Keeping Track of It All

themindstream

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I use Scrivener to write and manage my WIP proper but except for a few things I need to constantly reference like my list of character names I haven't been using it as a research/worldbuilding manger. Some of it may be unfamiliarity with those features of the software, some of it may be the fact that a lot of that material is multimedia - web links, images, etc. - and I haven't figured out how to manage them gracefully.

I haven't settled on a best way yet but these are the things I've tried:

TidlyWiki: I have the computer expertise to set up my own MediaWiki but that experience also tells me that I really don't want to go through all that bother if I don't have to. With MediaWiki you need a server and a database or you need to pay someone to provide you with the use of one and you don't really want to use public wiki-hosting sites because all the ones I know of will leave your wiki open to the world for viewing.

TidlyWiki runs entirely in your browser (with a Firefox helper extension) with no server required. You can put the files in a folder on your computer or in your cloud storage or on a web host for public viewing/colaboration; completely up to you. There are some fairly dire warnings about needing to back up your TidlyWiki well as if something goes wrong you can lose everything but I've never run into the problem. I keep mine in Dropbox with my Scrivener project folder.

Evernote: This is a newer experiment and I'm not sure I'll stay with it because you have to pay to access your files offline. But it is a better OneNote. The browser integration for saving references is good, you can more easily organize things than in TidlyWiki...I haven't figured out how or if it will store images yet.

As for Scrivener proper, I find it's greatest strength is as a scene manager. My working manuscript is divided by folders into what will probably end up as chapters and each of those has multiple text sections roughly divided by scene. It's easy to rearange, add and remove scenes and scenes can be annotated with notes for changes I want to make later. Outside the main manuscript I have folders for cut material, old versions of revised scenes and fragments (stuff I've written as experiments without being sure they have a place in the story) and my (rather small) notes section.
 
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avekevin

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Like Wirehead, I set up a self-hosted wiki (using Mediawiki, the same software that powers Wikipedia -- probably way overkill for my project, though) on my website long before I started using Scrivener. I continue to use it (both the wiki and Scrivener) to this day.

I'm an IT guy, but that seems like too much overhead for me. To each their own - do what works for you - but I don't want the hassle of running, patching, and backing up my own server.
 

Emily.Loyce

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I don't know what it is about tech but I'm really old school. Looking at all these posts about scrivener or using a wiki is really fascinating and even tempts me to give it a try, but there's something about that pen and paper. I have a note book addiction. Every time I am at a department store getting groceries, I'll swing by the stationary section and check out their note book selection. I have just as many blank ones as I do full ones, but I keep buying more. I'm really disorganized, and I'll write down thoughts that come to me or a detail on a page and sometimes I have to really sift through it all to find it again, but then I'll have another book with all of the same information recopied form the first book in a more orderly manner.

I know there are a lot of authors that prefer to keep their bibles in note book form, but as others have said there is no wrong way to go about it. Having all that information out there in digital space is scary to me though. I only ever use the computer when drafting my chapters, all my notes and information goes in a note book.
 

AW Admin

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I know there are a lot of authors that prefer to keep their bibles in note book form, but as others have said there is no wrong way to go about it. Having all that information out there in digital space is scary to me though. I only ever use the computer when drafting my chapters, all my notes and information goes in a note book.

The good thing is that there many "right" ways; what works for you, is right.
 

Emily.Loyce

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The good thing is that there many "right" ways; what works for you, is right.

Yeah exactly. What works for one individual may not for another. Researching different methods can be great to find what works best for you. I do find though that some ways feel easier in my head. As I mentioned when I saw the mentions of scrivener. It sounds great and amazing but i'd probably just fall back into what feels more comfortable and then I kick myself later. That's more of a personal failing though.
 

yumpty-tum

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As everyone else has said, it's personal preference. I go for notebooks and colour-coded see-through slides that I can overlay on each other so I can see how stuff links. Then again, I've never written anything quite as long as other people have here so it may not work for longer projects.
 

Harlequin

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People just make do with what they can, failling doesn't come into it I reckon.

Notebooks are fantastic for when I'm stuck; I think because I can write all over the page, big and small, and group thoughts differently, but writing an substancial amount by hand would risk work being destroyed by small children in this house, so I tend to stick to safer methods.
 

The JoJo

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Evernote and a USB stick with a bunch of word docs is my main repository (backed up, don't worry). I honestly don't find I need many notes, though, I can store most the details in my head. Laying out the plan for the novel is easier though with a document in front of you, that you can move around and edit at will.