Just wanted to check whether I’m crazy or whether this really is a bug.
My WIP manuscript is 31978 words. When I open my draft folder in Scrivenings mode in a single editor, I get that number at the bottom. All good.
Then I switch into my work mode, which is having the draft folder open in Outliner mode in the left editor, setting Navigate >> Outliner Selection Affects >> Other Editor, so that I can browse my files in the outline and work on them in the right editor (which is set to Scrivenings mode). Initially my full wordcount shows correctly at the bottom. Now I’m ready to start working.
Except, when I’m in this state, and I want to check my total wordcount, I click in the left editor (my Outliner), I press Ctrl-A to select all the files there, and then the right editor loads up all my files in its Scrivening mode, as expected, except its wordcount at the bottom is now 30700…
My first thought was that the enclosing draft folder that I clicked on initially to load all its subdocs into the Outliner must have around 1200 words in it that get missed when I later select everything inside the Outliner, but nope, it’s a plain folder into which I haven’t written anything.
Does anyone else find this kind of discrepancy in the wordcount of their projects? This is making me pretty nervous and uncertain that I can trust what Scrivener is telling me with regards to my wordcount, and I find myself distracted from actually writing while I’m worrying about whether I’ll have a correct reflection of my work done during any one session.
Thanks for any feedback.
Hi 
Selecting all in an outline WILL NOT select the sub-documents of collapsed parent files/folders.
When you display the draft/manuscript folder from the binder, everything is there and accounted for. Included in compile or not.
Else, word-count-wise, you can always trust the writing history from Project > Writing history.
Unlike other word-counts found here and there, this one has nothing (no setting or selection) that may have an impact on its report.
1 Like
Thanks for the reply.
I don’t have any files or folders collapsed in my Outliner view when I select all to get a wordcount. Certainly there is no single file (or as far as I can see, combination of files) that has exactly 1278 words, so I’m quite confused as to where the discrepancy is coming from.
I’ll try using the Writing History stats going forward, but I’m hesitant about that one as well. I just checked it and I noticed that on 22 May I somehow have 6941 new words written, which I know must be incorrect (I would have remembered such a smashingly successful day, so that must have been some form of pasting into the project that I just don’t remember right this second), and then 19 May has -5992 words, even though I’m 100% sure I did not remove such a big chunk from my project at any point in time (I’m writing first draft, there’s no reason for me to be removing words at this stage). Not sure I trust those stats either, I’m afraid. 
But I’ll keep an eye on them for the next couple of weeks and see whether they stay consistent and accurate.
Actually, your comment made me go back and double-check just to be absolutely sure, and wouldn’t you know it, there was a little rewrite of one of the scenes tucked away under one of the files (and my easy-on-the-eyes grey theme made it extra hard to spot the subfile chevron in the Outliner). Sneaky sneaky.
Got myself a new method along with its shortcut: Remember to use Alt+] in the Outliner to invoke View >> Outliner >> Expand All before trying to select all for a wordcount update.
Thanks, kind stranger! You saved my sanity and my workflow in one fell swoop.
3 Likes