National Novel Writing Month, usually shortened to NaNoWriMo, is the November tradition of working toward a writing goal. The classic challenge is 50,000 new words between 1 and 30 November. You can also make a personal plan that fits your time and your book.
The original NaNoWriMo nonprofit closed in 2025. The tradition continues: NaNo 2.0 is a volunteer-led community, while ProWritingAid's Novel November is a separate organised challenge. Their participation rules and services differ.
This is ChapterMuse's independent guide, not an event registration page. You can use the plan and calculator with any notebook or writing app.
Your November, at a glance
A 30-day novel-writing plan.
November01—07Week 1 · BeginGive the story somewhere to go.
11,667 words by 7 November
Put a character under pressure and let them make a choice. Sketch the consequence before the next session so you return to a scene, not a blank page. Keep a short list of facts to research later.
Make the opening earn its place ↗November08—14Week 2 · ComplicateMake the next problem different.
23,334 words by 14 November
If each chapter repeats the same obstacle, change what the character risks or what they know. Write the scene where an easy solution stops working. A rough connecting paragraph can carry you to the part you are ready to write.
Untangle a sagging middle ↗November15—21Week 3 · CommitFollow the consequences.
35,000 words by 21 November
Let earlier choices cost something. Pick one unresolved relationship or promise and bring it back into the action. If you are behind, recalculate using the writing days you actually have left, rather than doubling tomorrow by instinct.
Plan a scene that changes something ↗November22—30Week 4 · FinishWrite toward an ending.
50,000 words by 30 November
Make room for the decisive choice and its aftermath. A finish can be an ending, a word goal or a sustainable habit. Save a copy, note the questions you still have and give the draft some distance before revising it.
Plan the revision after the draft ↗A target that fits your days
Find your daily
word count.
The usual 1,667 words assumes you write all 30 days. Take four days off and it becomes 1,924. Starting late? Already ahead? Change the numbers below.
ChapterMuse
Your November pace
Make the month yours.
Count your writing days before 30 November, including today if you plan to write. For a new-words challenge, count only words written during the challenge.
Your next writing day
1,667words per writing day
50,000 words still to write.
Your checkpoints
- Writing day 7
- 11,667
- Writing day 14
- 23,334
- Writing day 21
- 35,000
- Writing day 30
- 50,000
Daily pace rounded up. Checkpoints show your total word count.
A missed-day example: 12,000 words written toward 50,000, with 20 writing days left, means 1,900 a day. If that is unrealistic, reduce the goal or extend your personal deadline. An event's deadline still follows its own rules.
Every single day.
A note from Muse
Big novel.
Small start.
Give yourself ten minutes with today’s free writing task. Find a voice, sharpen a conversation or put a character under pressure. Then take that spark back to your novel.
A new exercise at midnight, UK time. Write wherever you like. Count it toward a challenge only if it belongs in your novel and meets that event’s rules.
ChapterMuse is a Windows and Mac app for drafting, planning and revising. Keep the work local, set a useful target and carry your November draft into the next stage.
01
Plan beside the page
Keep chapters, scenes and their intentions beside the manuscript in the Outliner.
Explore the Outliner ↗02
Track an honest target
Set a dated sprint, choose your writing days and see the daily pace change as you work.
See Targets & Writing History ↗03
Keep going after November
Use revision passes to protect your starting point and review what changed.
Plan a revision pass ↗AI is optional. You can write and plan without it. If you use the in-app Muse companion, check your chosen challenge's AI rules first; the authorship guide explains how to keep creative decisions yours.
Before you start
November writing, explained.
When is NaNoWriMo 2026?
The November writing challenge runs from 1 to 30 November 2026. October preparation is often called Preptober. If you join an organised challenge, check that organiser’s time zone, counting rules and closing time.
What happened to NaNoWriMo?
The original NaNoWriMo nonprofit closed in 2025. The writing tradition continues through independent communities, including the volunteer-led NaNo 2.0. ChapterMuse is an independent writing app and is not an organiser or official partner of these challenges.
Are Novel November and NaNoWriMo the same thing?
They share the November novel-writing tradition, but the names do not identify one organisation. ProWritingAid runs a challenge called Novel November; other independent communities also use the phrase. Choose a community if you want events or validation, or follow your own November plan.
How many words a day is 50,000 in November?
50,000 divided by 30 is 1,666.67, so 1,667 words a day is the usual rounded target. If you reserve four days off, 26 writing days require about 1,924 words each. Use the calculator above to account for your own progress and remaining writing days.
Can I start late or choose a smaller goal?
Yes, for your own writing challenge. You might choose 15,000 words, finish an existing draft or work for twenty minutes a day. An organised event may have separate rules for badges or prizes. Keep its requirements distinct from your personal definition of a useful month.
Does a 50,000-word draft mean my novel is finished?
It means you have reached a word-count milestone. Your story may need more or fewer words, and a first draft still needs structural revision and editing. Write toward an ending, then decide what the manuscript needs before thinking about publication.
Do I need ChapterMuse or AI to take part?
No. You can write in a notebook or any editor. ChapterMuse is an optional Windows and Mac writing app; our website’s daily craft exercises are free and do not collect your writing. You can draft and plan in the app without using its AI companion. Check your chosen event’s AI policy separately.
Sources & further reading
Challenge details checked on 25 October 2026: NaNo 2.0's FAQ, ProWritingAid's Novel November and the independent NaNoWriMo community directory. The schedule and calculator here are ChapterMuse's own planning resources.
Need more craft help? Read about dialogue and subtext, character arcs or building a story bible.