Writing about National Novel Writing Month in January (instead of November) seems counterintuitive at best.
Or maybe just downright rude.
This is especially true when you consider the (somewhat) recent demise of the group that established the idea of an international novel-writing challenge every November, and then ran with it for 25 years.
As any seasoned Wrimo can tell you, NaNoWriMo – that juggernaut of online novel-crafting accountability – came to a screeching halt in April 2025 after more than a year of scandal and backlash. The initial problems came to light in the wake of their 2023 season, and snowballed from there. (For a recap of what happened, including source links, you can read LitHub’s assessment here.)
To be clear: I am not here to rehash NaNoWriMo’s downfall. For my part, I personally participated – and crossed the 50K threshold – fourteen consecutive times from 2010 – 2023. During those marathons I learned much about my personal discipline, writing style, and accountability habits.
Then everything “hit the fan,” so to speak.
Once I sifted the information for myself, I disengaged from NaNo and did not participate in any similar challenge for 2024. That break was much needed, for a variety of reasons. Yet I missed having the yearly discipline and accountability. So I went looking for a kinder, more substantive, and less adrenaline-fueled substitute.
What I found suited me MUCH better.
30THIRTY
Above: A screen grab of the 30Thirty login page.
By late summer 2025, I was asking like-minded writers on Threads where they planned to “plug in” for their next big writing marathon. Several suggestions were thrown out, and I looked into all of them. But it was 30Thirty that caught my attention.
30Thirty is definitely the new kid to this playground – the site tells you it’s still a “beta version” – but it is user-friendly and not over-encumbered with pointless widgets.
Here’s a quick list of 7 reasons why I signed up to use 30Thirty, and why I’ll be using them again – multiple times – this year.
1. User friendly interface. The word count tracker is comparable to what I’ve been used to at NaNo, including badges that can be earned as I hit certain milestones. But the design is simple, even stripped down from the NaNo versions. For me, this is a win. I prefer simple and unencumbered. Function over fancy. Usability over “look at me!” buttons and badges.
2. Lower word count. As the name 30Thirty indicates, the idea is to write thirty thousand words in a month, instead of the more ambitious 50K goal. For me, this is also a win, as 1000 words a day is (for me) a far more reasonable and practical daily goal.
Above: Screenshot of my 30Thirty dashboard, complete with word count tracker.
3. Four times a year. Honestly, this was the biggest selling point for me. It made me consider which was more sustainable as a writing habit: chasing a 50K “runner’s high” once a year, or building up 120K gradually over that same year? I for one would rather have a slower pace and a higher word count — with a far lower “jibberish content” from slapdash writing.
4. Two month buffer = Planning and Pacing. The fact that it happens every February, May, August, and November with a two month buffer between each challenge makes for excellent pacing – at least for me. During my “months off” I am revising, planning, mapping out new goals, etc. But it’s a two month break, not an eleven month one, so there is little chance to get lazy.
5. Can’t participate all four times? You do you, and don’t feel guilty. I know I can’t do it this coming May; there are many graduations and birthdays and other things happening that month, so putting out 30K on a new project is a no-go for me. But I do plan to use 30Thirty during the other three challenge months this year.
Above: Another screenshot from my dashboard, showing the other side of the “update your progress” feature available on 30Thirty.
6. Not novel-ing? Then put 30K into what you like. This February, I am focusing on short stories. My goal is to write fifteen short stories in one month. You might want to write thirty poems. Or fifteen essays. Or ten letters to people you admire. Whatever. Just work on whatever makes you a better writer.
7. No message boards or chat rooms. At the time of my writing this (January 2026), chat and private messages are still NOT a feature on the 30Thirty website. I hope it stays that way. The chat rooms were part of the toxicity that led to the downfall of NaNo, for one thing. And I have enough distractions vying to erode my writing time; I don’t need this as well.
There you have it – my humble recommendation, such as it is. You may take a look and love it. Or you might want to look elsewhere for your yearly writing challenge. Novel November, TrackBear, Gorby, Writing Habit, and other sites are out there for investigating. The main thing is to find out what works best with YOUR brain, and go from there!
For those of you who have already replaced NaNo with another interface – what do you use? Let me know in the comments!
Happy writing, everyone!
Angela Goff 
