Chopping novels into bits

Shail · Oct 28, 2008

Regardless of the title, I have not (yet) murdered my infant novel and used it in literary stew. I just wondered if I've buggered myself with the way I've been doing things.

I started editing the novel, but I found myself getting confused. I share the PC with several other people, and I find that editing is becoming tedious. I can only work for about thirty minuets at one sitting before being required to "do something useful". The document was so long that I would forget where I left off in my editing, and continue editing the same fifty pages over and over again. So I made individual documents out of each chapter for the editing process, that I plan to compile into one document at the end of the editing process. I'm sure there's something wrong with my method that will give me headaches later. Help, please?

Ms Hollands · Oct 28, 2008

None that I know of. I keep each chapter in its own file. That way, if my laptop dies, I only lose a small portion of my work, and it's easy to regularly e-mail backups to myself.

Also, if you're using MS Word, it was not designed to deal with long documents. Less pages should speed it up for you, so that's a result!

As long as you don't stray from your original style and template usage, you should be fine to just insert each chapter at the end of the previous one in the master file when you're ready to submit it. Until then, you can print out individual chapters and not have to worry about it.

I find it much easier to manage for editing this way too. And writing for that matter: manageable chunks and all that.

Danthia · Oct 28, 2008

I use Word's "Document Map" feature, which gives me a bar on the left side of the file that lists all my chapter headings. You'd have to set those in your style sheets. So it's easy to look down the list and click on CHAPTER THREE and it jumps to Chapter Three. As I'm editing, I use the yellow highlight feature to highlight where I stopped. That's usually a chapter end, so I highlight the next chapter title I need to start at. If it's a scene break, I highlight the first para of the next scene. Sometimes I even type in START HERE so I can do a quick find and jump right to where I need to start.

I know plenty of people who use the chapter per file idea, and they like it, so if that works better for you don't worry about it. I tried it, but I found that it was easier to move scenes around and break chapters in new places if it was all one file. Just a little less awkward to work with for me.

veinglory · Oct 28, 2008

If you are having trouble keeping track I think the simplest thing is to keep it in one file, before closing the file type blahblahblah at the point you had reached. next session, do a search for blahblahblah and recommence. That seems clearer than having to stop only when completing a chapter and then remembering which one.

sportacus · Oct 28, 2008

Personally, When I'm done editing for the time being, I just type keyword/key phrase that doesn't appear anywhere in the MS (Mine is 'RED ENGINE GO'). Next time I open it, I just ctrl+f for the phrase, then delete it, and continue onward. I have each act in a different file, as opposed to each chapter, and that seems to work fine.

Shail · Oct 28, 2008

Thank you all three, veinglory, Danthia, and April Hollands. All of those insites and tips sound really helpful. I'm going to try them all! (um - not all at once, though.)

Shail · Oct 28, 2008

Oops. Thanks to you too sportacus!

blacbird · Oct 28, 2008

I usually burn mine.

caw

riteideas · Oct 28, 2008

I found that I have to do seperate documents for each chapter. Then print them out for hand editing. When I go back to the computer to update I archieve the old chapter under the last revision date.

I haven't found anything easier.

tehuti88 · Oct 28, 2008

My things are all in separate chapter files anyway (I post my writing to the Web in HTML format, and since it's multichaptered and runs quite long, this is best), but when I have to leave off proofreading or some such in one chapter, I'll just put an asterisk or two there where I left off. Just a little bookmark. Easiest method for me, similar to the "blahblah" approach of veinglory.

Julie Worth · Oct 28, 2008

April Hollands said:
Also, if you're using MS Word, it was not designed to deal with long documents. Less pages should speed it up for you, so that's a result!

I had to look at the date to see if this was from ten years ago. No, Word has no problem with the typical MS. A meg or two, that's smaller than the pictures my sister sends me. Dividing up your MS can slow you down considerably if you come across words or names that need to be changed globally. Then you have to open each doc and change it. Tedious.

ebenstone · Oct 28, 2008

I've found it easier with my present WIP to split it into little thematic sections. It was the was I unintentionally outlined it and it's shaking out that way in rewrites.

Clair Dickson · Oct 28, 2008

I use a bookmark (Insert-->Bookmark) and usually title it "workinghere1" then I can go back to that spot. Sometimes I forget to move the bookmark, but when I do, it works quite nicely.

ishtar'sgate · Oct 28, 2008

Shail;2895038 So I made individual documents out of each chapter for the editing process said:
Nope. It works fine. I do that too. Just print them in a queue when you're ready for your final hard copy.

Kalyke · Oct 28, 2008

I chunk things into discrete units. It is true, the work becomes way too long to work on in one sitting.

Stunted · Oct 28, 2008

I don't know if this is useful at all, but after I edit for the night, I turn a line or two blue so I know where I left off.

NeuroFizz · Oct 29, 2008

I guess I don't understand all of the angst about editing. It's a chance to really pull aspects of the story together, make it flow, give it more depth, tweak this and that. I find it a very rewarding activity.

My take is if you have trouble with pieces of the story, maybe they need more cohesiveness in the first place (or am I misunderstanding the problem here?).

Unless y'all are talking about line editing. That can be tedious, but as one improves in terms of basic writing, drafts requires less and less of those kinds of corrections.

Shail · Oct 29, 2008

Thanks everybody for your help and suggestions (and reassurances that I haven't kicked myself in the pants). Not sure how appropriate naming names is but - thanks to riteideas, tehuti88, Julie Worth, ebenstone, Clair Dickson, ishtar'sgate, Use Her Name, and Stunted.

As for blacbird . . . I might take that suggestion seriously at a later date.

And NeuroFizz - nope, just line edititing. I'm super anal about line editing. I don't necessarily need a bunch, but I find myself line editing the same page fifty times because I've forgotten where I've already been (but that's too long a story for here. Maybe later.)

Chopping novels into bits

Shail

mostly normal

Ms Hollands

Cow lover

Danthia

veinglory

volitare nequeo

sportacus

Shail

mostly normal

Shail

mostly normal

blacbird

riteideas

tehuti88

Mackinac Island Fanatic

Julie Worth

What? I have a title?

ebenstone

Clair Dickson

A dark core to every cloud

ishtar'sgate

living in the past

Kalyke

Stunted

Ich heiße Superphantastisch!

NeuroFizz

The grad students did it

Shail

mostly normal