Writing Lessons & Advice: NANOWRIMO Alternatives
- Katie Johns
- 7 hours ago
- 3 min read
I’ve had a resolution for a couple years to write my novel. I’d get in a few thousand words at best before a mix of life, distractions, or lack of discipline shifted my writing routine to the metaphorical backseat. I’ve wanted to see if participating in the National Novel Writing Month (NANOWRIMO) challenge would help hone my focus and progress but the organization that hosted it since 1999 dissolved in the spring of 2025 due to financial needs, mismanagement, and a declining reputation.
With the absence of mainline NANOWRIMO in fall 2025, I’ve been curious about any alternatives that carried on or took up a similar mantle. There was definitely no lack of other entities promoting writing challenges and communities! Here are some outlets I found:
Side notes: This is a subjective list. Also I’m choosing to run this post at the start of the year for a couple reasons: 1) a few of these outlets run their challenges other times of the year outside of November, and 2) to give you ample opportunity beforehand to explore the options and ready yourself as you feel necessary. Plus some may have "preptober" kind of events ahead of the proper challenge if you need such a starting point.
local libraries or community organizations-- likely promoted as writing sprints, marathons, or maybe wrimos.
Reedsy Novel Sprint--close to NANOWRIMO’s setup if you’re familiar with it, but offers better prizes and incentives, like free access to exclusive features for not cheating (as in copying, pasting, or using AI); money rewards and a consultation with a Reedsy literary agent to winners! A quiz on this page may even be offered to help you determine what kind of writing schedule is right for you.
ProWritingAid’s Novel November--also close to NANOWRIMO’s classic structure; no cash prizes but offers “expert mentorship and comprehensive support” throughout the writing process and badge rewards for hitting milestones.
Order of the Written Word (O2W) November Challenge-- offers a lot of flexibility in the way of writing goals and projects; participants are also given exclusive discounts from sponsors like Scirivener, Plottr, and others.
Autocrit’s Novel 90-- extends the traditional full-novel challenge to ninety days, from October 1st to December 31st.
StoryADay--challenges participants to write a short story each day of the challenge month; runs in May and September.
Mywriteclub--a “no-frills platform” where you set the goals, be it to write a novel or poetry.
Novel writing and regular writing practices can seem pretty daunting, especially when trying to incorporate them into days or a life full of other obligations. Writing challenges, if you can fit one in, help many writers by providing them a sense of structure, incentive, accountability, and community behind their commitment to the craft. NANOWRIMO’s life as an organization dedicated to promoting creative writing ended just shy of twenty-five years, but several others have risen to take its place, likely even in better ways than the OG offered. Hopefully one of these is just right for you!
BTW, if anyone is curious about OG NANOWRIMO post-downfall, this 2.0 webpage has surfaced, still encouraging the challenge itself but also providing extensive details about what led to the organization’s dissolvement.
Are you a newcomer or a seasoned veteran to writing marathon or sprint challenges? If you’re experienced, which one did you participate in or what did you like about it? What are your tips or recommendations for first-time participants? Feel free to talk about your writing challenge involvement or any other possible topics for Lessons & Advice in the comments, on the socials, or through the chat feature!
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