Support for Indie Authors discussion
Writing Process & Programs
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Tips for Staying Organized While Writing and Editing
The Scrivener program is a very good and easy to use organizer. You can also write directly into it and export to Word afterwards. There are several others, but I don't know them. I use Scrivener.
I started with a word type doc to write, just dumping onto the page. I would have notes before and after the usable text including links and photos. Then I found iA writer while looking for a way to write from my iPad. Same word dump with less distraction. Finally I tried Scrivener and that's the first time I explored organized writing. It offered more info storing and character data storing while still letting me word dump if needed. I think this will be my go to app as I have paid $45 for the iMac version (really needed for mobi uploading) I have my eye on a couple other apps, but this will do for now.Now I word dump the main idea, Then save character photo in program of someone who looks like what I imagined, store web links that I need to reference, leave background info in it's spot, and store old versions instead of writing over them.
To be honest, I don't know if all the stored info and tighter story framing is strangling the free writing process, but I'm definitely far more organized...
It varies by book for me, although I've increasingly used excel in parallel with the word document(s) to help keep timelines and other information organized. Of curse I also have research materials at hand, too.The thing about outlines (for me) is that I try not to let them dictate the book. My idea of the best way to tell the story can evolve.
Genevieve wrote: "The Scrivener program is a very good and easy to use organizer. You can also write directly into it and export to Word afterwards. There are several others, but I don't know them. I use Scrivener."Thanks for the suggestions! I'll definitely check our Scrivener.
Michael wrote: "It varies by book for me, although I've increasingly used excel in parallel with the word document(s) to help keep timelines and other information organized. Of curse I also have research materials..."Yes! This is what I am trying to achieve by outlining. Do you create an outline and a timeline or do you think that they can be one in the same?
Mason wrote: "I started with a word type doc to write, just dumping onto the page. I would have notes before and after the usable text including links and photos. Then I found iA writer while looking for a way t..."I most definitely feel strangled but I'm not sure if it's a good thing or a bad thing yet...
I think of it like taming a stallion. A stallion is of better use to everyone when it's broken right? Maybe that's not the best comparison :D.
Personally, I use an unconventional and unorganized method of writing an outline. It is usually comprised of scattered notes, copied websites, and different sections of the book written out of order and saved. Then I just start the story and write as much as I can. It’s probably better to write a more organized outline. I had to go back and restructure my debut the first time after suggestions and advice from my editor. I am writing the sequel now, and find I’m using a similar technique as last time with a tad more organization. I still have scattered notes and written sections that are out of order. As outlines aren’t fixed anyways, and are just a template, I don’t see much harm in it. I think different things work for different people. I like to write out various ideas of where the story can go in my scattered outline and then choose which avenue to take while the story plays out. Some people are more successful writing out a more organized well-thought out outline and mostly sticking to the original plot. Some authors write out more than one organized outline and choose between them. I think every writer is different and what works for them works for them. Like I said though, it’s probably good to achieve a certain level of organization! I’m working on that myself!
*a certain level of organization I wonder why words and sections keep deleting when I comment here lol
Leah wrote: "Personally, I use an unconventional and unorganized method of writing an outline. It is usually comprised of scattered notes, copied websites, and different sections of the book written out of orde..."Love it! I really want to push the limits in my next book and explore different parallels. I like the idea of writing different parallels, plot directions and playing with the story a little bit. Thanks for sharing!
Scrivener allows you to write alternatives right next to each other, so that if you get a better or different idea later, you can add it and when you come to write you can choose between the two, or come up with a brand new one :)Anybody writing a historical would do well to have an organizer, it is so easy to forget some event and have the protagonists act at the wrong time. Readers of historical novels are on the whole pretty savvy about what took place when.
Also when writing a series, an organizer prevents repeating or having scenes and characters out of place.
Yes, one of the benefits of Scrivener is being able to write out of order and easily organize it into a the final structure later. You can just drag and drop the scenes and chapters where you want them.
I just write. My first book had a ton of notes, timelines, character profiles, etc, and it took me 8 years to get from idea to book. Since then, I've learned that the best way for me to stay on task is to not get bogged down with the extras. What most people love about scrivener is what I consider a needless distraction.
I typically keep a folder for each book and keep my chapters in separate docs until I'm ready to do a first edit. In the folder I have an extra doc for notes and copied bits that I may use elsewhere. If I'm out and I have a flash of inspiration, I'll jot it down in Google Keep. The fanciest I get is color coding my book/series folders in drive to match the covers.
Christina wrote: "I just write. My first book had a ton of notes, timelines, character profiles, etc, and it took me 8 years to get from idea to book. Since then, I've learned that the best way for me to stay on t..."
I have a minimalistic process, too. I hand write a treatment with all the important scenes, just a sentence or two for each. Then I figure out the logical order of events and number them. I also have a list of characters and their attributes. Once I start typing, I start from the beginning and type what feels natural from each prompt. After that, I’ll go through it many times to catch any plot errors, which sometimes leads to adding a scene. It takes time, but I believe the hardest part is writing anything. Once I start, the words flow. Getting bogged down by a lot of details increases the delay to actually committing to typing.
I replied earlier, but the whole thing has vanished.Here is a brief note of it.
I use a structure of headings as the steps from end to end. I then add more detail, telling the story as concisely as possible.
I can then build on that framework with more and more detail, dialogue and scene description.
After a month away from it, I go back and do a fresh read, each time adding more and more, before editing begins.
This is all done using notepad (windows).
I can pick the section I want to write, so I never suffer writers block.
I specialise in leading the reader with facts so they reach the obvious conclusion and then reveal a totally new aspect they never imagined.
Here is a simple example of how I might do that.
I lay silent in the dark wooden hut.
The wind shrieked around the foul-smelling room that had been my home for the last week. I say home, because this is where I live now.
There is a blizzard raging outside.
A small window, almost covered with the large snowflakes that have stuck to the dirty glass, lets in the only light to my cruel world. The illusion of warmth from the feeble yellow glow glimmering from the porch light of his shack, is my only comfort. He is alone in there, warmed by a roaring log fire and safe. He does not feel the hunger that I do, the bearded man has all the food and drink he needs. My bowl remains empty since yesterday. If there were sufficient light, it would gleam because I licked all the filth and dried food from it this morning.
There is movement against my bruised and blood crusted body. It is Misha, my little twin sister.
I pulled up the shared piece of sackcloth over her and huddled even closer. I hoped it would be reassuring to feel my warmth against her, now she is awake. I wanted to protect her from the unspeakable things the bearded man had done to the both of us, but I am only 7 years old. What can I do?
My thoughts returned to happier times. The family Misha and I were born into loved us deeply. I didn't realise what that was, at the time, I had known nothing else. A warm bed, all the food and drink we could manage and constant hugs. I appreciate what Misha and I have lost now and realise we should never have climbed into his car. When will our suffering end.
I nuzzled into Misha's head. Her hair was thick and matted with dried blood from her torn ear.
I stiffened. Misha tensed and lay there shivering in fear. The muffled crunch of deep snow underfoot grew relentlessly closer.
Misha was wide awake now and I whispered into her ear. "Whatever happens, run, and don't wait for me, or look back. She knew what I meant and headed to the dark corner by the hinges of the weather beaten wooden door.
The door opened enough for the man to stand in the opening, blocking any escape with his legs. He was not stupid, just cruel. Our captor was short and fat. The only advantage that I had.
He shone the blinding torchlight at me. Seeing only me, he swung the beam of light around, and searched the furthest corners of the hut. Seizing my chance, I ran and leapt for his throat and sank my teeth deep into beard and soft warm flesh. The gush of hot blood tasted good and crazed with savage revenge, my basic wolf instincts were awakened and I bit harder and deeper.
The man screamed, dropped his torch, and fell back into the snow. His huge hands grabbed my neck in an attempt to pull me away. I released my grip and slipped free. Misha was rushing past me, barking and yelping for me to follow. I didn't need telling twice, as I gave the bastard something to remember me by. I tore the flesh off his screaming face and raced after my little sister, into the safety of the night.
This has just been thought up and is nothing to do with the genre I write in.
Most of my planning happens either at the very beginning, when I'm in the process of idea-forming... or when I don't know what comes next. The latter happens when I let a project sit for too long, and I need to get to know my characters again.I invent places for the worlds I create, and something I've always found useful is using graph paper to sketch out the dimensions of the places. It really helps to have full control over where your characters are going (besides, if you have a full visual, you'll have continuity over where the bathroom or the bar is).
There's an encyclopedia of slang that I keep of words I've used. That way, I don't have to rethink of something or scour the internet. The words are right in a document for when I need to remember which word to use where (or when).
I've started growing my own name dictionary, full of everything from French to Lithuanian names. Sometimes, they'll be too over-the-top and I'll look back at my name dictionary and remember that it wasn't used... even though it's right there in my favorite app.
Index cards are also super useful for character/setting/chapter planning. Just jot down the proper noun on the blank side and create basic details surrounding each character/setting/chapter. Use the same basic points in each index card, but change the details to fit what character/setting you're talking about.
Sometimes, writing things out by hand is helpful because of the hand-eye connection. This is why I'll write a lot of the harder scenes out by hand, and revise them as I'm typing them into a document. Writing seems to come more easily, and when retyping, mistakes become more obvious.
When I'm stuck, I'll text back and forth with myself to get character voices right. It's difficult to just... come up with a text for a book when there are phones involved. If your characters have smart phones, having texting battles with yourself really helps shape them.
If they're in the past, and they write letters to each other... humans nowadays have gotten out of the habit of letter-writing. I've written journal entries and letters between characters in order to relearn the arts... that way, they're more believable.
Hope this helps!
Christina wrote: "I just write. My first book had a ton of notes, timelines, character profiles, etc, and it took me 8 years to get from idea to book. Since then, I've learned that the best way for me to stay on t..."
Interesting! I like the idea of having chapters in separate folders. I use Keep as well! I think it works pretty well.
Michaelangela wrote: "Most of my planning happens either at the very beginning, when I'm in the process of idea-forming... or when I don't know what comes next. The latter happens when I let a project sit for too long, ..."Wonderful! So many great ideas that I can definitely use. It's so wonderful how everyone has their own 'method of madness' in completing their books. I love the idea of sketching out the scenes. I love to draw and sketch so I feel like this could help free up my creative process. I also like the free-writing idea and index card idea. I'm seeing a pattern here where people mix it up. Being glued to my computer during the writing process makes me feel like I'm going crazy sometimes. I like the idea of getting some colorful paper and pens and mixing up the creative process to make it a bit more tactile. Thanks for sharing.
Phillip wrote: "Christina wrote: "I just write. My first book had a ton of notes, timelines, character profiles, etc, and it took me 8 years to get from idea to book. Since then, I've learned that the best way f..."
This is great! I like the idea of creating a rubric of sorts and numbering the events. I keep everything in my head and I'm trying to find a process where I am starting to get more of my thoughts it on paper instead of vomiting out words in these long and heinous writing sessions. I'd like to take more time to watch my ideas for events grow.
John wrote: "I replied earlier, but the whole thing has vanished.Here is a brief note of it.
I use a structure of headings as the steps from end to end. I then add more detail, telling the story as concisely a..."
Thanks for sharing! I definitely see the value in walking away from your work and looking at it with a fresh eye later on. Why do you choose to re-assess a month later? Just curious as to how you determined that 30 days was the right amount of time. Do you use that as a standard rule or does the timing vary by project?
You could use an editing style sheet when writing/editing, which will help you keep track of unusual words (in order alphabetically), spelling, punctuation deviations, settings, characters, etc. They're a good reference to ensure consistency and also help any future editor of your book. A professional editor will create one from scratch while editing if an author doesn't provide one. I couldn't see anyone mention it already but just ignore my repeat if someone did :-)
Katherine wrote: "You could use an editing style sheet when writing/editing, which will help you keep track of unusual words (in order alphabetically), spelling, punctuation deviations, settings, characters, etc. Th..."That's a new one thanks!
You might want to try developing a card system (I made a template for Scrivener) where you put down your scenes, the characters, setting, etc. It gives me why, who, what, where, when and the purpose of each scene. I use character templates for each person in the book even if it's only a quick description and why they are in the book. that way I don't lose track of who, when and were they appear and why. No, they don't need to be so in depth you hate then when you are done. (The Novel Factory does the same thing in a bit different way. I loved how quickly I set up a book using this program. You can add pictures for the characters and settings and block out the scenes along with getting a good start of a synopsis and blurb.)
I have also used the settings template when the characters are all over the place and you need to keep track of where they are, have been or are going, or if you plan on doing a series
All of the above can be invaluable if you are doing a series so you don't give Jane brown eyes in book one and blue in book three, or make Jack big and brawny in book one and lean and wiry in book two. (Yeah, I've seen both mistakes in a series). You want to make sure the house is set up the same, the same car, same habits, etc. It will save you a ton of time in looking up how described something, but it also refreshes your memory on items you forgot such as the hero is riding a blue HD in chapter one but then a blue BMW in chapter six. Not good even if they are both blue unless he bought a new bike alone the way.
First off, it's worth mentioning that each writer will need to fathom out what works & what doesn't work for them, because everyone's process is unique. So here's what I do. If any of these ideas help you then great! If not, just try something else. The only right answer is what works for you :)I use MS Word, not tried programs like Scrivener or Snowflake, I like simple :) To help keep oriented, I always split my ms into a series of documents - about a dozen - to keep them to a manageable size. I only combine them when I'm ready to publish. I give each doc name a numerical prefix to keep them in order, plus a more meaningful name related to what's going on at that point.
This kind of arrangement makes it easy for me to hop around to different parts of the story. When I get stuck in one area I often look for a scene that entices me and write that. If I know roughly where in the overall scheme it will appear, I can slot it right in. Otherwise I keep one "drafts" document to write random scenes which I then cut & paste into position when I'm ready.
Alongside the manuscript I have a collection of working documents. Always one for character notes and one for setting details, so I can remain consistent in specific details, and some kind of story outline. Beyond that it depends on the needs of the story. Usually some kind of timeline in a spreadsheet to keep track of how events relate to each other over time. I'm also an avid mapper and have a loose leaf binder with scribbled notes, maps, building plans etc. to help visualize and maintain consistency in the physical setting. Some of these I turn into more detailed drawings to post to my website. Someone also mentioned a style sheet, which is a good idea to maintain consistency.
All of these (apart from drawings I intend to publish) tend to be fairly minimal. Character notes, for example, are usually limited to a handful of details. If I want to get more immersed in the character I usually write mini stories or character interviews rather than detailed character sheets.
Another thing I do is make an Excel spreadsheet to keep characters straight. It will list details about their job, car, home, relationships, superpower (I love writing fantasy), and also a real-life person. The person is so I can easily remember body types or quickly look up a generic outfit to describe. It’s never a complete copy, but it sure makes it easier to keep the fine details in order.
I use a lot of comments and I also read through each draft three times before creating another one.
Like others have mentioned each author has their own unique way that works for them. It can't be a set in stone thing, as it's a creative process, so what works for me might not work at all for you. I've also found that what works for me for one or two stories might not work at all for a different story. My first few novels were planned out chapter by chapter where I planned out the chapter titles and a brief one or two sentence description of what main event would occur in that chapter. The novel I'm working on right now I've been building as I go along. It's taking much longer, but that's what works for this story. I thought up the situation and threw the characters in there and I'm researching and making decisions as I go based on the characters' growth and response to events, etc.
In general I have notebooks (or loose pieces of paper sometimes if the notebook is not available) where I jot down ideas or scenes or other aspects of world-building when they come to me. I also enjoy drawing maps in the world-building process. Eventually, an idea will grow big enough or interesting enough that I feel it is ready to be written. Sometimes that idea is very well planned out, sometimes not.
I then type it into word starting from the beginning and keep going in order until the end. If an idea comes to me that is for the end of the story while I'm still writing chapter 2 I will just jot it down in the notebook so I don't forget it.
I use word and I format the chapter titles and use a table of contents so I can easily find a spot within the document.For bigger projects I sometimes have a different word document with "names to use" or a timeline or something else like that for quick reference, but that's basically it. I haven't yet felt a need to make it any more complicated than that.
So much of what people have been talking about ... index cards with setting and who's in a scene, character sheets, lists of unusual words, outlines, notes, web pages, pictures, etc. can all be done in Scrivener and kept in one writing project.The writing part in Scrivener is just as simple as any word processor, and much easier to manage between versions and move sections around.
I haven't finished any writing projects in it so I don't know how well it outputs files.
But you can just write and write and write, then later go back and break it into sections. Or, as I've been doing recently, write until there is a change in scene or when there is a time break: basically, anywhere I would put an extra line space. Then I hit Cntrl-K (I write on a PC) which automatically creates a new text object. It will rename the file automatically. So if I start with a text object called Scene-1, it will automatically rename the newly created text object Scene-2.
Writing goes as fast as with Window, and is easier to later move things around.
It's got a built in Research section where you can add all your notes and web pages and pictures and whatever, even video.
Everything's all right there for you. It's got a lot of features I don't use but others might, like a notes section at object and project level, index cards where you can add detail for each text object, color codes to help track of what documents need specific attention, or what state your work is in (first draft, final draft, etc).
It's extremely versatile but extremely easy to use as well. Highly recommend you look into it. (No, I don't work for them.)
Scrivener exports to Word and PDF easily and fast. And it makes copies too. It also zip a project so you can attach it to an email. It works with Macintosh products too. So if you write on a PC but go on a trip with an iPad, you can use it. No conversion necessary.Another good points is that is saves your project automatically all the time you're writing or moving things around. The creators understood that in the heat of writing you probably forget to save. When you close the project, it asks you to save it again, and if you don't, like when I closed the computer too fast, it was saved anyway.
No I don't work for them, I am a satisfied customer who found it invaluable for my non-fiction books and for my upcoming series, not to mention the single titles.
Scrivener is great for organization, but i can't get it formatted properly to print put for and e book. I use it a lot for everything but writing. For that i do use MS Word as i can type into the formatted book and once edited it is ready to send for printing or making into an ebook. I still use paper and pencil for parts of the planning stages. Eventually, you will find what works for you. I hate writing in Scrivener and the Novel Factory as it stops the flow for me. I started as a pantster and went to a planner, not a plotter. So...i start with paper and pencil, move to Scrapple if I need a mindmap, then Scrivener for my character, setting, and a scene card template I set up. I also use the research and a notes section. I then format and type the book in Word, edit several times with the next to last using ProWritingAid. If I use Novel Factory, I don't write in there. I use it to get to where I need the cards in Scrivener. I am able to get a 100K word novel writtn in a month once it is set up.
Tephra wrote: "Michael wrote: "It varies by book for me, although I've increasingly used excel in parallel with the word document(s) to help keep timelines and other information organized. Of curse I also have re..."I do create an outline for the primary story, although—if I see how a side story will help the overall picture I feel free to wander away for a while, as long as I remember where I'm ultimately going.
I also create timelines in Excel—some quite detailed—with a row for every day of the story and columns for the things I need to track. Another page within the workbook will contain information about the characters, so I don't confuse names and ages and relationships and such.
As an example, for Bosworth I decided to use real weather and other environmental data (as a kind of experiment). I placed the fictional town of Bosworth at a specific set of coordinates and then found the nearest detailed weather report for every day of the story. This included precipitation (what, what time did it start and end), sunrise and sunset, as well as moonrise and set and phase, and the angle in the sky for the moon.
Making sure you know when things happened, especially if you jump back and forth, is important.
I also drew a map of the town, so I could describe it in the book, and be consistent about street names as the story progressed.
For some books, my notes and other info are very very detailed, and for some less so. It depends on the story and the complexity of what's happening.
Scrivener is a really great program when it comes time to actually writing the book. I remember when I wrote the First Draft of my book, I had like 90 something Word Perfect files (one for each scene) and I would have to have like fifteen of them open at a time to cross-reference and all that jazz. It was a nightmare, but somehow I made it through. I'm glad I went through that, actually. I think it built some character in me, HAHA!Anyway, my friend introduced me to Scrivener some time later, and after I plugged all those scenes into the program, I just haven't looked back. Everything is right there in one place. It's definitely a good QoL tool for a writer, especially writers of long format.
Having said that, however, I think all the "pre-production" stuff is best produced in whatever crazy way you can produce it. Scrivener is a great tool for organizing and it's a pretty all right writing environment. But before something can be organized, it first needs to be unorganized. Most of your creative strives are made before you really get down into the story writing part, and I think it helps to not be constrained inside a box. I personally need that room to breathe to let the emotion of it all be what it's gotta be. At least, that's how I look at it.
I think Outlines are better realized as First Drafts filled with tangential thoughts and emotional diarrhea. I don't think they should be hyper-organized. It's really your first real writing of the material, and you need your paint on the canvas. After the Outline, everything after is really just a slow, painstaking process of refinement until you're tired of that and want to move on.
Character/World Building... Personally, I think all of that stuff should be created in scene. What I mean is, don't just write a list of facts. Write the actual scene like you would any other scene in your story. Get emotional with it. It's tough to remember a list of cold, impersonal facts about a character or a region. But when you have the scene... you get that emotion. It's the emotion you carry with you.
Hope this helps some :)
Winston wrote: "Scrivener is a really great program when it comes time to actually writing the book. I remember when I wrote the First Draft of my book, I had like 90 something Word Perfect files (one for each sce..."I'm with you. I find though, that's it's not hard to put in a quick outline so that when my 'brilliant' ideas come, I can stick them roughly where they're supposed to be.
It is sometimes hard for me to stay on the organization path when you try to find enough extra time to write something special; But when I find that extra time, I just go ahead and write while I let my mind meditate on what I am writing. If you feel frustrated, that is OK; Just quit for a while, take deep breaths, and then find as much extra time as you need to write something special.-JW
As I have stated earlier, I lightly use Scrivener. Had a friend from across the pond visit me in the states who felt I should at least try a different more organized approach to my writing to see if I liked it. We first tried this on a first draft that was very fleshed out and we agreed it didn’t work well (would have required almost total rewrite), so we tried it on a story start that was 20 single sentences. Something like~ Wife stops to get wine. Liquor store is robbed. She thinks she knows one of the robbers and feels robber looked her way more than normal confirming this. Robber past lover. Old feeling return. Ect...I was to go on the internet and find a picture that I thought fit the blonde wife, then hubby, and then robber. Stuff this in the character folder along with the web links for pictures and site for liquor store and old Jazz club I referenced. The idea was to ‘start recording’ and get into character using my stored info and play this out alone or with friend. Write what worked into a 1st draft.
It’s so I can get into character easily after returning from a break that might have changed my mood or view. I liked it but maybe just because it was new and different.
I am more the regurgitate many pages at one setting kinda writer which lacks organization, but have still been happy with the end result, even if it might have taken longer. So I found that the path to staying organized is directly related to the writing style and far from a one size fits all as we know. I like utilizing more of a program that I have over $50 invested in (desk top and iPad software) but feel a mix of these two styles or jumping between them might be more me. Not sure how many ‘ways to write’ there are (they don’t have writers groups in my area that welcome erotica/porn (they are gene specific, require everyone to share and help each other with advice)), but I think the best organization is solidly linked to how you write and there must be a best way for that way of writing. I just know I haven’t mastered organization for the way I normally write even if I do get to ‘The End’.
YWriter for me. Simple, clean and has everything I need from notes, to character descriptions and scenes. I have written 6 novels on it and wouldn't change now. Even better, you can type on your laptop and then also on our android if you are out and have some inspiration.
I don’t permit any edits while writing a rough draft. The whole idea is to get the story down at that point. I do read through a of the manuscript every 8 - 12 weeks to do rewrites, revisions, etc. And with fiction, I don’t outline. I keep a brainstorming sheet with ideas. I stay organized by creating folders on my laptop for each book to save notes, drafts, research, etc. I also create a folder in Google for research, since many sites have good info for multiple projects.
Leah wrote: "Personally, I use an unconventional and unorganized method of writing an outline. It is usually comprised of scattered notes, copied websites, and different sections of the book written out of orde..."
Thanks for your post, my writing is like this growing organic monster I try to keep in line, but it works for me.
I was looking for a better way than Excel to track the story (over multiple books) and did try out Scrivener. But I had so much in Excel already that it would have been too consuming to switch and learning it. It also didn't quite do what I needed.From the time I started writing in my fantasy world, I used Excel to track:
- The world's "date"
- Any event that happened on that date (if worth mentioning)
- Any scene that took place on that date (sometimes I have multiple rows for the same date if multiple scenes/events happen on the same day)
- Book title (since I have multiple books in my series)
- POV of the scene (if it's a scene)
- How many words in the scene
- The date I wrote it (and tons of columns for various revisions)
- The chapter/scene reference
With that, it allows me to scan my Excel spreadsheet and figure out in what chapter/scene something happened (when checking details) and easily find that in my Word doc.
Yes, Scrivener does some of those things but it felt like I had to do "fancy" stuff to do what I was already doing (plus learning out to do them). Excel has groups so I do make use of collapsible sections.
I built another sheet that takes the information from that "timeline details" and summarizes # of scenes, total # of words per book (it's also broken down per point of view).
What was lacking with that tracking is a better view of where characters were over time (has a letter reached its destination? has a character arrived somewhere?), including minor characters and what they were doing.
For the last few books (and as I'm revising the earlier books), now I do an additional tracking in Excel with characters listed at the top and the world's date on the side and I put in details in the relevant cells. This really helps me track LOT of details and helps me keep the story details straight. I now use this as a planning tool too, but I plan perhaps 5 scenes ahead, then very loosely world "days" (or month) in advance if nothing happens for long periods.
I never plan too far ahead because as I write, I come up with ideas that often make me adjust my "upcoming" scenes3plan - so it keeps updates minimal if I don't plan too far ahead. I will jot down things I don't want to forget .
Doing it this way gives me a direction when I sit down to write. I also have some idea of where I'm heading beyond the next 5-10 scenes... but more often than not, I don't know "how" I'll get there.
That's what works for me and I wish I had done this top/side chars/date when I first started writing in my world.
It's really based on what each writer struggles with that determines what method works best.
Mod
I have excel file where I have characters with their simple list of physical traits and skills.
Desktop folders work best for me as I write in Word,..although I am thinking about writing directly in Indesign for my next project. For organization I'd still use folders with chapters broken down into sections (1-5, 6-10,..etc), as with a large manuscript it is easier to manage. I keep all copies of draft in each chapter folder: doc. pdf. indd. For hard copies, I toss everything into a file tote, not exactly organized, but I know where to find something if I really need it. Ditto research.
Scrivener is awesome for organization, but it wasn't a good fit for me,...productivity went down,...too much tinkering with all the cool features,..so back to Word, not as cool, but very productive,...and that's the end game. Use what works for you! :)
For the thriller/mystery I'm writing, I started off with Scrapple, using it to do a mind map. It was easy to make the connections to the clues, the people, where things took place and the sub plots and characters. I loved how I could add things and subtract things and put in the numbers for the chapters.From there, I went to Scrivener and imported the mind map so I could set up the chapters, using it much like Lori Ann does Excel. I use the character and place templates. I also have templates I have set up in Scrivener which block out the scenes as to POV, where when what why how who, etc. I keep that open as I type my draft into a formatted template in Word.
I've yet to figure out how to format Scrivener so I type into a formatted template in Word. I also like how I can open several pages at once to move things around in Word. Like Katherine, I like Scrivener for many things, but not for writing. Its like Novel Works. It's great for setting up a novel, but when it comes to writing it, I'm not fond of it and the book I'm writing in it will need more revisions than the ones I do in word.
So far, Scrapple (It is part of the Scrivener programs) Scrivener, Excel and Word are my main programs for organization and writing. A tablet and pencil is still the best way of getting the initial idea out there.
One way I organize is by time, time management. There are lots of aspects to writing and take different amounts of time. So if I have 15 minutes, I don't start editing because it's not enough. An hour, yes, back to the story or edit the one I finished.
Using MS Office 2013 with the free BCM (Business Contact Management) module lets me organize every step of novel writing. It combines project management with time management.
> Input each "To Do" (e.g. research dialect of my protagonist, get cover designed, contact a line editor).
> Prioritize the To Do's (urgent, normal, don't sweat it).
> Add date and time alerts for important ones.
Presto! A complete project plan that, in its entirely, is one terrifying beast. But organized? You betcha. Not available in Office 2016. Likely a good thing 'cause it's a biatch to set up.
Hi, Tephra!I understand where you're coming from when you say you wrote your first novel in unorganized chunks of messy paragraphs. I to have the same problem at times, but I've found a work around. I don't know if you were writing for advice or just out of curiosity for other aspiring author's methods, so I won't tell you my methods are the best ones. There are no are no best methods, just the ones that work better for each person.
What I've found is that, when I get a good idea for a novel, I can start by simply writing a one-sentence outline, then expanding it to an outline of a couple sentences. This turns into a paragraph, then a few paragraphs, then several pages. For my series, I eventually ended up writing a batch of individual outlines for each book, then ignored all but the first one, letting it become my main focus until it was complete.
A chapter treatment followed, then I began on each chapter individually, focusing on one character's development at a time. It's okay to just write out everything in chunks of illiterate phrases, especially if you revise and edit the chapters as often as you do (which is a great and bold move).
Usually, I don't edit all the chapters until I'm done with the whole book, so as to let the story flow out at the same time. But, as I said earlier, for every person, different methods work better than others.
I hope this was interesting to you and helped you out with a few more methods that few people employ. If (or when) you release a novel, I look forward to reading it.
Happy writing!
Mr. Blue
Mod
This is Randy Ingermanson's Snowflake Method. A lot of authors swear by it. I've never tried it myself.
I start my novels with an outline consisting of one or two sentences for each scene or chapter. I also have paragraph sketches of my main characters to draw upon. For my actual first draft I expand the sentences in my outline but permit myself to make notes and casual remarks capitalized LIKE THIS, to make them easy to find and fix. On my second go-round my job is to get as much of the text into grammatical, complete sentences and organized paragraphs as I can, but still allowing for the odd note here and there in capital letters. My third, and hopefully last pass consists of tightening things up, checking logic and continuity, and making the manuscript as publication-ready as possible. I do edit as I go along, which makes for much slower writing but its less work in the end to get it ready for publication.
I also played a large role in editing my first book. Not necessarily by choice but that's the way it all played out. Going forward I want to have a good handle on the editing so I'm starting to combine my editing and writing process. I might be crazy for editing each chapter 3 times as I write. I'm open to commentary on this!
Happy Writing!