Word Log

When I started working on my novel back in January, one thing I did to help keep myself going was keep a word log. It allowed me to track my progress (my goal being 3k words a week) and helped me realize how quickly words add up. I’m glad I did it. If you’re struggling with progress or motivation, I suggest keeping a log for yourself. It’s a nice tool for seeing how productive you have or haven’t been, and it shows you two very important things: how quickly words add up and how quickly time goes by.

I’ve left my notes intact just to give a glimpse at my own process. I initially combined Jan/Feb for reasons I can’t recall, but I stopped doing that as soon as I realized how important seeing daily progress was for me. You’ll also notice some monthly/weekly totals along with other random notes. Let it be known that I tried to I log all words written, even if they weren’t all used or some were edited out later. Work is work. If you do a log, give yourself credit for the work you do. It can feel pretty deflating to sit for two hours, write 1,400 words, but only see a net gain of 300 because of heavy editing or changes. Give yourself credit.

The format is as follows: Date (start count) : (end count) session total

 

Jan/Feb total: 14400 – Chp 1-3

Mar 12 (0) : (840)

Mar 13 (840) : (2350) 1500

Mar 14 (2350) : (3350) 1000

Mar 20 (3350) : (3850) 500

Mar 21 (3870) : (4760) 900

Mar 26 Chp 5 rewrite (5460) 700

Mar 27 Chp 6 0 : (1560) 1560

Mar 27 (1560) : (2790) 1230

End of March total: 23,263 (good fucking job man. Keep it up)

Apr 3 (2790) : (3375) 600

Apr 4 (3375) : (4500) 1225 (chp6 done)

Apr 5 chp7 (0) : (1525) 1525

Apr 10 (1525) : (2980) 1460 (chp 7 done – update count after final review)

Apr 11 (0) : (900) 900

Apr 12 (900) : (1230) 330

Apr 17 (1230) : (3280) 2050

Apr 19 (3280) : (4220) 940

End of April total: 32,293 (Pretty good considering two weeks of no writing @NJ. Keep pushing)

May 7 (4107) : (4430) 300 – lots of rewriting chp 8 though

May 8/9 (4430) : (5825 end chp 8) 1400 + 300

May 10 (300) : (1380) 1080

May 16 (1380) : (2380) 1000

May 17 (2380) : (2570 end chp 9) 200

May 17 (0) : (1900) 2100 for the night

May 21 (1900) : (3250) 1350

May 22 (3250) : (4590) 1340

May 23 (4590) : (5260 end 10) (880) 1500 night total

May 24 (880) : (1980 end 11) 1100 (5.3k weekend!!!! Good fucking game! You are proud of you!)

May 30 (0) : (270 end 12)

May 31 (0) : (1100) 1100

End of May total: 45,185… fuckin’ A. Amazing job. 3k short of schedule. Maybe we can make that up in June…

Jun 6 (1094) : (3550) 2500…. Booyah

Jun 7 (3550) : (4020 +rewrite) 500 – 3k total for the week (two days)

Jun 12 (0) : (750) 750

Jun 13 (750) : (2250) 1500

Jun 14 (2250) : (2300 end of 14) 50 (0) – (800) 850 total (3.1k week)

Jun 20 (revision work 13:4005) : (4216) 200

Jun 20 (revision work 14:2300) : (2756) 450 : 650 total words for 20^th

Jun 21 (revision work 14:2750) : (3220) 450

Jun 21 back to chp 15 (800) : (1840) 1000 (2.1k for the week, not great but father’s day and lots of revision work. Good effort. Have a beer or four)

Jun 27 (0) : (1360) 1360

Jun 28 (1360) : (2630) 1300

Jun 28 (0) : (200) 200  2.8k week

End of June total: 56,184… You’re doing it. You’re literally writing a book. 4k words shy of your timeline goal, but so the fuck what. You’re. Doing. IT.

Jul 1 (215 chp 17) : (975) 750

July 2 (975) : (1420) 450

July 5 (1420) : (1837) 400 end 17 (1.6k week, not good, but keep going. I blame 4^th of July)

July 10 (2828 chp16) : (2733… yay revision word count loss!) end 16

July 10 (1837 chp 17) : (2500) 660 …not bad, lots of work done with 16 at least.

July 11 (2500) : (3440) 1k-ish. ..maybe the end of 17

July 12 (3440) : (3560 end chp 17) 120

July 12 (0) : (790) 2.5k week…. Not bad. Still under the goal, but things are getting tighter. More planning required. So it goes.

Aug 6 (3576 – 17 rewrite) : (3649)

Aug 7 (3649 – 17 rewrite still) : (4170 – 17 rewrite done) 600 added to the chapter

Aug 7 (788) : (1460) 700ish, 1300ish for the night

Aug 8 (1460) : (2090) 600

Aug 8 (0) : (950) 2850 words for the week

Aug 21 (950) : (1870) 900

Aug 21 (1870) : (2630) 750

Aug 22 (2630) : (2600) end 19

Aug 22 (0) : (980) 2600 ish for the week. Not bad for two nights of writing (important to get 3)

Aug 27 rewrites… : Chp 17 – 50ish words, chp 18 (2060 – 2600 – 2230) about 550ish written, chp 19 (2610 – 3100 – 2740) about 120… so total rewrite count is, call it 750

Aug 28 (0) : chp 20 (1550)

Aug 29 (1550) : (2800) 3550 for the week

Sep 5 (2800) : (3630 end 20) 1000 written after rewrite

Sep 5 (0) : (200)

Sep 6 (200) : (550 end 21?) 475 written after changes

Sep 6 (0 chp 22) : (1380) 3050 for the week

Sep 18 : 200 for attempting another version of 21

Sep 19 (chp 21 vr3 – 0) : 150 + (500)

Sep 19 (1380) : (1580) 200

Sep 20 (1580) : (2600) 1000 2k week

Sep 24 chp 22 rewrite (0) : (1850) 1850

Sep 25 (1850) : (3600) 1750

Sep 26 (3600) : (4600) 1000

Sep 27 (4600) : (5510 written, 5050 total) 450

Sep 27 (chp 23 0) : (275) 1300 written for the day

Sep 27 (chp 24 0) : (575) 1800ish daily total? Almost 6k for the week… fuck yeah (‘murica)

Oct 2 (chp 25 – 0) : (1750) 1750

Oct 3 (1750) : (2070) 300

Oct 3 (chp 24 575) : (1175) 600

Oct 4 (chp 25 2070) : (3105) 925 …3700 week, thumbs up

Oct 17 (3105) : (3470) 370

Oct 17 (chp 26 0) : 170  450 night total… and kinda stuck again 😦

Oct 18 26 merged into 25 (3670) : (4840) 1150… 1600 week

Oct 23 (4840, back into 25) : (5500) 650

Oct 24 (5500) : (6022) 525    1175 written (5290 actual end)

Oct 24 (chp 26 0) : (990) 2160

Oct 25 (990) : (1900) 900  3.1k week

Oct 30 (1900) : (2850) 950

Oct 31 (2850) : (2950) 100

Nov 14 Chp 25 rework (5317) : 5860 (550)

Nov 14 Chp 26 rework (2930) : 3300 (350)

Nov 15 Ending section (0) : (1280)

Nov 21 Wynn’s morning (0) : (550) 550

Nov 21 Ending Section (1280) : (2070) 700

Nov 23 chp 25 rework (5863) : (6030) 150  (final 4440)

Nov 23 chp 26 rework (3300) : (4125) 825

Nov 24 chp 26 rework (4125) : (5275) 1150   about 3.3k week… back on track

Nov 27 chp 26 (5270) : (6230) 950

Nov 27 chp 26 all additions and cuts made (3930) : (4060) 150

Nov 28 (4060) : (4330) 300 : (5745 section added) : (6070) 325: 625 total

Nov 28 chp 27 (0) : (600) 2300 week

Dec 4 chp 26 change draft (0) : (1410)

Dec 5 26 change (1410) : (1450)

Dec 5 freewrite (anna dreams) (0) : (330)

Dec 5 Wynn’s nightmare (0) : (1000)

Dec 11 chp 27 rewrite (0) : (1340) before dream addition

Dec 11 chp 27 (2345) : (2800) 450 + 1350 – call it 1800

Chp 27 final count (2617)

Dec 12 chp 28 (0) : (290) 2.1k night… good job, almost there

Dec 13 chp 28 (290) : (1520) 1250

Dec 13 chp 29 (0) : (740) 4.1k week

Dec 18 chp 29 (740) : (1760) 1000

Dec 19 chp 29 (1760) : (3290) 1550

Dec 19 chp 30 (567) : (560)

Dec 20 chp 30 (560) : (1270) 700

Dec 20 chp 29 (3290) : (3420) 150  3.4k