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Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/a/19765
License name: CC BY-SA 3.0
License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/

Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/a/19765
License name: CC BY-SA 3.0
License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/

 **Excel, absolutely.**

You might not want to consider this, but give it a shot. Here are the things it could do for you:

1. **Word Count.** It has this one in the bag. Simply write for a session and count the words. If you're using MS Word, just highlight the words. It will tell you the word count down on the bottom of the screen. I know there are also websites/programs that can do this for you. Then just put that number into Excel. The next time you write, put the second number next to the first. Then run a formula to calculate the average. You can keep from having to update the formula by _inserting_ columns/rows before the formula to add new data. When you do this, Excel automatically changes the formula to include the new column or row. 
2. **Projects.** Simply make a new sheet in the same file. This way, you have one big file with all of your past, present, and future projects in it. In addition, you can see the specs of each project individually. Be sure to back this big file up somewhere. 
3. **Submission Status.** It's up to you how you want to track this. I use Excel to track my writing progress in a similar fashion. I have an in depth development process, followed by the writing process. For each step, I have a cell containing how much I think the step is worth (for example, a particular step may be worth 1, and another may be worth 5 because it takes longer). As I go through the process, I have another column that I fill in with numbers corresponding to the step value, as I complete them. At the top of the sheet, I have a cell with a formula dividing the sums of the two columns by each other and writing the result as a percent, so telling me how far I am through the project. 
4. **Graphs.** They're a little hard to work with in Excel (Word is easier to arrange them), but MS Office 2007 and up has a lot of excellent charts and graphs you can use to track practically anything. Want a line graph depicting how often, how much, and when you write? No problem. Want to later change that line graph to a different format (of a line graph) without losing the data? No problem. 

Something else you could consider is MS Access. It's not as easy to work as Excel or Word, and you need to know what you are doing, but it is ultimately far more powerful than either.

Hope that helps!

Original score: 1