What can you do instead of NaNoWriMo?
NaNoWriMo shut down in 2025, and a lot of us are feeling it. Here is where I would start, plus the episodes I have recorded on prepping, surviving, and finishing a draft.
NaNoWriMo is gone, but your draft isn't
If you were counting on NaNoWriMo this year, I am sorry. For a lot of writers it was the one month when sitting down to write a novel felt normal, with a goal, a deadline, and other people doing the same thing. That does not have to disappear with the event.
I started my very first novel during NaNoWriMo in 2010, and I have been talking about it on the podcast since 2019: how to prep, how to look after yourself in the middle, what to do when you fall behind, and what comes next. Those episodes are collected here, along with the blog posts that go with them. The event is gone, so some details are dated, and each episode page says what has changed.
If you would rather skip to a plan, start with NaNoWriMo Is Gone: Your Best Options for November 2026. For a way to draft on a schedule, try the six-week writing sprint.
Three places to begin
If you only read or listen to one thing, pick one of these.
NaNoWriMo is gone: what are your best options for November?
What happened to NaNoWriMo, whether it is happening in 2026, and ways to write a draft this November anyway.
What is a better NaNoWriMo alternative?
The six-week writing sprint as a way to draft on a schedule, without the pressure of one month.
How do you write a first draft in six weeks?
A written walk-through for drafting a book on a six-week timeline.
Getting ready to write
Prep, planning, and a first look at what you are taking on. These were recorded in Preptober and the first week of November.
What are 3 Preptober tips to get ready for NaNoWriMo?
Three novel writing tips for the weeks before you start, from the Preptober season.
How do you get ready for NaNoWriMo during Preptober?
A Preptober episode on getting ready before the first day of November.
What are 5 tips for taking on NaNoWriMo?
Prep, a steady writing time, community, tracking your word count, and celebrating wins. I recorded it in the first week of the 2019 event.
Can ChatGPT be your writing accountability partner?
Using ChatGPT as an accountability or writing buddy during Preptober. Tool details have changed since I recorded it.
Why plan a series this Preptober?
Three reasons to plan your series before you start drafting.
Keeping going when it gets hard
Focus, self-care, and what to do when you are behind.
What goes in a NaNoWriMo survival kit?
Fifteen must-haves for getting through the month.
How do you stay productive and focused during NaNoWriMo?
Three habits for keeping a deadline doable, recorded on day one of NaNoWriMo.
What are good self-care tips for writers during NaNoWriMo?
Seven tips for looking after yourself while you keep writing, within reason.
How do you balance writing and well-being during NaNoWriMo?
A longer conversation about keeping your writing and your well-being in the same month.
How do you catch up if you're behind on NaNoWriMo?
Tips I gave myself when I was behind: reassess your targets, get clear on your story, and brainstorm.
What does a NaNoWriMo municipal liaison do?
An interview with Ashley Long about the volunteer role. The program has since ended.
What to do with the draft
Ending the month, finishing the story, and the next steps.
What if you don't finish NaNoWriMo?
Ending NaNoWriMo with unfinished business, and what to do next.
What do you do after you finish NaNoWriMo?
Celebrate first, then revise, produce your book, and plan how you will promote it. Some 2019 publishing details are dated.
How do you use ChatGPT or Claude to analyze your novel?
Questions to ask an AI about plot structure, pacing, characters, plot holes, and themes after you have a draft.
Want the full plan?
Rapid Release Roadmap walks you through the six-week sprint and a pace of about four books a year. You set the pace.
If you would like to plan your series before you draft, try the 3-Day Plan Your Series Challenge. If you would like everything I teach, the Library Pass opens all 23 masterclasses for a one-time $97.
I'm Carissa Andrews
I have been an indie author since 2013 and have published 30+ books. NaNoWriMo is where I started my very first novel, and I have used that energy on several books since.
I teach drafting as a pace you can hold, and I come at it as a Reiki Master too: I want a plan that feels supported, not one that wrecks you.
Frequently asked questions
What happened to NaNoWriMo?
NaNoWriMo shut down in 2025. I wrote up your options for November in this post.
Is there still a November writing challenge?
NaNoWriMo itself is gone, but you can set your own goal and dates, write alongside friends, or follow a six-week sprint. My options post and episode 257 walk through some choices.
How do I prepare for a November draft?
How do I keep going during the month?
Try episode 154 for a survival kit, 156 for staying focused, 105 for self-care tips, and 207 on balancing writing and well-being.
What if I fall behind or don't finish?
Episode 55 has tips for catching up when you are behind. Episode 159 is about ending the month with unfinished business.
What do I do after I finish a draft?
Episode 4 covers what to do after the month ends, and episode 211 covers questions to ask an AI about your story once you have a draft.
Are these episodes still useful?
Many of them work for any writing sprint, not only November. Some details are dated, like tools, publishing rules, and anything about the event itself, and each episode page notes what has changed.
Where should I start?
Start with NaNoWriMo Is Gone: Your Best Options for November 2026, then pick the stage below that sounds like where you are.
More topics
Ready to plan your next draft? Set your own pace.
Start with Rapid Release Roadmap and choose the pace that fits your life.
