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 official NaNoWriMo site, but we are one of many 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 in October, you’ll be able to create an author profile and track your progress on the NaNo 2.0 site. We’re still squishing bugs now, but we’ll add a link to the homepage when sign-ups open.

In November, 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 highly collectible winner’s badges and certificates in late 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.

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. To get one of our suitable-for-framing winner’s certificates and badges, just validate your victory on the NaNo 2.0 site before the end of November. We’ll add instructions on how to do that after NaNoWriMo kicks off.

How do I update my word count on your site?

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.

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 is a browser-operated page that dispenses milestone badges to participants and a special set of winner goodies to people who have met their NaNoWriMo writing goal. It works for both writing and revision projects.

If you’d like to check your official word count, you can paste your novel into the Validator for counting. Nothing you type or paste is sent anywhere—it all stays in your browser and remains private to you. We then use javascript functions to do the word counting and generate the customized winner’s certificate for you to download.

Can I edit instead of write for NaNo?

Yes! Traditionally, NaNoWriMo was all about writing more than 50,000 words in 30 days. But the community spirit and shared deadlines—those 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 here at NaNo 2.0 were connected to the organization at that point. But it seems like fundraising had already been tough for many years, when a forums moderation scandal, some unpopular policy decisions, and divisive public statements on AI all conspired to damage community trust.

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 technical 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).

Is this site safe for minors to use?

NaNo 2.0 is committed to the safety of all participants, especially its younger members. Our site has no forums and no private messages. 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 a bunch of sites, communities, and classes where NaNoWriMo participants will be writing together in the fall. We’ve profiled some on our blog, and you can find links to regional groups on this resource site run by former NaNoWriMo volunteers.

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!