Post by BlueLotus on Oct 12, 2011 9:36:09 GMT -5
I thought I would share this since I see so many new people posting about "I'm stuck,"lost, confused, etc
Perhaps it is because I am OCD but I find that good organization is a key to getting to the end of any project, this has proven to be especially true for my own writing.
So what should we do?
That depends on you, for me I do the following
My system looks like this there are two brief cases on the desk top.
One named: Notes when I open it there are three files, Book 1, book 2, book 3.
Open case - file folders labeled clearly.
MC name EX,- Trinity-
Bio information:
Family tree
Religion
Race
Language
Location (current, birth)
Powers, abilities, weaponry etc
Employment info.
Character quirks
Overall tone of voice
Interactions with Other MC's
Sub-folder MC name Moksha
Main character interaction with - Xing - Trinity via dream occurrence(s) Chapter 6, x,y,z.
I also have folders for every creature type royal family tree (if any)
And one for the outline
Outline name
Objective (what am I trying to do by telling this tale)
Main points
sub-points
research notes
There is a file for Ideas/new directions and what not
etc..
On top of this I have two book boxes filled with 80 paper notebooks that also have all this information to some extent in case something ever happens to my pc.
4 back up copies of all work (Hard x2, soft x2) However, recently my sweet hubby has decided it would be far easier to clone our HD so I can have everything exactly as it was.
I lost 300 pages of work once the Hard copy I had was not updated when I was done for the night the next AM the PC crashed and burned. took me six months to get everything back the way it was before I could start over. That was a bummer. =(
The second one named: Novel
In here there are again three files.
Book 1 open- folder in this folder is 1 file for each chapter, sometimes I rewrite the chapters for what ever reason.
These are renamed Chapter 1 first re write, Chapter 1 second re write, Chapter 1 Edited by (name,) Chapter 1 peer review notes.
Etc...
I hope that helps some of you out a little bit.
But don't be afraid to figure out what works best for you!
Perhaps it is because I am OCD but I find that good organization is a key to getting to the end of any project, this has proven to be especially true for my own writing.
So what should we do?
That depends on you, for me I do the following
My system looks like this there are two brief cases on the desk top.
One named: Notes when I open it there are three files, Book 1, book 2, book 3.
Open case - file folders labeled clearly.
MC name EX,- Trinity-
Bio information:
Family tree
Religion
Race
Language
Location (current, birth)
Powers, abilities, weaponry etc
Employment info.
Character quirks
Overall tone of voice
Interactions with Other MC's
Sub-folder MC name Moksha
Main character interaction with - Xing - Trinity via dream occurrence(s) Chapter 6, x,y,z.
I also have folders for every creature type royal family tree (if any)
And one for the outline
Outline name
Objective (what am I trying to do by telling this tale)
Main points
sub-points
research notes
There is a file for Ideas/new directions and what not
etc..
On top of this I have two book boxes filled with 80 paper notebooks that also have all this information to some extent in case something ever happens to my pc.
4 back up copies of all work (Hard x2, soft x2) However, recently my sweet hubby has decided it would be far easier to clone our HD so I can have everything exactly as it was.
I lost 300 pages of work once the Hard copy I had was not updated when I was done for the night the next AM the PC crashed and burned. took me six months to get everything back the way it was before I could start over. That was a bummer. =(
The second one named: Novel
In here there are again three files.
Book 1 open- folder in this folder is 1 file for each chapter, sometimes I rewrite the chapters for what ever reason.
These are renamed Chapter 1 first re write, Chapter 1 second re write, Chapter 1 Edited by (name,) Chapter 1 peer review notes.
Etc...
I hope that helps some of you out a little bit.
But don't be afraid to figure out what works best for you!
