Yes, you read that title right.

And you’re probably wondering why in the world I would cut myself off from this organization, this writing challenge that made me feel so connected with writers across the globe. This was something I enjoyed and looked forward to every year, an opportunity to could connect with other writers to support each other as we battled through the challenges. It helped me grow and push myself.

But it had to go.

I’m not going to draw this post out super long or go into a ton of detail. But yes, I deleted my NaNoWriMo account on July 14th, after much thought and fighting my own reluctance. Here’s why…

It was brought to my attention through something another author posted to raise awareness about what the NaNoWriMo organization was doing. The things brought to light were things I’d never even seen, because I didn’t really read the NaNoWriMo emails I got. I did a little digging, asked some people, and looked at my emails. Despite the fact that NaNoWriMo has done great things for my writing and taught me how to manage time and tackle big goals, they are pushing things, promoting things that I strongly disagree with. More specifically, promoting books and stories containing things I strongly disagreed with and believed were unbiblical.

Like I said, I won’t go into a lot of detail now (maybe I will someday). For now, I still plan to make a goal of 50k words for November, but not in affiliation with the NaNoWriMo organization. And I’m currently looking for an alternative to NaNoWriMo where I can still connect with other writers during challenges, but also have something that’s more in-line with my Christian beliefs.

I don’t want to tell you what to do, but I want to encourage you to take a second look at what NaNoWriMo is and if it’s something you want to support. I will keep you all updated on my journey of finding a replacement or alternative to this organization. If you would like to talk more in-depth about what NaNoWriMo is doing or ask me any questions about it, feel free to contact me.

One more bit of news…

On July 30th, I want to do a post all about ethnic diversity in YA books. It will be a compilation of books with diverse characters and also diverse authors. I also want to include messages from writers and readers in our community about the need for more diversity in the book world. 

So, here’s how you can contribute: follow this link to the Google form to tell me about your favorite diverse books or authors and maybe even share your thoughts about the state of YA books right now. 

I hope you all are doing well. <3 Have a great week!