I got a Fitbit for Christmas, and I’m wondering if someone makes a Fitbit for writing. Like, a device you strap on your wrist that counts your words. Instead of 10,000 steps, I’d have to write 10,000 words to win. Actually, I’d have a fit all right if I wrote that many words in a day–that would mean a book in ten days, but it would be a pretty awful book. So maybe a few less for my WritBit. (Catchy, eh?)

participant-badge_write-a-thin

Until someone invents that, I’m participating in the Women’s Fiction Writers Association Write-a-Thin, a month-long writing goal that begins in January. You can read more about it here (apparently it got its name from a typo!). I haven’t decided on a goal yet. I’m tempted to say my goal is to finish the current WIP, but I know from experience that making overly ambitious goals is a recipe for failure. So I’m going to say my goal is to write every day, at least for a few hours. That should set me well on my way to finishing.

Oh, and I also intend to walk 10,000 steps every day, and get back on the rowing machine that we finally unpacked the other day. I figure the walking time can be plotting time—I often work through plot problems when I’ve nothing to stare at but my dog’s, well, butt, as we walk.

What are your New Year resolutions? And how do you like the idea of a WritBit? Should I forget writing and instead start a Kickstarter to manufacture WritBit devices?

7 Comments on New Year Writing Resolution

  1. Sara Thorn
    December 31, 2014 at 9:12 pm (9 years ago)

    I’d love it if Scrivener or Word introduced a graph where you could see when you wrote what! But at least you can get the total, and I do like the target you can set in Scrivener and the bar that fills up as you go.

    Reply
    • Kathryn Barrett
      December 31, 2014 at 10:27 pm (9 years ago)

      I haven’t used Scrivener. My method is to check the total on Word, then if I want to know how much I write per day for NaNo, I note the total at the top when I begin and then see how much it is at the end of the day. But I like to divide scenes and chapters to their own Word docs, so it gets unwieldy to count. I really should give Scrivener a try. Maybe that should be my NY resolution?

      Reply
      • Sara Thorn
        January 4, 2015 at 2:49 pm (9 years ago)

        Scrivener is great in that you you can have material “spread around” yet still in the same file. You can set target word counts per scene, though I haven’t used that much. But a more advanced statistics would be fun–you could see what time of day you’re more productive, say!

        Reply
        • Kathryn Barrett
          January 4, 2015 at 6:15 pm (9 years ago)

          I should download a trial copy again. I’ve done it before, yet not done enough with it to see how it works.

          Reply
          • Sara Thorn
            January 6, 2015 at 4:04 pm (9 years ago)

            I think Pat mentioned he’s doing another Scrivener workshop over at OIRWA some time this year, if you’re curious.

          • Kathryn Barrett
            January 6, 2015 at 6:45 pm (9 years ago)

            I will do that, if he offers it. I think my writing organization system is due for a overhaul.

  2. Jen Gilroy
    January 2, 2015 at 4:38 pm (9 years ago)

    Good luck with your resolutions, Kathryn. Writing daily (even if it’s only 100 words) helps me keep on track – and it also reduces what is for me the fear of writing when I don’t write. I track my daily word count using an Exel spreadsheet. Not high tech but it does the job.

    I’m also with you on the walking. Between my writing and day job, I sit far too much!

    Happy New Year and happy writing!

    Reply

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