Writer's Toolbox: Write-o-meter

I wrote my first manuscript during the 2012 Camp NaNoWriMo session. I managed, quite happily, to punch out all 50,000 words of that hideous first draft - ten days early, even! For a long time afterward - two years, to be exact - I didn't finish anything else. There was something about that first foray that really struck me and kept me motivated, and it took me a long time to figure out what that was. Turns out, it was the word counter
Since I determined that missing link between me and finishing my work, I've tried many different substitutes for the NaNo word count graph. I made my own in Excel, made charts in OneNote, but nothing really helped. Then, I found Write-O-Meter

Write-O-Meter is an android app designed with writer's in mind. I use it primarily to log my writing; it tracks word counts, time spent writing, and even how you felt during a particular session. There is a timing feature as well as writing quotes and special little tools to get the creative juices flowing. Right now, I'm using this app as my own personal Hugh Howey-style progress bar, charting every project I'm currently working on plus my daily word count overall.

I understand that not everyone likes to chart their progress - some might even find it stifling or irritating. However, for someone like me who likes to quantify progress, Write-O-Meter is incredibly useful! In the world of writing fiction there is very little reassuring objectivity, but watching myself reach my word count is, at least for me, some marker of success. And I could use the encouragement.

Comments

  1. MadiHunApril 24, 2016 at 6:30 AM

    Would you help me, please? How can I write my daily challange? Need I sign up? I have created a project but not able to write into. Thank you!

    grembi.madihun@gmail.com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Carrie CallahanApril 25, 2016 at 5:31 PM

      Hi MadiHun,

      With Write-o-Meter, you don't write your work directly into the app, but rather you just use it to track the words you write each day. You have to put the wordcount in manually to add it to the tracker. Does that help? You can also go to the website, if you need further assistance: http://writeometer.guavabot.com/

      I hope this is helpful. Good luck!
      -Carrie

      Delete

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