How I did it: Before beginning a session of writing on computer (or transcribing a session of writing I did by hand) I took note of the word count of the document. I then subtracted that number from the total I ended up with at the end of the session.

I used graphs to chart my progress by week, month and year. This allowed me to see the trends that formed across time and helped me to set realistic goals for my writing.

Lessons & tips: The most important thing I had to learn with this goal was to see the numbers as information, not necessarily as targets to meet. Yes, it was wonderful when I set myself a new record and I allowed myself to celebrate a little. But it was equally important not to get depressed if the numbers weren't as high as usual. Life gets in the way sometimes; it's inevitable. That's the time to ignore the numbers and move on.

Resources: Microsoft Word and Excel.

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Dec 27, 2008, 03:25PM PST | 0 comments | 3 cheers