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Overview

Goals give your writing a finish line. Set a word count target with a deadline for your account, a file, or a project. 4thewords tracks your progress, calculates your required words per day, and notifies you when you hit your target. Goals are separate from your Writing Streak. Your streak rewards showing up daily; goals reward reaching a total word count by a date you choose.

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How It Works

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Your Goals Page

Where to find it: Left sidebar → Account → Goals Open in 4TW ↗
The Goals page accessed from Account in the left sidebar, showing the Goals tab, Account Goal section, and goal list with progress bars and statuses
The Goals page shows:
  • Your Account Goal at the top. Your big-picture writing target with a Create new account goal button
  • A list of your goals below, each showing the linked file or project, word progress, days remaining, and status (completed, in progress, or time ran out)
  • Progress bars that fill with color. Green for completed, purple for in progress

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Goal Types

Three types of goals, and they work together:
Goal typeWhat countsLimit
Account GoalAll words you write anywhereOne at a time. Can be displayed on your profile and in forums
File GoalWords written in that specific file (also counts toward your Account Goal)One per file
Project GoalWords written in any file assigned to that project (also counts toward your Account Goal)One per project
Start with an Account Goal. All words count toward it, so it tracks itself as you play. Use File Goals for drafts with a target length (e.g., a 10,000-word short story). Project Goals only count files assigned to that project, so make sure your files are linked.

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How Words Are Counted

Goals count new words only. Words written before setting the goal don’t apply. If your file already has 500 words and you set a 1,000-word goal, you need 1,000 fresh words. Two rules that often surprise writers:
  • Deleted words still count. Write 200 words, erase them, they still count. 4thewords credits you for the writing you did.
  • Copy/pasted words count too. Pasting counts as words added if you’ve enabled Copy/Paste in your Account → Settings.
Deadlines end at 11:59 PM in your local timezone, so you have the full day to finish. Deadlines must be a future date.

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Creating a Goal

Create account goal dialog showing word count picker, deadline date, daily words calculation, and public display toggle
To create your Account Goal:
  1. From your Goals page, tap Create new account goal.
  2. Fill in: I want to write [number] words by [date].
  3. The game instantly shows your required words per day based on your target and deadline.
  4. Optionally toggle Display my goal publicly on profile and forums.
  5. Tap Set account goal.
To create a File Goal: From the Writing page, tap Add goal on the file’s card.
File cards in the Writing view with Add goal buttons on each file
Or open the file and use the ⋯ menu on the format bar → Set file goal.
File editor showing the 3-dot menu with Set file goal option
To create a Project Goal: From the Writing Projects page, tap Add goal on the project card.
Project cards with Add goal buttons highlighted on each project
Or open the project and tap Set new goal next to the cover image.
Project detail page showing You don't have any goal for this project with a Set new goal button
The form is the same for all types, word count and deadline, but the goal is linked to that specific file or project.
Daily words are calculated automatically. Once you set a target and deadline, the game divides the remaining words by the days left and shows your daily requirement. This recalculates automatically if you modify the goal.

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Tracking Progress

Goal list showing linked files, word counts, days remaining, completion percentages, and progress bars
Each goal row shows:
  • Progress bar with percentage complete
  • Words written out of total (e.g. 1,200 out of 5,000 words)
  • Days left: hover to see the exact deadline date
  • Status: currently active, Goal completed!, or Time ran out
File goals also appear inside the editor. A progress bar shows on the format bar. Hover to see details, or tap to edit the goal without leaving your document. Use the Filter and Sort dropdowns to find specific goals:
DropdownOptions
Filter by statusCurrent · Completed · Lost
Filter by typeAccount · Files · Projects
Sort byMost Time · Less Time · Progress Desc · Progress Asc · Most Recent · Oldest

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Modifying a Goal

You can adjust a goal’s word count target or deadline at any time while it’s active. Tap Edit on any current goal row to open the editor.
Edit account goal dialog showing current goal at top and modify-to fields below with new word count and deadline
The editor shows your current goal at the top and a Modify goal to section below. Change the numbers, tap Modify goal, and the daily requirement recalculates immediately.
If your deadline slips, extend it rather than deleting. Progress is preserved and the daily requirement recalculates.

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Goal Statuses

StatusWhat it means
CurrentActive and in progress
CompletedYou hit 100%: the goal auto-completed when your word count reached the target
LostThe deadline passed before you reached 100%
The game sends three goal-related notifications:
  • Deadline approaching: “Only X days left to achieve your goal”: a heads-up before time runs out so you can adjust or push harder
  • Goal completed: “Hooray! You achieved your goal”: fires the moment you hit 100%
  • Goal lost: lets you know the deadline passed, with a link to create a new goal and try again
Completed and lost goals stay in your list and can be filtered. Your history is always preserved.

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Sharing a Goal

Tap Share on any current or completed goal to generate a shareable link. Lost goals can’t be shared. Your Account Goal also has a privacy toggle inside the editor: Display my goal publicly on profile and forums. When enabled, other players can see your account goal and your progress on your public profile.
A community forum post showing the writer's public account goal progress bar with 68.2k out of 333k words at 20% complete

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Removing a Goal

To delete an active goal, open it with Edit and tap Remove Goal at the bottom left. This removes it permanently.
Edit Goal dialog showing current goal, modify fields, and a Remove Goal button in the bottom left corner

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Frequently Asked Questions

Yes. Words count toward the file goal and your account goal at the same time. If the file is also in a project with a goal, they count toward all three.
The goal auto-completes and you get a notification. It moves to Completed status in your list. Set a new goal whenever you’re ready.
A Lost goal means the deadline passed before you hit your target. The game marks it automatically, and it stays in your history. Deleting removes it entirely. Consider letting goals go to Lost status so you keep the record.
No. One active goal per file at a time. Once a file goal is completed or lost, you can create a new one for the same file.
Tap Edit and push the deadline further out. The required words per day drops immediately when you extend the timeframe.
Yes. Goals are available to all players regardless of subscription.
Words must be written in a file assigned to that project. Open the project and confirm the file appears there.
Use the Filter dropdown and select Completed or Lost. Goals in those statuses may be hidden under the default view.
Open the lost goal and tap Create new goal to set up a fresh target for the same file or project with a new deadline.
Keep the momentum going

Writing Streaks

Keep your consecutive streak alive, earn Wings and Medals, and repair missed days with Stempos.

Daily Challenges

Earn rewards every day by hitting word count and battle milestones.

Documents & Writing Editor

Create files and projects, write in the distraction-free editor, and manage versions of your work.