Writing Sessions
Track your writing time and word count to understand your productivity patterns. See when you write best, celebrate milestones, and build consistent habits.
What are Writing Sessions?
Writing Sessions help you track how much you write and when. Each session records:
- When you started and stopped writing
- How many words you wrote
- Which book or chapter you worked on
- Notes about the session
Over time, this data helps you understand your writing patterns and build sustainable habits.
Tip
Tracking your writing does not have to be stressful. The goal is not to hit arbitrary targets — it is to understand when and how you write best.
Creating a Writing Session
There are two ways to track sessions:
Manual Entry
- Go to Dashboard → Time Tracking
- Click + New Session
- Enter the start and end time
- Enter your starting word count (where you began)
- Enter your ending word count (where you finished)
- Link to the title and/or chapter you worked on
- Add optional notes
- Click Save
From the Writing Interface
When you write in Project Studio's writing interface, your time and word count can be tracked automatically. Look for the timer controls in the writing view.
Session Fields
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Start Time | When you began writing |
| End Time | When you stopped writing |
| Starting Words | Total word count at the beginning |
| Ending Words | Total word count at the end |
| Words Written | Calculated automatically (ending minus starting) |
| Linked Title | Which book you worked on |
| Linked Chapter | Specific chapter (optional) |
| Notes | How the session went, what you worked on |
Note
Words Written is calculated automatically from your starting and ending counts. If you edited and removed words, it might be negative — that is okay! Editing is valuable work.
Writing Analytics
The Time Tracking dashboard shows your writing patterns:
This Week
- Total sessions this week
- Total words written
- Total time spent writing
- Average words per session
Trends Over Time
- Daily, weekly, and monthly word counts
- Your most productive days of the week
- Your most productive times of day
- Progress toward word count goals
Using Your Writing Data
Understanding your patterns helps you write more effectively:
Find Your Best Time
Look at when you write the most words. Some authors write best early morning, others late at night. Schedule your writing time during your peak hours.
Realistic Goal Setting
Instead of arbitrary goals like "write 2,000 words a day," look at your actual average and set goals slightly above it. Sustainable progress beats burnout.
Celebrate Consistency
Writing every day for 20 minutes beats writing 4 hours once a week. Track streaks and celebrate showing up regularly.
Spot Problems Early
A drop in your writing output might signal life stress, a story problem, or burnout. Use the data to catch issues before they derail your project.
Tips for Better Tracking
- Track every session — Even 10 minutes counts. Small sessions add up.
- Be honest about editing — Cutting words is still productive work
- Use notes — Write a sentence about what you worked on or how you felt
- Do not obsess — Tracking is a tool, not a judgment. Bad days happen.
- Review weekly — Look at your data each week to spot patterns
Progress, Not Perfection
The purpose of tracking is awareness, not stress. Some weeks you will write a lot, some weeks life happens. The data helps you make informed choices about your writing practice.
Dashboard Integration
Your writing session data appears in several places:
- Main Dashboard — Shows this week's writing activity
- Book Detail Pages — Shows time spent on each title
- Progress Tracking — Tracks against word count goals