MmmFA: if NaNoWriMo produced a polished novel.
Complete a third novel draft by the end of November.
MmmFA: Mighty Fine Arts
A 6-Month Group Novel Writing Program
June - November 2025
With an alternative schedule for a slower pace: June - March.
This article is part of Literary Salon issue #2.
Program Overview
Before it’s implosion, I respected NaNoWriMo but always as a spectator, never a participant. I didn’t see its goals as fitting my process. For MmmFA, I want to serve people who loved NaNoWriMo, but I also want it to be a space for people who like me, who just didn’t fit.
The secondary goal of MmmFA is to take us through three complete drafts of a novel, from initial concept to polished manuscript.
The primary goal is to take each of us, wherever we are in the process of writing our next novel, and bring us to where we want to be. The program has goals and is structured around them, because that’s a necessity, but what you want as author matters more. You don’t have to start fresh to participate. You don’t have to be any particular type of writer, either in process or output. Be who you and create what you desire, using the MmmFA group however you need to help get you there.
Why the name MmmFA: Mighty Fine Arts? It’s a play on a Master of Fine Arts.
Participation is free, both here and at the Literary Salon Forum. You can also choose to support Literary Salon with a subscription; the basic paid subscription is super cheap, and if you want to do more, you can subscribe at the “True Fan” level.
It’s time for Substack to help support your desire to write a novel and not just distract you from it.
— Thaddeus Thomas
Note: I used Claude 4 for the initial draft of the main writing schedule. I’m not a fan of AI in the creative arts, and while I consider this to be different, if its use here bothers you, I understand.1
This schedule is different from the initial one in the article where I proposed the idea for MmmFA, and I’ve added alternative schedules for writers with different needs.
Program Structure
Phase 1: First Draft (June - July)
Goal: Complete a rough first draft of 60,000 words or more. (Or less.)
Week 1-2 (June 1-14): Foundation
Setting writing goals and schedules
Group introductions and accountability partnerships
Character development and world-building
Brainstorming and Outlining or Test Chapters
Week 3-8 (June 15 - July 31): Writing Sprint
Momentum Writers: Daily writing target: 1,304 words will produce a 60,000 word draft.
Daily Polish Writers and Slower Pace Writer:
The Daily-Polish alternative runs from June 15 - September 30. Your goal is two drafts—a slower, more polished first draft and then a final draft. 560 words a day will produce a 60,000 word draft.
In October and November, you’ll work on a final, polished draft with the Momentum Writers.
The June 15 - September 30 alternative is also appropriate for anyone who wants or needs to write at a slower pace. This will allow you to complete a first draft by the end of September.
Your second draft dates are October 1st - December 31st.
Third draft: January 1st - March 31st.
Personally, I plan on using the Slower Pace schedule.
Weekly check-ins with accountability partners
Forum discussions for motivation and troubleshooting
Phase 2: Second Draft (August - September)
Goal: Complete structural revision / character development
Slower-Paced Alternative: October 1st - December 31st
Week 9-10 (August 1-14): Assessment and Planning
Read-through of first draft (no editing yet)
Identify major plot holes, character inconsistencies, and structural issues
Create revision plan with specific goals
Week 11-16 (August 15 - September 30): Structural Revision
Rewrite problematic scenes
Strengthen character arcs and motivations
Improve pacing and story flow
Add or remove scenes as needed
Phase 3: Third Draft (October - November)
Goal: Polish prose and prepare final manuscript
Slower-Paced Alternative: January 1st - March 31st
Week 17-20 (October 1-31): Line Editing
Sentence-level improvements
Dialogue refinement
Show vs. tell analysis
Style consistency
Week 21-24 (November 1-30): Final Polish
Proofreading and copy editing
Final read-through
Formatting for submission
Celebration and next steps planning
Group Structure and Accountability
Weekly Commitments
Monday: Submit weekly word count/progress report at the forum
Wednesday: Check in with accountability partner
Monthly Milestones (for the Main Schedule)
June 30: First quarter of draft complete
July 31: First draft complete
August 31: Revision plan and first revision pass complete
September 30: Second draft complete
October 31: Line editing complete
November 30: Final draft complete
Next Steps After Completion
Manuscript evaluation and feedback
Query letter and synopsis writing workshops
Continued critique group participation
Planning for the next writing project
Really ironic considering that part of NaNoWriMo’s implosion was their stance on AI use in creative writing, but I’m mentally exhausted and it’s a schedule not a story. This seems like the work it should be taking over—not artistic endeavors of personal expression.
Is it acceptable to use this to complete something I'm 8,000 words into?
Is this going to be solely on slack?