Moving Forward: Dabble, NaNoWriMo, and the AI Discussion

Last week, many writers—Dabblers and non-Dabblers alike—voiced their concerns about NaNoWriMo’s stance on generative AI. As Dabble is a sponsor of NaNoWriMo, we felt it was our duty to comment on the matter and hopefully address some concerns Dabblers might have.

First and foremost, we want to state that we do not agree with, nor were we aware of, the statement NaNoWriMo posted in early September. There have been many conversations online that have pointed out the issues with the statement, but topmost among them are:

• Using terms like “ableism” and “classism” in reductive ways that try to negate dissenting opinions at the expense of people in disadvantaged communities
• Misinformation about the capabilities and commitment to storytelling of so many writers in our communities who have disabilities, who are neurodivergent, or who face systemic challenges in writing and publishing
• Disregard for the ethical concerns of generative AI, specifically the theft of artists’ (including writers’) work and the overall impact generative AI has had on writing and publishing

Of course, Dabble does not agree with or endorse any of these viewpoints. We have a strong, passionate community filled with people of all walks of life, and we know that is reflective of the larger writing community. We are extremely disappointed with the way NaNoWriMo approached these statements and the inconsiderate wording that was used, even with the subsequent statements made.

We are also aware that some other NaNoWriMo sponsors have withdrawn their sponsorship. To those companies, we understand and support their decision. We have had very hard conversations within our seven-person team about whether we would do the same.

Ultimately, we have decided—at least for this year—to continue sponsoring NaNoWriMo and would like to explain why.

More than anything, Dabble exists to support writers and their dreams. In 2022, more than 320k people set a goal for NaNoWriMo and more than 25,000 authors were successful in reaching their goal. As much as we disagree with the statements made by the organization, we cannot deny the incredibly positive impact the annual event has for so many writers across the world.

It’s for those authors, more than anything else, that we wish to continue our support—because there is no event in the world that has this level of impact.

We also know that some people have voiced that you don’t need NaNoWriMo, the organization, to challenge yourself to write 50,000 words in a month. That is absolutely correct, though it would be in bad faith to say that a central organization that has been around for 25 years does not have the ability to bring authors together and be a positive motivating force. It’s because of this ability to help authors realize their goals that we are continuing our sponsorship.

That’s not to say that Dabble is blindly moving forward with unconditional support for the organization. We have been in contact with NaNoWriMo to express our disappointment and see if there is a path forward. Part of moving forward includes:

• A commitment from NaNoWriMo for greater transparency in who they partner with to ensure they align with the values of authors and the writing community
• A commitment to better understand the values and needs of their community through listening and being receptive to feedback
• Notice before statements like the one concerning AI are made—we were just as blindsided as everyone else—so we can champion our community of writers

NaNoWriMo has lost a lot of trust from the writing community. It is going to take a lot of work for them to earn that trust back. For many authors, it can never be earned back. As a sponsor, we are in a unique position to provide feedback from and support authors in our community, and we truly hope to see positive changes in the months ahead for the sake of such an important annual event.

If we do not see positive changes—or, worse, if we see further instances like this one—we will have no choice but to withdraw our support.

Despite all that has happened, we are looking forward to November when we will join hundreds of thousands of other authors to support one another in the pursuit of our writing dreams.

‍

‍

There have been some questions raised during the discourse that has followed NaNoWriMo’s statement on AI. We’d like to answer those below.

Does NaNoWriMo sell or give my writing to companies training or producing AI?

NaNoWriMo operates on the honor system for word tracking, meaning participants self-report their progress and do not upload their work, so your writing cannot be sold or given away by NaNo. We have been told that NaNo has never sold or given away participants’ writing to train or produce AI.

Dabble has a NaNoWriMo integration feature. Does it make what I write in Dabble accessible to NaNoWriMo?

When you connect your Dabble account and NaNoWriMo, you are only giving us permission to report on your word count. No other information or writing is provided; it’s just a convenient way to update your NaNo progress automatically!

Does Dabble sell or give my writing to companies training or producing AI?

No. Last year, we updated our Privacy Policy so people understood that their data and writing is theirs and theirs alone. We would never compromise our integrity or our commitment to our community by selling or giving away your data or writing.

Has Dabble received any sort of compensation or perks from NaNoWriMo to continue as a sponsor or make this statement?

No, we have not. Our sponsorship agreement with NaNoWriMo remains unchanged and we have not received any compensation or perks from them to continue as a sponsor or make this statement. Rather, we will be more attentive and critical of their actions going forward to ensure they align with the values of Dabblers and the writing community.

What about NaNoWriMo’s past controversy?

We are aware of the terrible situation within NaNoWriMo in 2023. Part of our partnership this year was reinforced by new leadership, employees, and policies at NaNo in light of what happened. We are also aware that NaNo has had some missteps this year in expectations for volunteers and managing the organization with such a small staff.

We are taking this all into consideration as we monitor our partnership going forward.