I’ve never used the Project Targets feature but would like to now. I’m doing a mini-Nano this month and want to track my work daily, while also having a running total. I have the same number of words as a goal each day. Unfortunately, I can’t figure out how to make Project Targets work. I have a new computer and OS which won’t let me read the Scrivener manual. (It defaults to Notepad and gobbledy-gook. Weird, I know. Windows 8.) I ran the tutorial and the subject’s not addressed there. I’m sure I sound completely stupid but I don’t understand most of the Project Targets box. First of all what does the 25 signify? There also are two boxes, one beneath Manuscript Target and the other beneath Session Target. They won’t accept any numbers. Not sure what the “Documents Included in Compile Only” means. I always compile but does selecting that option mean I’ll only get a running total and not daily totals?
There are two ways you can read the user manual: either install a free PDF reader (Adobe Reader is probably the easiest), or just drag the PDF into a Scrivener project and read it from there (you’ll find it located in the ‘resources’ folder where Scrivener is installed). I prefer the former as Reader lets you add notes to yourself and bookmarks. That can be handy in a software reference.
As to how to use this tool, I’m not sure what the “25” is. What is the context that it is used within? For instance if I saw the number 25 on my screen, it would be something like “25 of 0 Words”.
Anyway, the main thing you want to do is type in your main goal in the top box next to “Word”. I’m guessing ‘50000’ if you are doing a NaNo this month. In the bottom box you would put your daily goal—so ‘1667’ if you plan to write every day.
The “Documents Include in Compile” relates directly to the “Include in Compile” checkbox, that you will find assigned to each section in the Inspector. Try clicking the blue ‘i’ button in the toolbar and viewing a piece of your Draft. There should be a checkbox in the middle for that. If you uncheck that document, it will no longer compile. Many users like to use this feature to record their writing notes directly alongside the pieces of the book they are working on, or to hide old versions of a section.
Hence, this checkbox in Project Targets would by default exclude those from the book proper. It’s just an optional way of working with the software that you can completely ignore if you write notes elsewhere.
Thanks so much. I will install Adobe Reader so I can have access to the entire manual. In the meantime, I must have done something right because I just went back to the box and it’s counting the number of words (depressingly small at this point) and showing my progress.
I’m having a problem with the Manuscript Target box. For some reason, it’s showing 44 words, and I can’t reset it to 0 words. I’m doing NaNo this month, and I’m hoping to keep track of my word count. As a work around solution for now, I put 50,044 as the Manuscript Target, which I really don’t like to have to do. Can anyone tell me why it has that 44 words that I haven’t written yet? LOL I’ve had this problem since I got Scrivener back in 2011. I did a search in the Manual as well as here on the site, with no luck.
If you click on the Draft (or “Manuscript”) folder and turn on Scrivenings view mode, you should be able to scroll through quickly and see if there is any text in the main draft area. This counter cannot be reset though, it is not that type of counter. It is strictly a count of all the words matching the criteria in Options. There is no way to change it short of adding or removing words.
Thanks, Amber, that fixed the problem. I just grabbed those files and put them above the Manuscript folder. One of them was for the Title Page stuff, but I’m not counting that as part of my NaNo word count.
Thanks again.
Edit: I also downloaded and installed the NaNoWriMo Template. And talk about a pathetic word count, my count for Nov. 1, was 2. Yes, two whole words! Wow, I’'m burning the track up with my speed. LOL
