven't yet deleted my account at the website but I'm thinking about doing a download if possible or screencap my past accomplishments and then doing so.
Get Your Words Out I'm a member of
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getyourwordsout which comes with two amazing spreadsheets for tracking. They have regular posts including encouragement, advice, and challenges. There are weekly NaNo check-ins during November.
If you choose a wordcount pledge you could take into account trying for 50k in November when picking the amount to aim for, or plan to write every day that month if choosing a habit pledge. Sign ups are closed until later this year however.
Alternative tracking tools -
this tumblr post itself a screencap of a
twitter post mentions several alternative ways to track your wordcount, timing, etc.
edit: the first one listed
Track Bear even allows you to import your NaNoWriMo stats!
edit 2: I've done this. The NaNoWriMo site seems to have been updated since I last used it and it wouldn't accept my log in, however Track Bear was able to use the *same* details to log in and import my projects on my behalf. So I have my project data backed up but I cannot, unless I reset my password, get into the NaNo site to delete my account *sigh*
You Should be Writing I'm also a member of
ushobwri the You Should Be Writing group. During November the community hosts
Miserable Fucks November Social (MiFuNoSo): This is the big one! During the month of November we have daily posts on a variety of writing topics, and daily wordcounts to support anyone participating in NaNoWriMo and any number of other challenges and fests taking place in November.
Although I didn't do NaNo last year I was writing a number of things including my Yuletide story assignment. I wrote 22 days out of 30 and got some good advice from the community.
I am looking at some ideas and thinking if I want to outline one to tackle in November. I'm not doing Small Fandom Bang this time. I'm brainstorming Yuletide nominations. There are plenty of other ways to write and find community.
If you have links to alternatives to using the NaNoWriMo site, from writing challenges in November, to writing groups, to tracking tools, please feel free to add them in the comments.
Edit 3: Also this article has some interesting thoughts
Why AI isn't going to make art by Ted Chiang
