I absolutely love (and am dependent on!) Scrivener’s ability to automatically calculate session targets based on project deadline. However, it would be really helpful to be able to do the opposite calculation, i.e. calculate a completion date (or “days left”) based on a manually entered session target.
I’m sure I’m not alone in missing deadlines! Scrivener could help here, basically by helping writers estimate reasonable deadlines based on how much we tend to write in a session.
You mean some kind of
“Based on your average word written over the course of the last ten days, you are X days away from target word count.” ?
Looks like it’s what OP is asking.
Well, there is that part:
…that would otherwise kind of void the purpose.
If the purpose it to not miss the deadline.
But if you set your session target as per the calculation [words missing divided by days left], that’s what Scrivener is already doing.
I am not saying it is not an interesting idea, only that it can’t be defined by a manually set session target.
If you want it to “motivate” you, either through progress or fear of lack of, it has then to be based on recent average per day. (Not even per session. Days off have to be considered too.)
Example:
You want to write 500 words a day (your comfort zone, deadline aside).
So you set your session target so.
If you have to write 10k words, that’s 20 days.
What good does it do if the deadline is in 15 days?
What purpose does it serve if the deadline is in 30 days?
No, just based on a manually entered session target, as I originally said. The project target window already lets you enter a manual session target.
I think you are misunderstanding my post. Right now, you can calculate a session target based on a deadline. Or you can manually set a session target with no deadline. It would be nice if you could calculate a completion date based on a manually set session target.
I don’t think what I’m suggesting is very complicated. And it is quite usual for authors to have to estimate likely completion dates for projects, quite apart from externally imposed deadlines.
Sure.
But it then can’t have anything to do with a deadline. (Mathematically speaking.)
There is one too many variable in the equation you envision. It can’t work like you describe it.
OK, whatever. I think my post was quite clear. Forget about "deadlines’ and think about “days left” which is how is appears in the Project Target window anyway.
Sure.
Then it would work, and be usable so. 
(But yet, honestly, just to say it because it is so: it is basic maths. And once set, it won’t fluctuate. So :
Target manuscript word count / desired session target = days required.
You could just write it down in a calendar.)
But otherwise yes, to have Scrivener tell you how many days left you have to work on your project should you stick to your daily word count.
It would seem more functional, imho, should it be based on an average over the last 10 days or so. (That, actually, would be the reverse of what is currently offered for data. Currently : [Word count missing / days left until deadline])
If you slow down you have some catching up to do. If you overdo, you can then relax a little. Otherwise it is just a “days left until X date” – “7 days left to July 16th”.
For instance if you need to give a client an estimated completion date? I think the writing history might come in handy. It will give you both the number of writing days and the average words per day. So not only can you estimate the number of writing days needed, but also the number of calendar days.
Maybe the algorithm should look at your daily counts and calculate the trend line and use that to project your completion date. “Good word count today, but you know, if you keep slowing down like this, we’ll be into next year before you get this thing done.”
Honestly, I’d really prefer the simple calculation of completion date based on a manual session target that I originally posted.
Ok.
You understood the equation I provided?
You can already do it.
All you need to do is divide the desired total word count by your intended session target.
It’ll tell you how many writing sessions are required to reach your goal.
The problem, as far as Scrivener is concerned, imho, is that you are asking that be integrated a basic calculator to it, which would display a “days left” count, based solely on a calendar, and that has nothing to do with your actual word count per session.
You could design a tiny excel sheet and link to it, you’d get just that.
Question:
In your vision of things, what happens / how should Scrivener behave if you miss a day?
Or/then, if you set your session target to 500 words, and one day happen to “only” write 499 ?
If it is only a matter of pre-establishing a reachable deadline based on your personal writing habits / performances, @kewms already gave you the best answer you’ll ever get.
See what you can objectively achieve for an average, and use that variable in the equation I provided.
[Target manuscript word count / your comfortable average = sessions required.]
Or take your days off into account, and rather use your average per week. Same equation, it’ll tell you how many weeks you need for your deadline to be comfy.
. . . . . . . . .
To be honest, if I were you, here’s what I would consider optimal. (Because your request is legit. But simply lacking, imo, the tracking factor.)
Establish what is your comfortable writing average per session. (Go by @kewms’ advice.)
Divide the desired manuscript word count by that. You’ll get a number representing how many writing sessions it’ll take.
Count that in a calendar, taking into account how many days a week you write. That’s your deadline.
Set that deadline in Scrivener, along with writing days per week. (If you write four days a week, just select four days, any (it doesn’t matter which, from monday to thursday – it’s not like Scrivener would prevent you from writing on a day off…), and check the “allow writing on deadline” option.
Scrivener’s calculation should give you, on day 1, exactly what was initially your personal average.
From that point on, your session target will fluctuate according to each of your sessions’ word count.
You’ll get an accurate report on your progress and what is to be done, on a writing day basis, to reach your goal in time.
As I said earlier : If you write less than your session’s target, you’ll later have some catching up to do. (The session target will increase.)
If you write more than your goal, you can relax. (The session target will go down.)
I do not need your writing advice. Yes I can calculate this myself, and often do. I made a suggestion for a feature I think it would be nice to have, and I hope the developers consider it. It’s their job to figure out how to do it if they think others also would want it.
I am not going to “discuss” this with you anymore.
Success with your projects.
Ahem. Putting on my moderator hat here for a minute.
This is the “wishlist” forum. It’s a completely legitimate place to post feature requests where they will be seen and considered by the development team.
(You should know, though, that past requests for more complex goal tracking and statistics functionality have been declined.)
However, it’s also a public forum, and other forum contributors are free to respond to those requests as well.
On the other hand, continuing to bludgeon someone who wishes to end the conversation is frowned upon.
Acccordingly, I’m closing the thread.
To contact the development team directly, open a support ticket, here: