Why Ninja Writers is No Longer Sponsoring NaNoWriMo

Sometimes a good thing falls apart.

Photo by Johnny Briggs on Unsplash

This is an email we sent out this morning. I’ll have a broader, more indepth take on the issue of NaNoWriMo and its controversies in a day or two.

Hi, Ninja Writers,

We woke up this morning to emails and messages of concern regarding NaNoWriMo and their recent statement on the use of AI by writers. Earlier concerns have also come up that we were unaware of when we agreed to sponsor NaNoWriMo.

My strongest belief is that a good story, well told, can change the world. And helping writers to tell those stories is my passion. For that reason, NaNoWriMo’s recent statement is very concerning to me.

I value creative connection and a (human) mentorship approach to teaching. It’s why the majority of our programs are offered live. It’s why we remain a small company so that we can continue to foster that close connection.

NaNoWriMo has been so important to so many writers. Their early, simple mission showed me two decades ago that I was capable of writing my own first book. The truth is that writing fiction is hard work. Community makes it better.

We respect the long history of NaNoWriMo and the energy that it generates in writers. But we’ve made the…