Novel November

In 1999, a small group of writers band together with one goal in mind: write 50,000 words during the month of November. The project became a national phenomenon, with hundreds of thousands of writers taking the challenge every year. What became known as NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) was a major event, and the modern version had a website where writers could log their projects, monitor their word count, earn badges, and feel like they were part of a community.

Unfortunately, there were issues with the structure. The forums weren’t properly managed, and a community where writers went to find like-minded individuals became an unsafe environment. That, paired with poorly managed finances and other issues, led to the program's downfall after decades of writers had participated in the event.

But writers are still looking for the community, the challenge, and the camaraderie that Novel November brought every year. There was a thrill in logging your daily word count, a dopamine hit for receiving a badge, and it’s always helpful to have a goal to work toward, especially one shared by other writers.

So if you happen to be one of the writers who is missing the old National Novel Month Challenge, I’ve got some options for you that can help you get back on track!

First up, my friends at PathfindersWritingCollective.com have created an inclusive, community-oriented space that has goals throughout the year, not just in November. And they aren’t just writing goals. You can focus on writing, editing, revising, wherever you are in your journey. Set your goal, and work toward it with a supportive community around you. And it’s completely free!

If you’re looking for something very similar to the old National Novel Writing Month, ProWritingAid.com/Novel-November has set up a very similar platform, including the word count tracking and the badges that the old challenge had. While I am not a part of this challenge, my understanding is it is completely free, and you don’t have to be a ProWriteAid member to join.

If you’re someone who just needs the accountability of tracking your word count and setting goals, there are some great trackers that you can use all year long to achieve this.

My personal favorite is Pacemaker.press which allows you to track several projects for free, but does have a paid version that allows you to track an unlimited number of projects. I use the free version and then just archive projects when I’m done with them. The word count tracker allows you to track your progress and set a daily goal. You can set a target finish goal, and it will calculate how many words you need to write each day to complete your project and stay on track. You can customize these goals, choosing your commitment strategy, and see your writing stats for your projects. There are also group challenges and competitions.

There’s also the Trackbear.app, which is the word count app that the Pathfinders Writing Collective uses in conjunction with their challenges. It allows you to track word counts, chapters, scenes, lines, and even time spent editing. Trackbear also allows you to track whether you’re on schedule, and it has a habit builder to help you develop your writing routine. There are community leaderboards, challenges, and community goals, which are features the collective takes advantage of. One thing I love about Trackbear is that it’s completely free with no paid versions. You have access to everything, and it will never ask you to upgrade.

Another good option is MyWriteClub.com, which is also free. I’ve never personally used this one, but my understanding is that it’s the most basic tracker. You are just setting a goal and tracking your word count until you reach it. It does have some community aspects built in as far as sharing your goal and establishing word sprints, but I don’t think it’s geared toward being quite as social as the others.

No matter what you’re looking for to light your fire this Novel November, there are options out there for you. And it’s not too late to get started! So check out these sites, set your goal, and dive in!

I am not an affiliate of any of these websites. This is based on my own experience and opinions. These are not affiliate links.