You can use AI for National Novel Writing Month if it helps. Here’s why.

Moor Studio via Getty Images If writing a novel has long been on your bucket list, it’s time to stop dreaming and get a draft done — using whatever tools you like to overcome your fear of the blank page. The event known as National Novel Writing Month , or NaNoWriMo, turns 25 this year. Participants around the world are invited to “win” by finishing a draft of 50,000 words at breakneck speed between November 1 and November 30, without worrying too much about the quality of the draft. That may sound onerous, but it breaks down to just under 1,667 words a day. (Full disclosure: I participated once 15 years ago, and that daily word goal is still seared into my brain.) So far, so uncontroversial. NaNoWriMo has helped many writers over the years, leading to global bestsellers such as Wool by Hugh Howey (the basis for Apple TV’s Silo) and The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern. The San Francisco-based organization behind it, also called NaNoWriMo, is now a nonprofit pulling in $1.2 million a year from donations and sponsorships — not a massive number, but enough for four full-time employees who run a handful of writing programs for adults and kids. But in 2024, arguments over Artificial Intelligence, and how much we should be using it, are as unavoidable as the U.S. election. An answer about AI in a NaNoWriMo FAQ in September, affirming that the organization is OK if you want to use AI tools in writing that 50,000-word draft, sparked a firestorm of controversy . The organization tweaked its answer several times in response. Still, long-time fans of the event, many of whom participate every year, reacted with fury. A few famous authors, including Morgenstern , withdrew their support. Judging by the backlash, you’d think NaNoWriMo had encouraged authors to use AI, instead of simply declaring itself neutral. You’d also think the organization was involved in some evil scheme to train AI models using thousands of novels — despite the fact that the NaNoWriMo site asks only for your word count, not your actual content. […]

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