NovelEmber

What is NovelEmber?

NovelEmber is an annual month-long online writing challenge during November! As a celebration of National Novel Writing Month, commit to writing 50,000 words of prose during the month. Then, claim a digital badge and printable certificate to celebrate your success.

As the name suggests, NovelEmber is primarily a novel writing challenge, but you can create anything you like!

World Anvil’s NovelEmber was first created in 2024 at the request of our community, as a replacement for NaNoWriMo (which disbanded as an organization).

What can you create for NovelEmber?

Here are just some ideas of what you could pledge to create during NovelEmber:

• Start a novel or write a novella.
• Start a webnovel or a piece of serial fiction.
• Turn your TTRPG Game into a novel!
• Write ten 5,000-word short stories set in your world.
• Write 50,000 words of new worldbuilding!

Don’t fancy writing 50,000 words of prose, but still want to take part? You can also participate as a REBEL with your own goals!

For example:

• Write a novelette (or a shorter piece of fiction! Learn more about fiction word counts here).
• Create an RPG adventure or a D&D one shot adventure (check out our free downloadable RPG adventure template).
• Be an edit rebel: Set your goal as completing an editing pass of your work instead.
• Set your own wordcount goal for free writing or worldbuilding during the month.

How do you win NovelEmber?

NovelEmber operates on an honor system—so you decide your goal, and if you achieved it! Towards the end of the challenge, you’ll be able to claim your winner’s certificate.

If you’re a World Anvil user, you can track your progress on the dashboard widget, and even create shareable graphics to update your followers on your progress. Anvilites can also claim a digital badge for their profile!

How do I prep for NovelEmber?

Obviously for a full marathon month of writing, it helps to prepare! We’ve put together a guide on how to prepare for NovelEmber! Check it out for resources, advice and actionable tips.