No more NaNoWriMo

To steal a line from a 3OH3! song, "Don't trust a 'NaNo'"

Okay, yeah, if you don't know the 3OH3! song, that probably makes no sense. But hey, this is my blog, and I'm going to make my own inside jokes. 

I hadn't intended for my first post on my new blog to be a big, deep issue, but you know. It happens.

The internet went abuzz a few days ago after NaNoWriMo updated their terms and posted a statement regarding their stance on AI - a fairly shitty, uneducated, and ridiculous stance. Part of the argument they've since utilized in defence of their stance is about the need for a broader conversation. On that, they aren't wrong. There is a lot more nuance to the discussion than merely "AI". After all, artificial intelligence programs serve a broad range of purposes - not all bad - and the kinds of programs are as diverse as the options to use them for. 

However, despite NaNoWriMo's attempt to argue that AI is too broad for them to either agree or disagree, the fact is their message indicated it was pretty much focused on one type of AI - generative AI.

I'm not going to rehash their whole ridiculous statement, but it can really be summarized in one key point. According to NaNo, criticism of AI - in particular generative AI - is ableist and classist.

They've since removed most of their original statement, but thankfully there's a handy tool called web-archive where you can read the entire thing. Let's be clear here - damage control and apologies are not the same as a changed stance. 

Read the initial statement here.

NaNoWriMo has now removed the content referring to it being classist and ableist, saying they "made a mistake". 

This is not them being humble. It's a response to the backlash, people deleting accounts, and former board members speaking out. Current ones, too, including one of the Star Wars authors, Daniel José Older and fantasy writer Cass Morris. Older sent out a pretty intense tweet, in case NaNoWriMo wasn't sure just how poorly their stance sat.

Clearly, in all their 'DEI' pursuits, NaNoWriMo never actually spoke to the people they are claiming require AI. That those individuals can't produce anything worth being proud of if they don't let AI help them walk away with a publishable work.

Many, many disabled writers have continued to speak out about this, about the org claiming to speak for them. Long before NaNoWriMo made its statement, disabled writers have been speaking out about how harmful generative AI is and how insulting it is to them.

Don't be fooled into thinking NaNoWriMo has changed their stance. Their apology is a non-apology - it does not address speaking for an entire group of people incorrectly. It does, however, double down that they feel their stance is justified. 

NaNo meant a lot to a lot of us. It connected us, challenged us. 

It may not have been the way to become a good writer, but it was a way to drive yourself to accomplish writing and connect with other writers in person and online, to share ideas and encourage one another. 

But this is not reason enough to welcome them back.