If you know what's happening (and has happened last year with NaNo) I want to offer some alternatives that people are working on to keep the event while ditching the organization.
@novella-november
Hate AI, but love writing challenges?
Want to take part in a global, fun project to write a Novella in one month?
Grab some friends, and t
I may reblog this post as I learn more but there are two right off the bat!
If you don't know why I feel the need to advocate for alternatives I will be getting into the second issue (not the triggering scandal last year) below the break.
(Long story short: On top of last year's scandal... they now have an AI sponsor. Which is a big red flag for me and feels like they are looking for content to train their AIs on as well as new consumers. What better place than thousands of unpublished novelists working on completing a novel in a month?)
(PS If you reblog... I don't need details of last year's scandal... please.)
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Hi everyone, if you've been with me for a while you might know I'm a fan fo NaNoWriMo... The event, no longer the organization. I was wary... but willing to see how new policies and restructuring shook out after the major scandal last year (if you aren't aware, I won't be going into the details here, but you may find them triggering).
It's this second issue that I feel that I can actually speak on... Because NaNoWriMo has a new sponsor... and that sponsor is AI.
When I first heard that NaNo was okay with AI, I was wary but... not too upset. After all, NaNo's big thing for a long time was just "Just write" basically however you had too, whatever tools you need. I know that there are AIs designed to aid with grammar and clarity. And that seemed... if not fine, than understandable. NaNo (for me) is a major source of motivation and I could completely understand why NaNo wouldn't want wins invalidated because they used some kind of AI to help them along. Then I found out that NaNo picked up an AI sponsor and that completely changed the story for me. It went from the people NaNo served... to supporting one of the organizations that might be ripping off writers.
As I've said in the notes of my fics when I reluctantly took steps to protect my work from AIs like ChatGPT, putting my work in an AI is essentially monetizing my work without reimbursing me and other writers and undercutting jobs in writing that people like me truly want. I don't know what this sponsor's actual AI is like. But it is a massive red flag that they are sponsoring an organization that's focused on an event that generates thousands of potential books to train their AI on.
NaNo's official stance is "We also want to be clear in our belief that the categorical condemnation of Artificial Intelligence has classist and ableist undertones, and that questions around the use of AI tie to questions around privilege." NaNo is experiencing a lot of backlash.
I will be hoping that one of the alternatives are up and running come November.
Have you ever just been writing a sad scene in your story and then you just start crying because it’s incredibly sad and you’re emotional about it? Well that’s me right now and I wasn’t expecting this
I am so mad. I was in the middle of a really productive writing sit-down, and the god forsaken Google Drive server crashed and it’s legit the only webpage I can’t access anymore.
I haven’t lost any progress, but I also can’t continue. I’m so sad right now.
I'm struggling with my NaNoWriMo project and here's why
For this year I've had multiple ideas (three to be exact) but I didn't have the time to plot everything, create the characters etc so I chose to continue with my project from last year (I know I'm cheating but whatever). After last year's NaNoWriMo I desperately needed space and time away from this project but I never really came back to it, so I thought it'd be a great opportunity to get back to it BUT (here's the big but)
I really find no fun writing it. I want to continue it. I really do because I still like my idea and I still like the whole setting etc but I just can't really go back into the story. It's not as easy as it used to be, I'm not as committed and I don't know how to continue. I question everything (well not everything but at least half of it) I wrote last year. I know it's still only the first draft and I'll probably change a lot of stuff later or rewrite it but it's like I'm stuck.
Furthermore, I already lost three days of November because I was on a trip and couldn't write. And the whole research I need to do annoys me and I procrastinate all the time, I know I should be writing and I want to but I just don't. Yesterday, for example, I wasn't able to write more than 400 words.
Should I stop with this one and chose one of my other ideas instead? But I'm zero prepared to do so. With this story, I actually already know the characters, the setting and some of the plot. Or work through it in some way?
