Your NanoCounter

Writing.Com has an easy and convenient way of keeping track of your word count during NaNoWriMo. It's called the NanoCounter, and you can activate yours by clicking on the following link:

http://www.writing.com/main/my_account/action/update_nano/nanocnt/1

After clicking the link and refreshing the page, you should have a little box on the left-side of your screen labeled "My NanoCounter." It's just below all the links (and just above the Sponsored Items) on the left-hand sidebar that appears on every page of Writing.Com. Here's an illustration of where you can find it:

And here's a close-up to show the box and all its features:

There are three parts to the NanoCounter box:

         1. A link to View the Nano'er List
         2. A link to the The WdC NanoLounge
         3. The Word Count


The link to View the Nano'er List will take you to a page where everyone's WdC NanoCounter results are recorded. It's a great place to see how you're progressing compared to other writers on the site. Results are recorded with the highest word count at the top, and the lowest at the bottom. If you have a "1" for your NanoCounter total, you'll be at the very bottom of the Nano'er List under "None Yet..." But as soon as you change your word count to "2" or more, you're off and running!

The link to The WdC NanoLounge will take you to the forum Writing.Com has set up for NaNoWriMo writers and others to chat, encourage one another, etc. This is a great resource to have your questions answered, find support, gripe or lament during those tough times throughout the month of November, and it's also another place where you can activate your NanoCounter.

The Word Count displays your current word count. By clicking on the actual number (the "1" in the picture above), it will expand a box that looks like this:

All you have to do is enter in your new total word count and click the "update" button. This is also the place where you can post a link to your NaNo item if you've already created it on WdC. Just enter in the Writing.Com item number and it will create a link to that item under your name on the Nano'er List.

That's all there is to it! The WdC NanoCounter is a very easy tool to use; once you know how to set it up and where to find it, you can update your word count in a couple of quick seconds, and can update it as often as you want!

If you need any additional help with using your NanoCounter, you can always ask someone in the "The WDC NanoLounge"  for help!