People who've been on NaNoWriMo!!! Is it mandatory to write every year?

NaNoWriMo is completely optional. If you only want to partake in it once, you can. If you want to do it every year and keep coming up with ideas for 50k word novels, have at it.

Personally, I completed NaNo last year, but have no ideas for another book, so I'm most likely skipping this year. Doing so is completely fine!

Yeah, it's mandatory. In fact, I think if you don't do it every year, they can actually shave your head and have you flogged in the town square.

Of course it's not 'mandatory' to write every year. Nothing about NaNoWriMo is mandatory. It's optional; you can do what you like. You can join up for one year and never do it again. You can join and never write a single word or ever visit the site again. You can join every year and write a million words of gibberish each time if you want. It's basically just to encourage people to write and there's a word counter. That's it. They don't ever read what you've written, or pay any attention to anything else about you or what you're doing. It's just a website.

No, it's not. This is my first year doing- I'm doing the August one (I have exams this November) as I didn't complete last year. I've got a better shot this time as I'm off school most of the month. But I know that you don't have to make a new account. It's all for fun and you do not have to take part every year. You can do it once, twice, skip 5 years- whichever you like.

Yes, it's compulsory. If you don't post your 1,666 words per day, Chris Baty will come round to your house and stand over you until they're done.

Of course it's optional - there's no way anybody can force anybody to write anything.

You don't have to write every year. I think the username you use can be used each other. They have great forums on there too.

No. It is for fun, and it's not like if you don't, the creators of NaNoWriMo will hunt you down...