Is your WIP all in a single document?

Mistook · Jun 19, 2005

I keep meaning to ask this question. I'm using MS Word to write my manuscript, but I'm not the most advanced user on the planet. For me, every chapter is a separate document, and I have them all sitting in one big folder.

Is this normal?

Is there a way to separate chapters in a single, huge document, and be able to flip between them without having to scroll up and down between hundreds of pages?

pepperlandgirl · Jun 19, 2005

If you put them in one giant document, you can just do a "find" when you're looking for a specific chapter.

scribbler1382 · Jun 19, 2005

If you use a heading style for your chapter headings, you can use the document map to give you a list of the chapters in a sidebar. Click on an item in the list and you'll jump to that point in the document. You can get a lot fancier than that, but you have to play around with styles and such a lot more. Best thing is you don't have to have the list there all the time, distracting you. Just click the document map icon when you want it there and click it again to get rid of it so you can focus on the text.

Ivonia · Jun 19, 2005

You know, when I wrote my first draft, I kept it all in one huge file.

For the revision, I'm breaking each chapter into seperate files (basically by opening a new file, then copying and pasting the chapter onto the new document).

Once I've finished that, then I'll add them all back together and see how many pages it is. So far it's worked, but I've noticed that my prologue and chapter 1 has grown significantly larger (for instance, my chapter 1 in Word was originally about twenty-seven pages or so, it's now about forty eight page, almost double the size, mostly because I have to throw in a lot of description since it's a Sci-Fi/Fantasy story with a lot of new, made-up stuff).

I think that once I finish doing it, my novel will probably be a tad bit longer (I'm going to chop a lot of stuff away from the later chapters that I deem "kind of boring/useless" and fill in more description for things as needed, but hopefully it'll be more fun to read too.

Jamesaritchie · Jun 19, 2005

Mistook said:
I keep meaning to ask this question. I'm using MS Word to write my manuscript, but I'm not the most advanced user on the planet. For me, every chapter is a separate document, and I have them all sitting in one big folder.

Is this normal?

Is there a way to separate chapters in a single, huge document, and be able to flip between them without having to scroll up and down between hundreds of pages?

I break my novel into chapters ebcause it's much more conveinient for many things. . .and some print publishers want an en elctronic version that's broken down chapter by chapter after they buy the novel. But I also keep the novel in a separate, single document becaus ethat easier for search and find.

It's no great effort to keep both versions of a novel, and doing so has many advantages.

aruna · Jun 19, 2005

page headers

While we're on the subject of MS Word, can someone tell me how to get a header on every page? I can't find an option for that under "insert".

Supafly · Jun 20, 2005

Its easier to just use one single document. MS Word is cool....I'm stuck with Works right now

Birol · Jun 20, 2005

aruna said:
While we're on the subject of MS Word, can someone tell me how to get a header on every page? I can't find an option for that under "insert".

Click on View in the Toolbar.
Click on Header and Footer.

This will place your cursor in the header on the current page of your document. It will also present you with a toolbar for selecting options, setting preferences, and switching between the header and footer.

Mistook said:
I keep meaning to ask this question. I'm using MS Word to write my manuscript, but I'm not the most advanced user on the planet.

I started out with my WIP in one file. As I've been working on detangling -- I will never do a full organic writing again -- the story, I've been creating separate file for each POV. When I'm done detangling, I'll recombine them into one file.

Steve 211 · Jun 20, 2005

Jamesaritchie said:
I break my novel into chapters ebcause it's much more conveinient for many things. . . But I also keep the novel in a separate, single document becaus ethat easier for search and find.

It's no great effort to keep both versions of a novel, and doing so has many advantages.

Hey James, do you mean you break it up after the fact and keep two versions, or are you doing one of those technical things where you have the manuscript both in one document and in separate folders and have the changes in one affect the changes in the other? Thanks.

jules · Jun 20, 2005

I have my WIP broken up into parts, each of which contains about 8 chapters, and have one document per part.

You can set a bookmark at the start of each chapter, and label it with information about that chapter -- then when you're looking for something specific, you can look through the list of bookmarks and find what you're looking for quickly, without having to remember exactly which chapter it was in.

Richard · Jun 20, 2005

If you're using Word, you can do both - have one master document that loads in each of your chapters from different files.

scribbler1382 · Jun 20, 2005

Richard said:
If you're using Word, you can do both - have one master document that loads in each of your chapters from different files.

Anybody thinking of using Word's Master Document feature should read this:

http://word.mvps.org/FAQs/General/WhyMasterDocsCorrupt.htm

Not that you shouldn't use it, but better the devil you know.

Richard · Jun 20, 2005

I'd avoid it, but that's because I don't trust Word. Just saying that the option is there if you need it.

Ken Schneider · Jun 20, 2005

I use word perfect 11, and it's one doc.

Andrew Jameson · Jun 20, 2005

Jamesaritchie said:
I break my novel into chapters ebcause it's much more conveinient for many things.

Honest question (asked of the general populace, not necessarily James in particular): what are the advantages and conveniences of keeping your chapters in seperate files?

I fairly often check back and forth for some bit of business or 'nother (was she wearing a blue dress, or green?) to maintain consistancy, and jot notes to myself, and so forth, and having the entire manuscript open works for me. I honestly can't think of any downside, unless you just don't like dealing with files that are ~1 meg or so.

MadScientistMatt · Jun 20, 2005

I keep all my chapters in separate documents. I'm not sure if I really have a reason for doing this, but it seemed logical. It also lets me open several chapters in different windows at once, although there's probably a way to do this with one file.

I use OpenOffice, BTW.

Christine N. · Jun 20, 2005

I have one document, and then a bunch of files with about three chapters each. I just copy and paste. Why? Because when I send stuff to readers, I can give them those bite sized chunks. But the working copy is one big file. It makes it easier to see if I've repeated something or if I need to find something quickly.

pianoman5 · Jun 20, 2005

I file mine in chapters and periodically combine them into a single magnum opus in which it's easier to find things with a search.

My main reason for doing this is force of habit. Older versions of Word (e.g. Word 97) were not so good at handling large documents (anything more than about 200-300 pages) and could confound one's efforts with some imaginative formatting variations of its own volition. Also, PC's more than a few years old were not sufficiently nimble to allow you to do a quick CTRL S (save) on the fly and let you keep typing uninterrupted.

But with modern beefy processors and current versions of Word it's not really an issue any more.

DragonHeart · Jun 20, 2005

I'm keeping my current WIP in one file. It's not going to have chapters, but for the sake of convienence I label each scene with a 2-5 word description and make an index of them in a seperate document I can leave open alongside the story. This way I can check the name of a scene and Ctrl+F if I need to go back and look at details without scrolling constantly to the top.

It will also make revision a lot easier, since I can copy each scene into a new document, do my revisions, then stick it back in without getting 'lost'. When I'm ready to send it out I'll just remove all the scene markers from the master copy, but keep them in the working version, in case I need to go back and change anything.

Of course, I've never progressed beyond the rough draft of anything novel length, so I imagine I'll tweak the system I have in mind until it works for me. I'm not the most organized person around, unfortunately.

~DragonHeart~

azbikergirl · Jun 20, 2005

I start out chunking my book into files like CH1-9.doc, CH10-19.doc, etc. so that no file becomes overly huge (I do quite a bit of writing on my PDA, using Documents To Go, and I don't want to wait for a huge file to open/save). My more-or-less finished novel has 64 chapters, which I've merged into in a single file for touch-ups (as I read aloud and find nicks and smudges) and submission. The problem I had chunking a 64-chapter novel into multiple files was I couldn't remember which file to open when I wanted a particular scene ("was that in chapter 9 or 10?"), so I had to create another file which was a list of which files held which scenes. If I named my chapters rather than just numbered them, it might be easier to tell by the file name...

azbikergirl · Jun 20, 2005

Andrew Jameson said:
Honest question (asked of the general populace, not necessarily James in particular): what are the advantages and conveniences of keeping your chapters in seperate files?

I've found that it's easier to look at two different documents at the same time. Sure, Word has a splitter feature, but I don't care for it much. It's easier for me to have all files open if I want, then jump from one to another at will. (I don't do individual chapter files; instead I do chunks of chapters per file.)

I can keep a file open at page 2 of chapter 13 while I search for a phrase or word in another file, without having to search again and again or bookmark places in the same document and then use Go To to find it again. As cool a concept as Go To Bookmark is, it takes too many mouse-clicks to make it worth the effort (unless there's a shortcut I'm not aware of).

Roger J Carlson · Jun 20, 2005

aruna said:
While we're on the subject of MS Word, can someone tell me how to get a header on every page? I can't find an option for that under "insert".

There's a thread in the Tech Help board that discusses Headers and Footers:
http://absolutewrite.com/forums/showthread.php?t=14233

Jamesaritchie · Jun 20, 2005

Andrew Jameson said:
Honest question (asked of the general populace, not necessarily James in particular): what are the advantages and conveniences of keeping your chapters in seperate files?

I fairly often check back and forth for some bit of business or 'nother (was she wearing a blue dress, or green?) to maintain consistancy, and jot notes to myself, and so forth, and having the entire manuscript open works for me. I honestly can't think of any downside, unless you just don't like dealing with files that are ~1 meg or so.

Having the entire manuscript open also works for me when actively writing, but there are times when I need separate chapter files.

One of the advantages of separate chapter files is, as I said, that publishers sometimes want them this way, and it saves work later on. A bigger advantage, however, is that separate chapter files makes it very easy to send someone, agent, editor, or reader, specific chapters with a quick click.

And having separate chapter files ready to go makes computer to computer editing much easier, especially when you're doing it in real time with a beta reader, agent, or editor.

But the main reason I keep chapter by chapter files is that I never know when an agent or editor will ask for the thing filed this way, or just for specific chapters. Since it's very easy to keep chapter by chapter files, and a complete document, I have both at all times.

Oh, and as azbikergirl says, there are times when being about to view two chapters at once is very handy, and chapter by chapter files makes this quicker and easier.

Diviner · Jun 20, 2005

My chapters are generally short. I give each one a title. When I am scrolling or finding, the titles help me to remember what happens in the chapter. Often I work on the chapters as a separate doc., but I keep all of them together in one large document, too, updating the main document as needed.

I use aa combination of programs, Rough Draft, which is freeware and very handy, as well as Word. Usually I work on scenes and chapters in Rough Draft before copying them to Word.

Susan Gable · Jun 20, 2005

I keep mine as one huge document. This way I know where I am in word count/page count. Just makes it easier for me. When I am trying to get to a certain point, I just scroll down on the side and watch the chapter headings pop up.

I think Harlequin used to ask for seperate chapters, but ever since I sold to them back in 2002, I've sent my file as one big file, and never had them tell me I needed to do it differently.

Susan G.

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