For the first time since I took up writing novels, I’m in a position to start drafting a book as NaNoWriMo begins. Unfortunately, the NaNoWriMo organisation has made it unappealing by taking a stance on AI that’s caused a ruckus amongst authors.
This is my take on what they said, and my plans for drafting my novel in November.
Who/what is NaNoWriMo?
NaNoWriMo stands for National Novel Writing Month.
It began in 1999 with a small group of San Franciscan writers, the aim being to write 50,000 words within 30 days. It grew year-on-year, sprouting a non-profit organisation in 2005, and in 2023, more than 400,000 writers took part.
There have been prior controversies, but this latest one has blown up in their faces like a stick of dynamite mistaken for a cigar.
What’s this AI controversy all about?
NaNoWriMo released a statement backing the use of AI in writing. The response was surely more seismic than they ever expected, so they updated it trying to appease the author community, but for many, the damage was done and the update improved little.
The updated statement is linked here: https://nanowrimo.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/29933455931412-What-is-NaNoWriMo-s-position-on-Artificial-Intelligence-AI
The below video is a brilliant breakdown from an author’s perspective:
How do I see it?
I do not in any way agree with or support NaNoWriMo’s position on AI.
Anyone who’s ever tried to write a full-length novel will tell you it takes a lot of work and know-how to mould 50,000+ words into something coherent that moves readers. Completing a novel is a hard-earned achievement. That an organisation that had fashioned itself as a champion of the writing community would discount all that effort and proclaim it’s fine for anyone to knock out an AI-generated knock-off is galling.
What are my plans?
I’m going to take on the challenge of writing 50,000 words in 30 days, but will not be participating on NaNoWriMo’s website. I’ll be referring to it as NaNOWriMo.
I will be working on my second attempt at part 2 of volume 2 of The Spike. I had written a prior draft but have comprehensively replotted the whole thing, so this is effectively a fresh start.
I will post a daily wordcount update on Facebook and Twitter (yes, I still call it Twitter, Elon has ably demonstrated it’s best not to take any notice of him), and I will blog weekly with a little more detail/comment.
I haven’t historically been the quickest of writers, and I’ll be working my full-time day job throughout, so am not particularly confident, but a November dedicated to writing should at least break the back of this story.
Wish me luck!
Arrowmaker Books 