Employing a new series/category here on the blog: Meditations, where I muse about various bookish topics. Most of these will likely be writing-related, but I might muse about other things, like reading and publishing and whatnot.

I was inspired to start this little series because I had recently updated my word count over on the NaNoWriMo website and realized I was in a love-hate relationship with NaNo’s project tracker. Those who are newer to the NaNo website may not remember a time when the only projects you could track were the ones you were writing for NaNo-specific events. In recent years, however, NaNo updated its website so that you could track any number of projects and goals all year long, regardless of whether the official events were live.

For the most part, I adored this update. I enjoy NaNo’s tracking tools (though I’ve come to resent the badges), and there’s something incredibly satisfying about seeing all the progress you’ve made across your projects, as well as the growing list of finished projects represented on your account. It satisfies my little completionist brain in ways other project trackers can’t.

However, something I’ve noticed about tracking word count in this manner is that I’ll often get so hung up on updating my word count that my writing quality begins to suffer. I begin to take shortcuts. I get lazy with my writing, focusing more on quantity rather than the refinement my particular scene or chapter requires. All of this simply to maintain a streak or see my total word count inch closer to the target. Or, old gods forbid, to achieve that pesky badge (which isn’t even permanent! Sheesh).

All of this got me thinking: why do I even track word count at all? At the back of my mind, I know what my ultimate word count goal is. I don’t give myself word count goals during my daily writing sessions, mostly because my brain finds that incredibly restrictive, but I know what I’m working toward and I don’t necessarily need an app to track it. I don’t even need to be held accountable for my work because my writing routine is so deeply ingrained that to go a day without writing feels unusual. Uncomfortable, even.

Writers I’ve spoken to about this often say they derive pleasure from seeing their total word count grow. Watching that total creep ever upward motivates them to keep writing. Others simply need someone (or something) else to hold them accountable.

But me? After much self-assessment, my only conclusion is that I derive pleasure and satisfaction from visible, tangible progress. It’s why I enjoy to-do lists so much. But if that satisfaction comes at the cost of lower quality work, is it worth it?

I’m not so sure.

Since I’m about to begin a new draft of Bloodwinter, I might run an experiment. As tempting as it is to start a new word count goal, I’m going to try and resist. No goals. No tracking. Only writing until I finish the draft. I suspect that for myself, tracking word count is best for the initial drafts, where I care more about getting the story out (perfectionism will often slow me down and keep me distracted).

Let’s see how this goes…