Short answer: no. The nonprofit behind NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) shut down on March 31, 2025, and its website, challenge tracker, regional chapters, and forums all went with it.

But November isn't cancelled. The challenge never belonged to one organization. It's a goal, a deadline, and a lot of writers doing it together.

This year, you can do it with us. WritingHabit's November Novel Challenge is free to join: plan your novel in October, then write it in November with sprints, streaks, leaderboards, and a community cheering you on.

When NaNo shut down, we heard from a lot of writers who'd lost their November. So we built the things they told us they missed. Here's what actually helps writers finish, and how WritingHabit helps with each one.

What makes a good NaNoWriMo alternative?

Every November, we watch writers take on the challenge. Some finish. Plenty don't. The difference usually has less to do with talent or free time and more to do with these six things.

1. A plan before November 1

Most drafts don't die because the writer ran out of time. They die the first time you sit down and have no idea what happens next.

You don't need a full outline. But walk into November knowing four things: who your main character is, what they want, what's standing in their way, and roughly how it ends. Even if you're a pantser, a few signposts help you find your way back when you get lost in the middle. Plenty of writers call this Preptober: a month of planning so you're ready to write on November 1.

How WritingHabit helps: Our free Story Planner walks you through it, one piece at a time:

• Your idea. Choose your genre (blend a few for something like romantasy), add comparable books, and jot down the scenes you can't stop thinking about. Need a spark? Browse our Story Breakdowns to see how bestsellers are built.

• Your characters. Name your protagonist and antagonist, then write the five lines that keep a long draft on track: want, need, lie, realization, and stakes. A sentence each is enough.

• Your story's shape. Pick three to six tropes from our Trope Thesaurus, then build a rough outline from genre-matched Plot Beats, or add your own. Like structure? Hang your beats on Three-Act, Save the Cat, Hero's Journey, and more. Don't? Skip it.

A Plan Readiness checklist tells you exactly what to work on next. When you're ready, one click turns your plan into a project, with your outline laid out as chapter cards. No account needed to start.

Not sure why planning matters so much? WritingHabit Founder Jed breaks it down here.

2. A goal you can hit on a bad week

50,000 words means 1,667 words a day, every day, including Thanksgiving. For some writers, that's a fun stretch. For others, with a full-time job and a full house, it's a setup for quitting by Day 10. Writing a novel in a month is hard enough without a goal that doesn't fit your life.

How WritingHabit helps: Go for the classic 50K, or set a goal that fits your life, like 25,000 words or writing every day for 30 days. It all counts.

Not sure what's realistic? The Story Planner's built-in novel calculator does the math. Pick your book's length and how many days a week you'll write, and it shows your daily goal, how much time that takes each day, and whether it's a pace you can hold.

And once November starts, your goal adjusts with you. Miss a day? Your daily target recalculates, so you always know exactly what it takes to catch up. On a roll? You'll get a stretch goal to keep going.

3. People who'll notice if you disappear

A giant crowd is exciting on November 1. By November 15, what keeps you going is a few people who'd notice if you went quiet.

How WritingHabit helps: Bring your people, find new ones, or both.

Bring your friends. Make your own group with writing friends, critique partners, or your whole writing club. Keep it private or open it up. Your group gets its own leaderboard, so you always know who's catching up.

Find your people. No writing friends yet? Join our Discord community, where writers swap wins, vent about plot holes, and cheer each other on all month.

4. Progress you can see

The middle of a draft is where motivation runs out. What gets you to open the file on a bad night is seeing how far you've already come: 18,000 words stacked up, or a 14-day streak you don't want to break.

How WritingHabit helps: Streaks, stats, milestones, and leaderboards make every writing day visible, so skipping one feels like breaking a chain.

And when you've got something worth celebrating, share it. Turn a line from your book, your word count, or your sprint results into a graphic you can post in a couple of clicks. No Canva, no screenshots. Once your friends have seen your progress, it's a lot harder to quietly quit on Day 12.

5. It fits how you like to write

Some writers want everything in one place. Others live in Google Docs or swear by Scrivener. The best setup is the one that keeps you writing, not the one that makes you stop mid-scene to check your word count and update a spreadsheet.

How WritingHabit helps: The easiest way is to write right in WritingHabit. Your draft, goals, and stats live in one place, and every word is tracked automatically.

Rather use another tool? You can still join in. Write in Google Docs? Our Chrome extension tracks your words while you type. Use Obsidian? There's a plugin for that too. Prefer Scrivener or Word? Set up a manual project and log your daily count in a few seconds. You can still show up on the leaderboard, join groups, and jump into sprints.

6. A habit that outlasts November

50,000 words is a huge start, but most novels run longer. And the real prize from November isn't the word count. It's the habit. If everything disappears on November 30, so does your momentum.

How WritingHabit helps: Your streaks, stats, groups, and projects stay with you after November 30, so the habit you build this month can carry you all the way to "The End." (It's called WritingHabit for a reason. 😉)

And when the draft is done, you don't have to go anywhere else. WritingHabit has tools to help you edit, get feedback, and get your book ready to publish.

Join us this November

Every one of these tips comes down to the same thing: making it easier to keep showing up. You don't need all six figured out by November 1. You just need a place to begin.

NaNoWriMo is gone. Your novel isn't. Begin with the free Story Planner, then write with us all November.

NaNoWriMo and November Writing FAQ

Why did NaNoWriMo shut down?
The organization closed in 2025 after years of controversy and money troubles.

Is there a NaNoWriMo in 2026?
Not an official one. But writers still take on the November challenge every year, and WritingHabit's November Novel Challenge is free to join.

What's a good alternative to NaNoWriMo?
WritingHabit's November Novel Challenge keeps the 50K tradition alive, with custom goals, private or public groups with their own leaderboards, and live sprints. Plus a free Story Planner to get ready in October.

Can I still do NaNoWriMo on my own?
Yes. The challenge is 50,000 words in 30 days, and nobody owns that. You just need a goal, a way to track your progress, and ideally some people to do it with.

How many words a day is NaNoWriMo?
To hit 50,000 words in 30 days, you need about 1,667 words a day. That's doable for some writers and way too much for others, which is why WritingHabit lets you set your own goal and figures out your daily target for you.

Is 50,000 words a full novel?
Usually not quite. Most adult novels land somewhere between 70,000 and 100,000 words, depending on genre. But 50,000 words is a huge chunk of a draft, and finishing that much in a month builds the momentum to keep going.

What is Preptober?
Preptober is the October tradition of planning your novel before the November challenge starts: finding your idea, getting to know your characters, and sketching out your plot so you're ready to write on November 1.

How do I plan a novel before November?
Start small. Know your main character, what they want, what's in their way, and roughly how it ends. Our Story Planner helps you work through those pieces one at a time, so you start November 1 with a map instead of a blank page.