How to Win NaNoWriMo
What to do when you've reached your word-count goal
Starting November 25 at 12:00 AM your local time, you can begin validating your word count to officially win NaNoWriMo. Here are some reminders to ensure that the winning process works for you.
- If you plan to continue working through November 30, be sure you’ve changed your time zone. We want you to have all the noveling time you need. You can update your time zone in the “Locale Settings” menu on your User Settings page. (Press “Submit” to save your changes!)
- To validate your word count, copy-and-paste the entire text of your novel into the Word Count Validator. This is found on the Novel Info page. If your count meets or exceeds your goal, you have won NaNoWriMo! You should see a page just for you, stocked with winner information and goodies.
- Sometimes, the Word Count Validator disagrees with the word count provided by your word processing program. One of our moderators has compiled a list of several examples and reasons why. If the Word Count Validator has shaved off enough words to prevent you from winning, you may add random text (see below) or simply duplicate a section of your novel before pasting it in again.
- If you’re handwriting your novel, you will still need to validate your word count to win. The best way to do this is to take your final word count, and use a random text generator to create that many words. You can then paste that into the Word Count Validator. Lorem Ipsum is a good website for random text.
- Promotional codes for the free proof copy of your novel will be available on December 1. If you have won, look for your code on the I Wrote a Novel! Now What? page, which we’re working on now.
If you have any issues that are not addressed on this page, the quickest way to get help is to consult the Tech Help forum. Most likely, your question will be addressed already. If not, ask politely, and a moderator or fellow user will answer as soon as possible.
Congratulations in advance!
Chris Angotti
YWP Director
