Daily Word Count Tracker

Who this is for

A month of words, one line a day. Write the count at the start and end of each session and the sheet works out the words written, the running total for the month and how far you are from the target you set yourself.

Novelists, short story writers and non-fiction authors drafting a single project who want to see what a month of writing actually added up to, rather than how it felt.

What this helps you track

• The words written in each session, worked out from start and end counts
• A running total for the month that builds day by day
• How many days you actually wrote and your average on those days
• How many words are left before you reach your own target

How to use it

1. Write the project, the month and your own word target for the month at the top.
2. At the start of each session note the manuscript's word count from your writing software, and note it again when you stop.
3. The words written and the running total are worked out in the browser and the workbook; on paper, subtract across and add down.
4. Use the notes column for what you worked on, so a low day has a reason next to it.
5. At the end of the month read the summary and carry the closing count into next month's sheet as its first start count.

Formats

• Printable PDF (A4 and US Letter)
• Fillable PDF with form fields
• Fill in online, saved in your browser
• Excel / Google Sheets workbook

The printable is laid out inside a box that fits both A4 and US Letter, so the two files are identical and neither one is scaled. The fillable PDF has real form fields. The workbook uses plain formulas only — SUM, IF, COUNTIF and the like — so it opens in Excel, LibreOffice and Google Sheets without anything breaking, and every calculated cell is grey so you can see which figures it worked out.

How to print

Download the A4 or US Letter file to match the paper in your printer, open it in a PDF reader and print at 100% — not "fit to page", which shrinks the writing space. Both files leave a 14 mm margin, which clears the unprintable edge on home printers. To print the online version with your entries in it, use the Print this sheet button, which prints only the sheet and none of the page around it. More on printing.

Questions

What word target should I set?

Whatever suits your project and the time you have. The sheet does not suggest one; write your own in the header and the summary shows what is left against it. Leave it blank if you would rather just record.

Why a start and end count rather than just words written?

Because your writing software already counts the whole manuscript. Noting it twice is quicker and more accurate than tallying a session, and the sheet does the subtraction for you.

What if I deleted more than I wrote?

The words column shows a minus figure for that day and the running total drops. That is an honest record of an editing day; note it in the notes column so it reads as work rather than a lost day.

How is this different from the writing session and streak log?

This sheet follows one project's word count over a month. The session and streak log records when and how long you wrote across any project, for building a regular habit.