I recently wrote on Story Empire about NaNoWriMo being canceled. Now, I’ve received word that it’s back with a new name!

After 25 years of fueling millions of writers with the encouragement needed to finally finish their novel, in early 2025, NaNoWriMo, or National Novel Writing Month, shut down. That left half a million writers around the world without a home.

Now, a new organization, alongside bestselling authors like Madeline Miller, has stepped in to fill the voice. UK-based ProWritingAid, considered by many to be one of the best writing software providers in the world, is relaunching the event in 2025, alongside partners that include Scrivener and Kickstarter.

Welcome, Novel November

“Novel November” builds on the legacy of NaNoWriMo and adds a host of in-person sessions and the support of bestselling authors. As Hayley Milliman, ProWritingAid’s Director of Community, explains:

“Since NaNoWriMo shut down, we have had hundreds of users reach out to us and ask if there is a solution that we can provide to support them on their novel-writing journey. We believe that our infrastructure will allow us to host a challenge that’s not only big and ambitious, but also safe, supportive, and accessible. We see this as a way to give back and celebrate the writing community that inspires us every day.”

Novel November will be a month-long writing challenge designed to help writers complete the first draft of a novel in a short 30 days with the assistance of the tools offered by ProWritingAid, community connection, and the support of bestselling authors.

Writers can use ProWritingAid’s free tools to track their word count, measure their progress towards goals, and earn badges to celebrate their achievements. The software integrates with numerous popular writing platforms, including Word, Google Docs, and Scrivener.

“Throughout the challenge, writers will have access to several free tools to track their progress wherever they write. In addition to easily tracking word count and badges that celebrate milestones they have achieved, they will also be able to see the pace they are on track for, so they can speed up or slow down as appropriate,” said Milliman, who added they will have support along the way as well. And she continued:

“Writing can be lonely when you do it alone. We are working to make the process more fun by adding support and resources and creating a sense of community. There will be expert workshops, daily writing sprints, and access to a supportive global economy leading up to, during, and after the Novel November event.”

Beginning in October, the workshops offered will be centered around the prep work that needs to be done before writing a novel begins, such as generating story ideas and outlining. “Throughout November, we plan six co-writing sprints hosted every day. People will be able to hop on a ZOOM call and write in real time with people around the world.

“We’ve found these writing sprints to be super effective for keeping people feeling like they are writing in community and making connections,” said Milliman.

For the past five years, ProWritingAid has offered a free program of writing events to more than 100,000 writers around the world, including Fantasy Writers Week and Romance Writers Week. “When considering the structure for Novel November, we decided to bring on bestselling authors. This will offer a unique opportunity for participants to write alongside their writing heroes,” said Milliman.

Among the writer/mentor partners who have signed on to participate in the project: Madeline Miller, author, “The Song of Achilles,” Tomi Adeyemi, author, “Children of Blood and Bone,” and Rufi Thorpe, author of “Margo’s Got Money Troubles.” They will be available throughout October and November to help writers prep for the challenge and answer questions that come up as they work on their novels.

“We want people to have a place to turn if they get stuck,” said Milliman.

The event won’t just be happening online. In November, live in-person writing sprints and a story ideation workshop will take place during Author Nation 25 in Las Vegas. They will be offered on November 4, 5, and 6.

In December, attention will turn toward what to do once your manuscript is complete. The focus of the December workshops will be on proofreading, editing, and publishing, Milliman explained, adding:

“I participated in NaNoWriMo for over ten years. I’m so excited to have the opportunity to bring an even bigger and better challenge to writers with Novel November.”

ProWritingAid has a long history of running free, large-scale, successful educational events for hundreds of thousands of people, including Fantasy Writers’ Week, Crime Writers’ Week, and Core Writers’ Week. At each, the company invited bestselling authors to teach people for free about the craft of writing. The same tactics will be followed during Novel November.

Registration for Novel November is open now. Sign up to participate for free at ProWritingAid!