how to manage novel-in-progress

doeraymee

doeraymee

Any tips on how to keep the novel organized as you write? do you write it in scenes and number them? or write it in chapters? Do you put a little summary at the head of each chapter and scene so you can see quickly what's happening there? or what?

dorothyd

organised? Is that a word?  If it is, never seen it in connection with my novels ... I used to tend to start it and see where it went!  Now they are structured because they follow someone's life but equally, because of that they don't need organising, the outline is already there. I will be interested to see what others do.

doeraymee

Right now I've got it all in one big file. Just this morning I decided to use the paragraph numbering function in WORD to insert the Chapter numbers automatically. That way if I insert a chapter or delete a chapter, I don't have to go and renumber each chapter. It should update automatically. Plus I'm putting a little blurb at the top of each.
Does anybody print out their stuff and put it in a binder as they finish the first draft of each chapter? or do they go back and obsessively tinker with each chapter occasionally and therefore stall the whole darn thing.....??

Daisy

My children's book are short (the longest 28,000) and so don't need much organising.Before I start I do a one of two page summary of what will happen and then a chapter by chapter summary. I then write following that.

Crazy Horse

I suspect everyone has their own way of going abouit it. I just followed my nose then let the characters assume control. I wrote straight through and only when finished did I do a read through and bring it into line with the 'plan'. Personally I suspect writing to an organised plan would make it very stilted.I wrote eight drafts then four on screen full edits before printing, then a big edit, final draft , read through finishing up with what I termed the final sealed copy. Just two prints, main edit copy then sealed copy, all the rest was done and stored on screen.

Nefertari

I am totally disorganised when I write. I just get all the ideas down, go forwards and backwards all over the place writing bits and pieces. At some point I put in the chapters, when I can see the direction the story is taking.
Oh and the last two books ( I write for children too so they are shorter) I have written the endings first

allagentshateme

I save it chapter by chapter, and have an "outline" marking all my characters, colour of eyes etc. I have a "Brief", which tells me what main things happen in each chapter.

Carol

I write by numbered chapter. With ideas, research, character notes, bits of dialogue etc  in a notebook specifically for that novel, and character profiles in a folder.

Neph

I go through chapter by chapter although I tend to write the last one once I am about three chapters in.  Just so I know where my characters are heading.  Although I do have to admit first drafts tend to be a bit, they did this, they did that, they went home.  I tend to go back and forth on the editing though, which sometimes confuses me, so I have notes about notes by the time Im done.