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For 25 years, aspiring novelists have committed to switch off their internal critic and write a fifty-thousand word novel during November, for "National Novel Writing Month" (NaNoWriMo). For much of that time, the biggest controversy has been how insane that goal seems even to many professional writers. In recent years, though, NaNoWriMo has been plagued by scandal such as sponsorship by predatory vanity presses, allegations of grooming and abuse of power in young writers' forums, and, most recently, divisive policies regarding the use of generative AI, coupled with attacks on AI-critics as "ableist."

Instead of abandoning the challenge, many "NaNos" have opted to challenge themselves outside of the formal NaNoWriMo structure. In October, we'll talk about what forms that can take - whether via the social media of your choice, new organizations springing up to serve NaNo Dissenters, or even abandoning the one-month-per-year approach altogether.

Moderator: Eric Scoles

Location: Our meeting will be in person at Barnes & Noble, Pittsford in the Community Room and on Zoom. (Please join us at least 10 minutes before the 7:00 p.m. start time to ensure a good connection.)

Meeting Time: Tuesday, October 1, 2024 from 6:30-8:45 p.m.

• Open chat 6:30-7:00 p.m.
• Meeting: 7:00-8:45 p.m.
• Close meeting: 8:45 p.m. (or sooner to break down the Community Room before the store closes)

Note: R-SPEC presentations on topics of interest may be recorded, and a link to the recording posted on our website.