Though I am highly organized in my daily life, I have struggled to find a good system in which to keep my writing in order.
When I’m drafting, I tend to work out of sequence, scene by scene rather than chronologically, which means I have dozens of singular files that may (or may not) eventually fit together.
I also keep a character profile for each of my main characters. It’s a little bio for each of them, so I know their critical details and personality traits and quirks I invent for them that I want to weave into the narrative.
There are research files, which are pieces of information that inform the story.
I have plot timelines and character timelines.
I have a list of story beats and scenes.
Once I begin editing, I have draft files, and a slush file, which includes sentences or paragraphs I cut, but don’t want to discard.
I have workshop and critique feedback folders.
There are summaries and synopses that change as the plot does.
And my favorite file? Acknowledgments. I love to keep track of who has helped me create the piece: critique partners, advisors, teachers, friends who provide encouragement and sustenance.
I am an old-fashioned writer. I don’t use a platform more advanced than Word and Google Drive, though there are plenty out there. I also write my first drafts by hand. In long form. I know what you’re thinking….but I’ve learned in time my creative mind works best when I’m wielding a (ball point) pen. I do transfer my handwritten words to a Word document as I finish each chapter. This process allows me to make easy, first draft edits and to “hear” the prose as I’m transcribing it.
The system I’ve created is fairly low-fi, but it works for me. On my hard drive (which is backed up to the cloud regularly), I keep the following sub-folders for each novel:
· Drafts in process
· Scenes
· Outlines (this includes beat sheet and scene list AND timelines)
· Summaries
· Character studies
· Research
· Random ideas
· Feedback from others
· Slush
· Acknowledgments
In the “Drafts in process” folder is an index of how the drafts changed between versions. For example, in Draft #1, I used a third person, single POV in the present tense. In Draft #2, I used first person POV with two POV characters. In Draft #3, I use the “alternate” beginning, etc.
The Random ideas file includes my thoughts on “what else could happen?” or alternate endings, or potential characters.
On my desk, I keep a folder of clippings, pictures, notes and scribbles related to the novel. Sometimes, I cut articles or glossy photos out of magazines or the newspaper that inspire my work. Or, notes I've written to myself when my electronic devices aren't handy. I try not to accumulate too much paper, but sometimes it's inevitable.
Another important strategy is file naming. This is the best way to know which version is the newest. For me, it looks like this:
NOVEL NAME / DRAFT # / SCENE # / DATE INITIATED
The scene number correlates to the scene list in the outline section above.
I’m curious how other writers stay organized. Do formal software programs and apps (like Scrivener), make this task easier? Are they worth the investment? Do they save you time?
Ultimately, the goal of maintaining a system of order is to retain your writer’s sanity and to preserve your creative work. I never delete anything I’ve written, even if it’s terrible. I can always look back on old words and appreciate how much more I’ve learned or how much better my prose has become! Then, if needed, I can begin the system of purging. But that’s for another post on another day…
Comentários