How NaNoWriMo laid waste to itself with a single blog post

November draws near and it’s the time of year for writers to consider participation in the annual tradition of NaNoWriMo. Which is why a controversial opinion published on the NaNoWriMo organization’s blog over the weekend ended up catching so much attention and criticism from the writing community.

NaNoWriMo is short for National Novel Writing Month. During the 30 days of November, people take on the challenge of writing a 50,000 word manuscript—a grueling schedule of 1,700 words a day. As a nonprofit, NaNoWriMo encourages people to form community around writing and publishing. The goal is straightforward and one would think that their position on using AI to generate a manuscript would align with the general consensus on the matter.

Except it doesn’t.

NaNoWriMo’s official opinion on AI is a head-scratcher

According to their website, NaNoWriMo’s official opinion on the use of AI is as follows: “We believe that to categorically condemn AI would be to ignore classist and ableist issues surrounding the use of the technology, and that questions around the use of AI tie to questions around privilege.”

Reading further, the opinion seems to support the idea that writers are not always able to hire editors and other professionals to help strengthen their manuscripts, writers with disabilities sometimes need AI tools to complete their projects, and issues due to literacy levels act as a barrier to publishing. The statement also notes that the publishing business often excludes marginalized writers, forcing them into self publishing models which has a higher upfront cost.

To be clear, there are uses for AI that are assistive in nature such as speech-to-text technology. That isn’t the issue. What people take issue with is generative AI. The general consensus is that AI is a harmful technology that takes opportunities away from creatives while stealing copyrighted work without permission or compensation. It’s truly a sign of the late-stage capitalist hellscape we live in.

Is it classist and ableist to condemn the use of AI?

Many writers have taken to social media to express their views on this topic.

People with disabilities are the experts on their own needs. It’s infantilizing to assert that generative AI is the only way they might be able to write. In fact, many people with disabilities depend on creative freelancing opportunities for financial survival and AI is a direct threat to their livelihood.

I’d also like to address the literacy piece of this as someone who used to work with adult learners in a library setting. Someone who truly has issues with basic literacy skills is not going to be able to detect and correct the numerous mistakes generative AI makes when it spits out an answer to a prompt. Aside from that, it’s clear that the people pushing these tools for this purpose have not had the honor of sitting next to someone who has just written their first paragraph on their own. It means something to be able to put your thoughts to the page.

Writers Board members and sponsors are stepping out

Author, Daniel José Older, went so far as to step down from his position on the Writers Board of NaNoWriMo.

Older wrote a more thorough response on his Substack which also explains a little more about what the Writers Board for NaNoWriMo is.

Maureen Johnson also followed suit.

NaNoWriMo has also started to lose sponsors. Ellipsus, a drafting and collaboration tool for writers, has a statement posted on its website about this incident. Freewrite, a distraction-free writing device, is also no longer on the NaNoWriMo sponsor page, though they have not made any official statement.

Maybe it’s time for a change

This is not the first time NaNoWriMo has been mired in controversy.

Many people are ready to leave NaNoWriMo for a variety of reasons. Cozy fantasy author Travis Baldree points out that November was never really the best time to be locked in on something that requires all of your attention.

There might already be something in the works according to author, Amanda Cherry.

The bottom line is: Writing is free. You don’t need to wait for a specific month or be involved in NaNoWriMo to do it. There are writing communities everywhere, especially online, where you can find support, validation, and inspiration to finish that story you want to tell.