NaNoWriMo’s Young Writers Program

1. Sign up for NaNoWriMo’s Young Writers Program.

Be sure to register as a “Young Writer” and remember your password and security questions.

IMPORTANT DETAILS: Your parent, guardian, or educator must review the Terms & Conditions and give you permission before you establish an account. If you are under 13, you may register without an email address. If you are 13 or over, you must have a valid email address.

2. Tell us about yourself.

Go to your Profile & Settings to upload an avatar and fill in as much profile information as you’d like.

Profile & settings

IMPORTANT DETAILS: We take your privacy and safety seriously. Please see our Privacy Policy for more information on what we collect and display. Consult with your parent, guardian, or educator before you fill in your profile.

3. Create your novel for the upcoming or current event.

Click “Start your novel now.” on the website dashboard, then fill in as much information as you know—including your own personal word-count goal. (You can update your novel info at any time, so no pressure!)

Start your novel now

4. Get familiar with your on-site writing space.

Use the “Prep” section to freewrite and take notes on your novel. You’ll be able to draft and save everything here once the event begins.

Read more in the Writing Space How-To.

Writing space

5. Use our Writer Resources.

We’ve got workbooks, pep talks, and NaNoWriMo flair to get you prepared and inspired to write.

6. Connect with fellow novelists.

Visit our forums to talk noveling with young writers around the world—and sometimes procrastinate a little.

Writer forums

IMPORTANT DETAILS: Our forums are governed by strict Codes of Conduct and fully moderated by NaNoWriMo staff members. If you are under 13, you may read but not post in the forums. If you are 13 or over, consult with your parent, guardian, or educator before you begin posting in the forums.

7. On November 1, start writing!

Your story matters. And for 30 crazy, exciting, surprising days, you get to lock away your inner editor, let your imagination take over, and just create.

8. Earn badges and track your progress.

When you use our on-site writing space, we’ll automatically count your words and award you badges for days-in-a-row and percentage completed.

Writing badges

IMPORTANT DETAILS: You can write your novel anywhere. If you’re working in a separate computer document, just copy and paste your progress in the writing space—strictly for word-counting purposes and not as a master document. If you’re handwriting, generate and paste enough Lorem Ipsum to reflect your current word count.

9. Stay motivated with writing challenges.

Click the icons at the bottom of your writing space to activate word sprints and dares.

Writing prompts

10. Keep writing until the very end.

If you reach your word-count goal by 11:59:59 PM on November 30, you’ll be declared a NaNoWriMo winner and get a few goodies to celebrate.

Event end

After November

Your novel will remain on our site as long as you keep your account. Come back to continue writing and editing—or download it to open in another application.

In January and February, we support the editing and publishing process through our “Now What?” Months.

In April and July, writers 13 or over may join us for Camp NaNoWriMo.

Our forums remain open and active all the time. You can also follow us year-round on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Twitter, and Tumblr.