Hi, my name is Katherine and I’m a metrics junkie.
I have an outline spreadsheet based on the Snowflake method to which I’ve added wordcount secret sauce formulas. I downloaded it for NaNoWriMo many years ago. I then have a tab that’s nothing but date, wordcount, and then it generates for you words remaining, words over goal, and days since last written. If you plug the wordcounts into the scene listings, the spreadsheet will tell you if you’re on track or likely to end up long or short.
Apparently, however, this doesn’t help unless you put “finish outline” on your to-do list. You know, the one that also has your laundry and work-related projects all in one big lump. With–this is important–a deadline.
Now, “Finish story” is on the to-do list, so I have an appointment with Write Or Die every day. I’m going to go for 250 words a day. That worked well for me. (NaNoWriMo requires about 1500 a day, and that’s fall asleep while typing time.)
I’m a fitness metrics junkie, too. Write it down or it didn’t happen. For example, I already have 115 miles on my new running shoes (yikes, already?).
