Have the NaNoWriMo Forums Compromised Child Safety? | by Dr. Casey Lawrence

A look at accusations made against National Novel Writing Month

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Nov 21, 2023

To preface this article, I would to disclose that I have been a writer for NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) since 2011. I have previously written stories on Medium praising NaNoWriMo and the forums, having sporadically taken part over the last decade. As recently as last summer, I participated in Camp NaNoWriMo, one of their off-season challenges.

A recent string of allegations involving the exploitation and sexualization of minors on the Nano forums has led to a significant exodus from the writing program, including several prominent authors making public statements against the 501(c)(3) (charity status) organization.

On Friday, November 17, the NaNoWriMo Board of Directors emailed and posted a public statement regarding the controversy. For those users not active on the forums, this email may have come as a shocking introduction to the problem.

What is NaNoWriMo?

National Novel Writing Month is a US-based nonprofit organization that runs a yearly event every November during which aspiring writers write the first draft of a novel. The goal is to write 50,000 words (the length of the…