How to organize your novel
Organizing a novel may seem like a daunting task, but there are a few things that can minimize the problems. Always organize from the start.
Files on your computer:
1. Create a single file on your computer with the name of the book TITLE. Keep everything together. This may seem like a no brainer, but you’d be surprised how quickly things can get lost. Eventually a book title will need potential cover photos, cover jpegs, pdf files, epub formats, blog interviews, kindle version, nook version, etc, etc, etc. Everything can become a gigantic mess. So keep it organized. Do not assume that you will remember where you saved anything.
2. Add subsequent files. Inside each TITLE file keep a TEXT file. As the project progresses you will need to add additional files, such as: COVER file, FORMAT file, MARKETING file, BLOG file, INTERVIEW file, etc. To make it clearer, your cover file may end up with fifty files in it, and you’re going to need to keep tract of them all.
3. Inside the TEXT file save your work constantly. Some writers prefer to save chapters individually. Other writers prefer to save everything as a single document. Either way works. Just make sure to label everything.
Writing your document:
4. Inside the text use some kind of tracking system so that you know what needs to be done. I prefer to use colors.
BLACK type means that I’m fairly satisfied with a section. It means that I don’t intend to dump or alter the storyline, and will continue to proof, edit, and mold until it’s finished.
BLUE means that I’m not quite satisfied with the storyline, dialog, or writing, but that things are on the right track. I am committed to these sections and intend to make them work. (In reality anything can be cut.)
RED means trouble. Anything typed in red means that I’m still thinking, which is why that section has not been deleted. These sections sometimes are altered beyond recognition.
There is a problem with this color system. The red color bugs my eyes. So I copy and paste these sections into a new document, work on them until satisfied, then return them to the main body of text.
By using a tracking system I can go to any portion of the book and write. This is important because the creative process doesn’t usually cooperate chronologically. Sometimes the mind generates ideas for the middle or ending, long before the beginning. By having a system it is easy to keep tract of everything.
5. Don’t completely dump anything. Instead, save old versions by date within the proper file. Each time a massive change is made, rename the document with the current date. This makes for easy retrieval when you wake up in the middle of the night, blood pulsing with terror, and realize that you’ve made a mistake. By saving the new file with a different date, both the old and new files still exist, making for an easy revival of a previously abandoned idea. Keep in mind that with this system you will have multiple documents on your hands. Make sure to label and save them all CLEARLY.
Double check your writing:
6. Even if you are not accustom to using an outline, make sure that one can be found in your writing. If the chapters jump without organization the reader will have a hard time understanding your book. This is also a good tool for double checking the interior of each chapter.
Clean up and Publication:
7. Once the book is finished, clean up the files on your computer. If there were dumped sections that might make for a new book, rename the documents and move them into a new file.
Next comes preparation for publication. For help with manuscript preparation and publication please see the article HERE.
