Question for the book writers out there! When you set goals for yourself on a manuscript revision project, how do you measure your progress? Chapters completed? Words revised? Hours spent?

Shifting into that key phase of novel revision where I zealously protect my most creative writing window (8 AM to 10 AM), and then spend it watching videos of veterinarians removing barnacles from sea turtles.

I was passed up (again) as Harvard’s commencement speaker, so I'm sharing here the life lesson I would have shared there. If you are shopping at an American grocery store and don’t have a rewards number, the local area code followed by 867-5309 will work every time. www.youtube.com/watch?v=6WTd...

This connects to some hopeful news I heard from a friend who works in social justice law. It sounds like attrition from heroic lawyers stepping down instead of doing unethical work has left the administration so understaffed that they increasingly lack bandwidth to appeal rulings against them.

Bad news, cinephiles

Sending raucous cheers and high-fives to anyone sprinting towards The End on a big November writing project today. Need a pep talk? I got you: nano2.org/posts/2025/a... Hit your goal? The NaNo 2.0 validator is standing by to shower you with badges and certificates: nano2.org/validator/ 📚🎉🏆

Good to see the kids’ section of our local bookstore still carries the classics.

Any other parents living in a fever dream of Italian brainrot music right now?

I helped write the new NaNo 2.0 newsletter! It comes with a free gift for you from our grumpy office leprechaun. sh1.sendinblue.com/adv2nuoholpf... Also from me: How to save an ailing writing project by leveraging the mighty power of physics: nano2.org/posts/2025/a...

Scientists: We discovered a new 1.5" crustacean off the coast of Chile! Popular Mechanics headline writer: www.popularmechanics.com/science/anim...

Handpainted sign by www.analogsigns.com

Wishing a wildly productive first day of NaNoWriMo to everyone writing! If you'd like some company, NaNo 2.0 volunteers will be hosting word sprints today starting at noon Pacific: bsky.app/profile/nano...

The latest NaNo 2.0 newsletter has some of my writing in it! If you love stories of jewel thieves absconding with office microwaves, this one is for you. Read the harrowing tale here: sh1.sendinblue.com/acoxmioholpf...

Totally in awe of the mood boards authors are creating for books they're writing next month. As someone who struggles to visualize my scenes ("Phil was an older man with reddish hair and two eyeballs"), it is really inspiring to see stuff like this.

I helped write the first NaNo 2.0 newsletter that just went out! It's here: sh1.sendinblue.com/ackpx6oholpf... We want these to feel like a writing buddy who lives in your inbox, cheers you on, and makes way too many jokes about imaginary Norwegian history museums. Subscribe: nano2.org/subscribe

Spotted in a window in Fort Bragg, CA.

Newbie cat parent with a question. We adopted two strays a few months ago—a mom and her orange tabby son. Every time they see us they act like they haven't eaten in weeks, so we've been feeding them 3 times a day. That's too much, right? We want to dial it back, but we fear their hangry wrath.

How much planning do you *really* need to do for #NaNoWriMo? NaNo 2.0’s Maria Berejan lays out the options: nano2.org/posts/2025/h... Do you have a favorite novel planning tip or approach you’d be willing to share? I'll drop mine below! 👇

There's another Chris Baty who lives in England and I keep getting added to his work email threads. I can't help but think this is the universe feeding me valuable material for #NaNoWriMo.

When it’s tough to quiet your inner editor, remember Terry Pratchett: "The first draft is just you telling yourself the story." You can always go back and edit, but first you’ve got to get something on the page. Check out NaNo2.org for resources & inspiration as you dig into #Preptober. #NaNoWriMo

Anthropic is settling the class action lawsuit brought by authors, and there’s now an easy way to see if your book was involved. secure.anthropiccopyrightsettlement.com/lookup If you've ever published an ebook, be sure to check! "No Plot? No Problem!" was on the list, and filing a claim was easy.

Before it shut down, #NaNoWriMo offered 100% non-boring creative writing workbooks and curriculum to K-12 classrooms. NaNo 2.0's resident educator @lambradley.bsky.social preserved and updated all of it, and it's now available for free on our site! nano2.org/posts/2025/i... 📚

After they closed NaNoWriMo, I started chatting with some folks about keeping November’s writing adventure going in a more DIY form. Today, we launched a site! www.nano2.org. Sweaty origin story here: nano2.org/posts/2025/w... We’ll be noveling next month, and we’d love to have you join us!

Gah, so excited that @heavyweight.bsky.social is back. If you love heartfelt audio stories told with self-deprecating humor and an impeccable soundtrack, Heavyweight is the perfect salve for these trying times. New episode only made me cry twice. www.pushkin.fm/podcasts/hea...

I will cheerfully pay Apple 3 billion dollars to add a tapback that captures the emotional middle ground between ❤️ and 👍.

I just saw that they’re shutting down NaNoWriMo. 😭 I had a sense the new crew who took over last year were struggling. But it’s incredibly sad to have it end like this. Ugh. So many feelings.

This is heartbreaking.

Parenting advice I wish I'd followed: Shoot more videos! Our son is 10 now, and the photos of him as a 3, 4, and 5 year old are great. But the random movies? Totally magical. I wish I'd taken so many more of them.

“The level of stupidity and negligence here is enraging.” Perfect description of this entire administration.

I tried to (lazily) replicate the @sfgate.com findings that people in the Bay Area are being charged more for online hotel reservations than folks from Kansas City or Phoenix. In my hour of distracted sleuthing, I couldn't find any examples of it. But I did find something even weirder.

If you’re thinking about writing a novel or script next year and would like some support and camaraderie, it sounds like @lanidianerich.bsky.social has a few spots left in her Year of Writing Magically workshop. www.yearofwritingmagically.com Can’t recommend Lani enough as a writing coach.

Please share your apple sticker strategies! The survey closes tomorrow and my monograph will be published in PLOS ONE on Friday.

Parents Everywhere Sigh As Spotify Wrapped Once Again Raises a Toast To Their Deep Love Of Imagine Dragons

Could you help me settle an argument? The scenario: You’re in the kitchen, about to eat an apple. You peel this sticker off it. Where does the sticker go next? A. The trash B. Your shirt C. The counter D. Elsewhere (please explain)

A year ago when we were putting away our Christmas stuff, we wrote up some hopes and predictions for 2024, along with a quick sketch of our day-to-day lives. Then we sealed it in an envelope and slipped it into a box with our stockings. Last night we opened The Envelope.

I love Patrick deWitt and totally missed that he published a new novel last year. bookshop.org/p/books/the-... I’m about to finish it and really want to talk about it! Have you read it? Or are you up for reading it? Maybe we could do a low-effort, impromptu book club on Zoom in mid-December?

The media has been understandably focused on stories about wildly unqualified people taking over large swaths of the federal government. But how am I just now learning that COYOTES ARE SWIMMING TO ANGEL ISLAND? baynature.org/2024/11/19/c...

I just unearthed a 1990 photo collage of my high school bedroom. Dang! So many Gen X alterna-teen artifacts. -Floating heads of Robert Smith and Paul Westerberg! -Commodore Amiga to post on @sgranger.bsky.social’s BBS named after two “Life in Hell” characters! -B&W TV brought up from the basement!

Hi! My name is Chris. ​​ ​​I’m a writer who founded NaNoWriMo many moons ago and ran it until 2012. I’ve spent the last decade doing UX writing, most recently at Figma. I’m currently taking some time off to finish a novel and figure out where to hang this majestic oil painting. Nice to meet you!