RATS Project Rating Method

	A	B	C	D	E	F	G	H	I	J	K	L
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2		RATS Matrix writing project evaluation system				Read this part then go ↓ for a version you can fill in!
3		Suggested value scale + Schema explanation
4			Readiness	Alignment	Timetable	Sexiness
5		Categories ->	R	A	T	S
6			How ready is it? (How much research is needed? Another book comes first?)	How well does it align with my career goals? Will it support my career?	What's the scale of the task? Something I can do in a week, or years?	How sexy (awesome) is this? How excited am I to work on it, how much wow factor and radical enthusiasm is there?
7		Values↓
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9		5	Can start today/this week	Almost directly forwards my career.	A week, tops.	I dream about this project regularly!
10		4	Needs a few weeks, maybe a month of prep.	Good for my career.	A few weeks, maybe a month, tops.	I think it's radical!
11		3	3+ months of prep (about a season)	Definitely helps, but not optimal.	Up to 3-4 months (A season)	Pretty okay - pleasing to contemplate.
12		2	BIG prepwork, six months or so.	Kind of helps towards my goals? Kind of?	6 months to a year - huge!	Takes some effort to be enthusiastic about.
13		1	Can't start - need another book first, etc	Doesn't hurt, doesn't do much.	Multiple years!	I have no enthusiasm for it.
14	Fill in your own details and scores here, make sure numbers go in the blue boxes! ↓
15		Can view ranks + total scores over there!!! -->	R	A	T	S	Total Rank	Time-Difficulty Rank	Career-Passion Rank	Total Score	Time-Criticality Score	Career-Criticality Score
16			Readiness	Alignment	Timetable	Sexiness
17	Project Name/Scores	Novel: Hair of the Dog that Bit You	4	3	3	3	3	3	2	13	16.5	16
18	Notes:	N/A	Just need to read up on specific research, otherwise, good to go, I think.	Feels like it's retreading old ground, rather than reaching something new.	Definitely a season-long project. Might go longer, but shouldn't be too long.	Not super exciting, mainly just a thing I can do that I like.
19	Project Name/Scores	Novel: Hangover	4	2	2	4	6	6	6	12	15	15
20	Notes:	N/A	… I think I could write it almost now? Almost?	Too early. It's good for the career, but not until a few more books have passed by.	Last one took a year, I suspect this will, too.	I want this to happen, but I'm not rabid for it.
21	Project Name/Scores	Novel (series?): Grimm Fluff	3	5	2	4	1	3	1	14	16.5	18.5
22	Notes:	N/A	Needs a LOT of research and skills dev done, but, I've done big chunks already.	Can go trad-pubbing with this, which is great, and it's exciting, and it'd self-pub well.	Definitely a year-long thing.	REALLY want this to happen, but I can wait. Been waiting a long time already.
23	Project Name/Scores	Novel: Chainsaw Engine	4	3	3	3	3	3	2	13	16.5	16
24	Notes:	N/A	It's close to something, but it needs more outlining and some thinking about the plot macguffins.	Would be good for self-pub, possibly even exciting for self-pub. But no career development.	Feels huge, but should run shorter than a year, should...	I want this to happen pretttty badly, but putting it back in the drawer wouldn't hurt me.
25	Project Name/Scores	Novel: One Big Wall	2	4	2	4	6	7	2	12	14	16
26	Notes:	VERY early prototype concept, really. But it FEELS cool.	Not even sure where I'd start, but, it could work.	Would be good Trad-pub, but has zero obvious linkage to my self-pub.	Definitely a year.	It is REALLY stuck in my head for some reason.
27	Project Name/Scores	Novel: Go Fetch!	1	4	2	4	8	8	6	11	12.5	15
28	Notes:	This'd be fun, but I'm not ready!	Needs Hangover to be written, first, to progress the world.	I think this is the self-pub that could maaaaybe be passed to agents, first.	Definitely a year.	I am pretty excited for it, honestly.
29	Project Name/Scores	Ginormous Novel Trilogy	2	5	1	3	8	8	6	11	12.5	15
30	Notes:	N/A	Lot of prepwork required to make it REALLY work.	Perfect for trad-pub offering. Like, dead perfect.	Multi-year. Really, really imposing.	I'm almost tired of how huge and scary this is.
31	Project Name/Scores	Short Story 1	5	2	5	2	1	1	2	14	19	16
32	Notes:	N/A	A complete short story that needs revising, so I can start whenever.	It can go out, it can do things, but it doesn't really forward my agenda. Maybe can go into a file for eventual use in a short collection?	Just a short story, and revising shouldn't take long.	Eh. It'd be nice, but I don't see what I could do with it, and that hurts motivation.
33	Project Name/Scores	Short Story 2	5	2	5	1	3	2	9	13	18	14.5
34	Notes:	N/A	Again, only needs revision, so good to go whenever.	Mmmhn. I do want to submit more conventional SF, I guess? But it doesn't help self-pub efforts…	Just a short story, and revising shouldn't take long.	Almost don't care, now that I'm past the inspiration phase.
35	Project Name/Scores	Blankity	0	0	0	0	10	10	10	0	0	0
36	Notes:	This one's blank
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