Camp NaNoWriMo Is Gone Too: Writing Challenges for April and July
Camp NaNoWriMo no longer exists: it closed with the nonprofit National Novel Writing Month in 2025, and no organizer has revived the April and July sessions under that name. The format, though, is still the best spring and summer writing challenge anyone has come up with: a goal you set yourself (in words, hours or revised chapters) and a small group that checks in on each other. Here is what the camp was, what still exists, and a light version of the Sagoræ challenge built for revision as much as for drafting.
What was Camp NaNoWriMo?
According to Wikipedia, the camp launched in 2011 as a summer version of the November challenge, with two sessions fixed in April and July from 2013 onward. Two differences from November made it a format of its own:
- The goal was free. No 50,000 words imposed: each participant declared a target, 10,000 words for a short story, 30,000 for half a novel, or a revision goal. That is what made the camp workable for people with a full-time job.
- The cabins. Small groups of a handful of participants, assigned at random or chosen, with a private thread. No crowd: a dozen people asking each other in the evening "where are you at?". Those two ideas are the ones worth keeping.
What still exists in April and July?
As of September 23, 2026, no organized challenge has explicitly taken over the April slot. For summer, ProWritingAid lists a "Novel Summer Camp" on its site, a virtual writing camp presented alongside Novel November (page checked on September 23, 2026; dates and details are not spelled out on that page, and the tool remains English only). The November challenge, on the other hand, has been picked up in earnest: the overview is in the complete guide to the November challenge.
Beyond that, the relay is community-run: Discord servers, writing groups and online workshops that launch their own "month" in spring. The cabin format takes five minutes to recreate: one channel, ten people, an end date.
The light version of the Sagoræ challenge
The Sagoræ November challenge aims for 50,000 words tracked in the statistics (rules on the November challenge page). In April and July, the same mechanics serve a more modest goal, or a revision goal. Three profiles:
| Profile | Goal for the month | What you track in the statistics |
|---|---|---|
| First draft around a job | 20,000 words (667 a day, 5 days out of 7) | Today's words, streak, chart |
| Short story or novella | 12,000 words in 30 days | Percentage of the target on the novel |
| Revising the November draft | One session a day, 25 days out of 30 | The streak, not the word counter |
The third profile is the one the camp allowed and November does not: revising. A November draft reread in December and restructured in January is ready for a scene pass in April and a line pass in July. The method is in how to edit your first draft. During revision the word counter lies (you cut more than you add); the streak tells the truth.
The coaches follow the same regime as the rest of the year: Dédale checks the structure, the Archivist keeps the facts straight, the AI Proofreader works on finished chapters, and none of them writes a line. If your camp is a 20,000 word first draft squeezed around a job, the slot planning is laid out in how to write a novel while working full time.
The calendar of a writing year
The camp made the most sense inside a cycle: November for the draft, April and July for everything that remains.
| Month | What you do |
|---|---|
| October | Prep |
| November | First draft, 50,000 words |
| December to March | Read, structure, scenes |
| April | Camp 1: finish the scene pass, or start a short new project |
| May and June | Beta readers |
| July | Camp 2: line pass, or first draft of the next project |
This article is republished every season; if an organized challenge takes over the April slot, it will be added here.
Frequently asked questions
Does Camp NaNoWriMo still exist? No. It disappeared with the nonprofit in 2025, and nobody has revived its name or its April and July sessions.
What writing challenge is there in April 2027? No organized challenge known to date; communities and the cabin format (small group, free goal) replace it. ProWritingAid offers a virtual summer camp, in English.
Can I run a writing challenge to revise rather than draft? Yes, that was a classic use of the camp. Set a goal in sessions (25 days out of 30) and follow your streak, not your word count, which drops when you cut.
If you want a spring or summer goal tracked in your statistics, with coaches that read without writing, Sagoræ offers a free trial, no card required.
✒️ Read next: How to Finish a Novel: Where Writers Actually Quit, and How to Get Past It · How to Get Back to a Novel You Abandoned Years Ago: A 7-Day Method · How to Write a Novel While Working Full Time: Three Real Schedules
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