Alternatives to NaNoWriMo

So you’ve thought about NaNoWriMo but are not sure it’s for you?

You are in good company.  Lots and LOTS of people want to do it, but are afraid they can’t make it happen.  Lots of others have tried but didn’t make it to the finish line.

Or maybe you wanted to do it this year, but feel like it's too late to start.

Or maybe you did start, but it's just not coming together.

Never fear; there are alternatives to NaNoWriMo.

Don’t believe me?  Just keep reading!

I have somehow stumbled upon a plethora of articles about such alternatives - three, five, six, or nine of them, in fact.  Take your pick!

Here are a few samples to whet your “alternatives appetite.”  

…

Should you do NaNo?

• by Ellie Betts

Ellie swings back and forth between pros and cons… concluding with:  You know what?  Why not?  She speaks of her own NaNo attempt - and admits that failing NaNoWriMo was one of the best things that ever happened to her as a writer.

…

3 Alternatives to NaNoWrimo

• written by Emily Wenstrom
• presented by Joe Bunting at The Write Practice

Emily shares 3 catchy ideas that might work better for you:

1. Round of words in 80 days
2. 52 week short story challenge - inspired by Ray Bradbury who famously stated: It’s not possible to write 52 bad stories in a row.
3. Continuous Creation Challenge

…

Five alternatives to NaNoWriMo

• by Carrie Rembrandt

Writers don’t have to be novelists.

There is writerly life beyond novel writing!

1. The Notebook Project: One notebook, cover to cover, in 30 days
2. National Blog Posting Month: 30 blogs, 30 days.  I’ve discovered there are all kinds of these challenges and have actually participated in 31 Amazing Days - 31 because it was for the month of October.
3. Academic Writing Month  - Set your own goals based on these rules.  
4. Digital Writing Month 
5. Become a NaNo rebel - Actually NaNoWriMo organizers have set up an official forum devoted to NaNo rebels - for those writing non-fiction.

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6  Alternatives to NaNoWriMo

• Dot and Dash

Sure enough, here’s one with SIX alternatives - although a few of them overlap with the previous article.

… and finally…

9 Alternatives to NaNoWriMo

Again, several overlaps with the articles above including poetry, blogging, and literary journals. Lots of fun stuff!

...

So there you go.  Lots of really cool options for you to try if you think that NaNoWriMo is too much.  Maybe you can tweak one of these to make your very own best version.

Images courtesy of National Novel Writing Month.