I’m wondering if someone might care to tell me their system of keeping file docs in some semblance of order while working on a novel. By file docs I mean those chunks of electronic wizardry that make up individual chapters, which in my case are written randomly, not in story order. My files are all over the place like a mad woman's knitting and I sometimes despair of ever having them all in their correct order. Thank you.
Keeping track of file docs
- Thread starter The Backward OX
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Folders and sub-folders with some kind of understandable naming convention (possibly including a date with the file name). Computer memory is relatively cheap these days; make copies on a regular basis, including an off-site backup from time to time.
i have two files, one that contains the entire MS and one that contains any notes etc.
they are labled as MS draft and MS notes
that was I never get confused.
Why do you keep each chapter in a different file? that makes it harder to edit i find.
You could create a folder each MS and keep all the related files in there.
they are labled as MS draft and MS notes
that was I never get confused.
Why do you keep each chapter in a different file? that makes it harder to edit i find.
You could create a folder each MS and keep all the related files in there.
I have a folder for each novel project, named for the novel's working title. In that, I have a file for the novel itself, a file for notes, title ideas, query letter attempts, synopsis attempts. I keep the text of any give novel in one document. There are several advantages to keeping all the chapters in one document: ongoing word count; I can navigate to anywhere in the document and move things around without opening several documents at once and risking getting lost or confused; I can spell check all at once; I can change format all at once. Lately I've begun writing linearly, which is great for organization, but I sometimes write a scene out of order. I just put those scenes at the bottom of the document and work toward them, connect each one as I get there, and move on.
Because I don't always write from chapter 1 to chapter xyz, I make files for each chapter
The most important thing I do is date the file.
AND if I make any changes to the text in a particular file I ALWAYS amend the date to the day I make the change. That way I'm current.
Backing up files on an external drive is very important.
I also keep a file for those pesky lines and phrases that pop into my head while I'm writing something else. I call this file my "interleaf" file. When I'm ready I look for spots where these new thoughts may fit in my WIP.
When I send my text to beta readers I create a file with the beta's name and the date sent. When the text returns I immediately make a file with the return date.
Dating the file ensures you have the most up to date version. I know of a POD writer who inadvertently sent an old version of his book out and it made it all the way to market. What a mess. It took him months to retrieve the bad copies. He made good on them all out of his own pocket. If he had dated his files he would have avoided that situation.
C
The most important thing I do is date the file.
AND if I make any changes to the text in a particular file I ALWAYS amend the date to the day I make the change. That way I'm current.
Backing up files on an external drive is very important.
I also keep a file for those pesky lines and phrases that pop into my head while I'm writing something else. I call this file my "interleaf" file. When I'm ready I look for spots where these new thoughts may fit in my WIP.
When I send my text to beta readers I create a file with the beta's name and the date sent. When the text returns I immediately make a file with the return date.
Dating the file ensures you have the most up to date version. I know of a POD writer who inadvertently sent an old version of his book out and it made it all the way to market. What a mess. It took him months to retrieve the bad copies. He made good on them all out of his own pocket. If he had dated his files he would have avoided that situation.
C
I have a main folder for each novel. For one novel, each chapter is named based on the country the characters visit, and knowing their route it's easy to keep track.
For the WIP, once I had about 10 or 15 very short chapters (scenes, really) I labeled them 1.000, 2.000, 3.000, etc. Then, if I wrote something that goes between 1.000 and 2.000, I label it 1.500. Something after that but before 2.000 gets labeled 1.700, etc. That way they show up in order in the file folder.
For the WIP, once I had about 10 or 15 very short chapters (scenes, really) I labeled them 1.000, 2.000, 3.000, etc. Then, if I wrote something that goes between 1.000 and 2.000, I label it 1.500. Something after that but before 2.000 gets labeled 1.700, etc. That way they show up in order in the file folder.
I've started using the Document properties a lot more lately. At least in Word you can usually add comments, tags, status, all kinds of stuff, including custom fields, so you can add things in there that keep track of what's in that file and what's going on with it right now. Also check out different folder views, see if you can see a "preview" pane that shows you what's in the file. And a Details pane that shows you the properties of the selected document in the folder.
Between those two things and being organised about naming files and using folders and subfolders, you should be able to quickly be able to organise and find things when you have stuff in lots of different files.
Between those two things and being organised about naming files and using folders and subfolders, you should be able to quickly be able to organise and find things when you have stuff in lots of different files.
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I keep it very simple. A folder for the project, and one subfolder to dump backups into. One file for the novel, and that's it.
I did try saving individual chapters. Never, never, never again! I shuffle chapters a lot, and individual chapter files is a great way to accidentally delete files or lose them. Even when I gave the file names descriptive labels, I still had this problem because there were so many of them. Much better was to use Word's heading styles, and then if needed to shuffle a chapter around, I could just switch to outline view and drag it to the new location.
I did try saving individual chapters. Never, never, never again! I shuffle chapters a lot, and individual chapter files is a great way to accidentally delete files or lose them. Even when I gave the file names descriptive labels, I still had this problem because there were so many of them. Much better was to use Word's heading styles, and then if needed to shuffle a chapter around, I could just switch to outline view and drag it to the new location.
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This is a good question. I've been thinking about this.
For novels, I use the program Scrivener which does it all for me in one file and divides chapters up.
But for short stories; I used to have folders for First Drafts, editing, submitting and published but then moving files between folders became a hassle as well as having multiple copies so now I have a folder for each short and save a new copy with a version number when I'm editing.
For novels, I use the program Scrivener which does it all for me in one file and divides chapters up.
But for short stories; I used to have folders for First Drafts, editing, submitting and published but then moving files between folders became a hassle as well as having multiple copies so now I have a folder for each short and save a new copy with a version number when I'm editing.
I have a Passport with a password lock. I keep them all organized via folder names involving acronyms and shorthand only I can really understand. And every once in awhile I'll grab them all up and e-mail them to myself.
Although the area I live in is relatively disaster free. The only worry around here is tornadoes as it's on the northern edge of tornado alley.
Although the area I live in is relatively disaster free. The only worry around here is tornadoes as it's on the northern edge of tornado alley.
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I use ywriter. Keeps it all organized for me and my notes are attached to either the whole project, chapters and/or scenes.
http://spacejock.com
http://spacejock.com
Space is cheap. Text is small.
Make a folder for every project.
Make another folder inside and name it after the current date. Keep the files inside by whatever order you want them to be. If they're individual chapters, putting the chapter number first would be useful, but mostly, use descriptive file names. We're not in DOS times anymore, file names can be very long if necessary.
The next day, make a copy of that folder and rename it to the new date.
That way, you'll have a complete daily history of all changes you make without a lot of effort. You can get a flash drive with a couple of gigs for a few bucks, so get two, and make a backup copy every week or so, alternating them. A flash drive will hold a couple of billion pages of text, so even a big project and daily backups mean you only need to worry about deleting old backup copies every few decades or so. If you want to be paranoid, keep one of the drives with your computer and one on your person.
Make a folder for every project.
Make another folder inside and name it after the current date. Keep the files inside by whatever order you want them to be. If they're individual chapters, putting the chapter number first would be useful, but mostly, use descriptive file names. We're not in DOS times anymore, file names can be very long if necessary.
The next day, make a copy of that folder and rename it to the new date.
That way, you'll have a complete daily history of all changes you make without a lot of effort. You can get a flash drive with a couple of gigs for a few bucks, so get two, and make a backup copy every week or so, alternating them. A flash drive will hold a couple of billion pages of text, so even a big project and daily backups mean you only need to worry about deleting old backup copies every few decades or so. If you want to be paranoid, keep one of the drives with your computer and one on your person.
Any outliner or personal wiki software that has hierarchical headings in one pane and text in another is ideal for writing, IMO. It allows you to shift sections around easily, and ideally each heading would be a different file in a non-proprietary format. Scrivener does that, plus other things, but it's only for the Mac. I use Zim on Linux. For Windows, there's an ancient program called keynote which has apparently been resurrected as open source.
My own opinion is that word processors were designed for secretaries and pretty much suck for generating prose.
My own opinion is that word processors were designed for secretaries and pretty much suck for generating prose.
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My hierarchy:
Writing
--Fiction
----Novels
------Novel Name
then inside the Novel Name I have the current files floating around and folders called:
--------Archives
--------Queries
--------Bits and Pieces (which holds stuff I deleted but want to keep)
Writing
--Fiction
----Novels
------Novel Name
then inside the Novel Name I have the current files floating around and folders called:
--------Archives
--------Queries
--------Bits and Pieces (which holds stuff I deleted but want to keep)
My system is similar to CaroGirl's. I have one folder for that novel. Within that folder I have one file for the manuscript. Then within that folder are several folders: Queries, Synopses, and Misc Info. The first two are self-explanatory, but the Misc Info contains a Notes file, a Timeline (a list of chapters with a one or two-sentence synopsis of that chapter on one sheet of paper to track the timeline and find the right chapter to make a change).
I have a writing folder. Inside I have a folder for each project under the title of the book. I also have a CRITS folder where I store projects that I'm critiquing. In each project folder I list individual files by chapter. I also list the date so I'll know when I last worked on that file. I sometimes keep a running draft of all the chapters that I want to keep. I call that one draft_full_date. If it's a finished draft it changes to draft_finished_date.
I also use ywriter and write or die. yWriter organizes things its own way and I don't mess with that. For write or die, I don't write chapters so much as scenes and snippets. So in the folder, I save them as a, b, c, d, etc. And once I get to z, I go back to aa, bb, cc, etc. That way I know what order they're in, but I don't worry about organizing anything into chapters. Usually I have that running file going as well so I'll save a snippet/scene from write or die but I will also copy and paste it into the running file as well.
I've heard so many stories of loss and corruption that I am more cautious than I used to be. I have a program that backs up my computer each day to servers around the world. That's my backup.
I also use ywriter and write or die. yWriter organizes things its own way and I don't mess with that. For write or die, I don't write chapters so much as scenes and snippets. So in the folder, I save them as a, b, c, d, etc. And once I get to z, I go back to aa, bb, cc, etc. That way I know what order they're in, but I don't worry about organizing anything into chapters. Usually I have that running file going as well so I'll save a snippet/scene from write or die but I will also copy and paste it into the running file as well.
I've heard so many stories of loss and corruption that I am more cautious than I used to be. I have a program that backs up my computer each day to servers around the world. That's my backup.
I too write scenes out of order. This is where some of my problem lies. I understand what you mean by "put those scenes at the bottom of the document" (I think), but you lost me with "and work toward them, etc." Would you care to rephrase that?
I tend to write out of order, myself. I usually keep all the disparate parts in one document though. To me it is easier, YMMV.
As far as document organization, I have one folder for "books" and then each book has its own subfolder. Usuallay named for the working title or an abbreviation of it. I keep the MS, notes, query letters and whatnot in the folder. I usually name the MS with an abbreviation of the title and then put MS notes, MS query (date), MS characters, etc...
If you keep each chapter in a separate file, why not try something like MS-chapter-date type name?
KP
As far as document organization, I have one folder for "books" and then each book has its own subfolder. Usuallay named for the working title or an abbreviation of it. I keep the MS, notes, query letters and whatnot in the folder. I usually name the MS with an abbreviation of the title and then put MS notes, MS query (date), MS characters, etc...
If you keep each chapter in a separate file, why not try something like MS-chapter-date type name?
KP
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I've recently run into problems running keynote on windows 7 and Vista. I'll have to check the new version.
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Sure. Here's a scenario. I've written chapters 1 to 4 in order but I have a good idea for a scene that belongs further along in the story. Imagine it's the second scene in chapter seven. I go to the end of the document and write that scene. Then I go back up and continue writing chapters 5 and 6. I write the first scene of chapter 7, which brings me to the second scene in chapter 7: the one I already wrote. Now, with a simple read-through and edit to make sure the scene still fits and I'm happy with it, I can continue writing the rest of chapter 7 and onward.
Make sense now?
Sure. Thank you. This is perhaps the best bit of advice in the entire thread, an idea I will certainly implement.
(I never cease to be amazed at how some people can go so off-topic. There's reams of it here.)
I don't see any benefit to be gained by opening file after file for each novel. I bet most of them just sit there untouched.
Keep it simple. And yes, if something magical for a later scene occurs to me on the way, then like Caro Girl I simply scroll down a page or so and write it, then scroll back to where I was and keep going.
Keep it simple. And yes, if something magical for a later scene occurs to me on the way, then like Caro Girl I simply scroll down a page or so and write it, then scroll back to where I was and keep going.