Easy to Read Info & Rules List for NaNoWriMo: Part Three

NaNo Technology
(some questions removed)

Do we write our novels online through your website?
You write off-line, using whatever word processor you like.

How do I update my word count? Do I need to actually upload the words somewhere to increase my word count?
You will be able to update your Word Count starting on November 1.
The Word Count options will appear on the My Novel page (in the My NaNoWriMo section) at this time. From the My Novel page you can update your Word Count using the honor system, or by uploading a text file containing your Novel in progress. After you update your Word Count, your new total will display in your profile and next to your postings.
You do not need to upload your work in progress to update your word count.

How do you stop people from cheating, then? Couldn't participants claim whatever word count they want?
Yes, they can. But since the only real prize of NaNoWriMo is the self-satisfaction that comes with pulling off such a great, creative feat, we don't really worry too much about people cheating. Those who enter an impossibly high number or send in 50,000 words they copied from Wikipedia.org just to see their name on the Winner's page are pitiful indeed, and likely need more help than a downloadable winner's certificate can provide them.

It's November 25th, 2006. I've written 50,000 words and am ready to enter into the annals of NaNoWriMo history forever.
From 12:00:01 am, November 25th onward, all participants who have written more than 50,000 words can have their winning word counts verified by our world-renowned team of robotic word counters.
Uploading your novel to the Validator makes your NaNoWriMo victory official, gets you listed on our Winners Page, and routes you to the secret spot where you can collect this year's winner's certificate.
It will also turn your word count bar purple and add a small celebratory banner to your Flash Profile.
The Word Count Validation tools are part of the My Novel page in the My NaNoWriMo section of the site.

Can I keep writing and adding to my word count even after I've had the novel verified?
Absolutely. Verification simply confirms that you have crossed the 50,000-word mark. You can continue to add to your word count in the usual fashion until 11:59:59 pm on November 30th.

What if there's a discrepancy between what my word count said and what yours comes up with?
Word counters rarely agree with each other, and there is a good chance there will be a discrepancy between our counter and the one on your word processor. Some people gain words and others lose them, and you can see how great the difference is by uploading your manuscript for counting at any point on the My Novel page. Our count will automatically appear in your Word Count box.

Do you read the novels that get sent in?
We do not read or store any of the manuscripts submitted.

Really? How can I be sure that you aren't going to take my novel and sell it as your own, as seen in the film Morvern Callar?
You ask a good question here. And that movie was indeed oddly beautiful.
For technical reasons, your novel will be saved as a file on our server when it is submitted for Word Count. As soon as the Word Count is complete, the file will be deleted.
We promise that we will never read or copy any novels uploaded to our servers. However, we cannot guarantee that our servers will not be compromised, and there are many other ways that your novel could be viewed by interlopers when you submit it to our Word Count Validator.
If you are worried about the unlikely possibility that someone will have unauthorized access to your manuscript, please scramble your novel before submitting it to our Word Count tool.

How can I scramble my novel before submitting it to your untrustworthy word-counting goons?
If you are using Microsoft Word it is very easy to scramble your novel in a way that will not affect its word count.
1. Open the file and make a new copy of your novel using 'Save As...'
2. Open the Find and Replace dialog box (Edit -> Replace).
3. Click the "More" button to expand the box.
4. Check the "Use Wildcards" checkbox.
5. In the "Find What" field, put this: [a-zA-Z0-9]
6. In the "Replace With" field, put this: a
7. Click "Replace All"
8. Save the scrambled file as a text file, and upload away!
The procedure for Open Office is essentially the same, except that Open Office refers to 'Regular Expressions' instead of 'Wildcards'.
(Thanks to Peter Dudley for this advice!)

When is the cut off date for novel validation?
11:59:59 pm on November 30, your time (as determined by the time zone set on your edit profile page).

I'm a little technophobic. Can you give me step-by-step instructions for validating my novel and becoming a NaNoWriMo winner?
You bet!
0. Make sure it is on or after November 25th. You can't validate your novel until November 25th!
1. Write a 50,000-word novel. Because our word count may differ from your word processing program's word count, we recommend you write a few hundred words over 50,000, just in case.
2. Save your novel as a text-only (.txt) file. We need you to do this because the special formatting hidden inside Microsoft Word (and other word processing programs) makes it impossible to get an accurate word count. Go to "Save As" on your word processor's menu and look for a "Save As Type" box, where you can select an option such as 'Text only' or 'Plain text' or 'Text only with line breaks.' Any of those are fine.
3. Sign into the NaNoWriMo.org site, and click on the My NaNoWriMo link in the top navigation bar. Look for the My Novel link on the left of the screen and click on it.
4. Find the Word Count Validator section of the page. Click on the "Browse" button, and use the File Upload window to locate the .txt version of the novel you just created. Click on the file twice to select it for upload. At this point, the File Upload screen will disappear and you will be back at the Word Count Validator. Some text will be visible in the box next to the Browse button.
5. Click the "Upload" button. The Validator will take it from there. If you're a winner, you will be taken to the winner's page. If the Validator counts less than 50,000 words, you will return to the Validator page and your word count will be updated with the new number.
If you do not know how to do any of the above steps, please consult your word processor's Help facilities, or post a question in the Site Feedback Forum.