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Keeping track of it all

Chilari

Staff
Moderator
Over the past couple of weeks I have started developing a story I plan to write as part of the Mythic Scribes Blood Pact. But as the story has developed I've been finding it harder and harder to keep track of everything. It started with a simple "notes" file, then became a structured "datasheet" style file with fields for characters, plot, worldbuilding, etc. Then I added a separate worldbuilding datsheet where I could explore religion, climate, economy, politics, myth, history, etc. And as my story has become more complex I'm finding I can't keep abreast of it all - the world, the characters, how they interact with one another, etc. I have a series of "notes" and "thoughts" files which are just ramblings as I work things out, but with each one the story gets more complicated.

So how do you keep all your outlining organised for quick and easy reference? I feel like I need a whole wiki to myself, not to mention loads of time to write it all and add the links and everything. How do you all do it?
 

Graylorne

Archmage
Well, that wiki-idea isn't so strange; I know of people who do use a wiki for all this.

Personally, I don't plot my story, but I do research my story background. I use an old-fashioned collection of files, such as Lands, Characters, Religion, Magic, manuscripts, etc. I've got lists of Gods, of military ranks, of animals, all neatly stacked away (well, more or less neatly).

It's not so difficult to set up, you add a map when necessary, but it saves time.

And to stow it in, I've got a free cloud subscription, so that I (a) can use it everywhere, and (b) I won't lose it. The latter would not be a good idea. Of course I file it on an external hd, too.
 

Ophiucha

Auror
I find Microsoft Word to be remarkably efficient for this, in spite of its other flaws. If you learn how to use your Header 1, Header 2, etc. creatively, you can make an easy to navigate file full of all of your story notes. Just go to View -> Document Map (in most versions, though it is sometimes called something else) and it will create a table of contents on the side of your document for everything formatted as a Header. Here's a rather basic example of that. You could also create a Table of Contents - which works in Google Docs as well, if you want to keep it backed up online.
 

Devor

Fiery Keeper of the Hat
Moderator
So how do you keep all your outlining organised for quick and easy reference? I feel like I need a whole wiki to myself, not to mention loads of time to write it all and add the links and everything. How do you all do it?

Right now I just use word. I think, soon, as it's getting bad, I'll move to Microsoft OneNote.

The way the program works, you can quickly click through several "folders," each with several "pages" underneath it. So I can have a tab labelled "Government," and under it, a list of sub tabs for each government.

It was included on the MSOffice disk I had to get in college.
 

Chilari

Staff
Moderator
Hmm, I suppose it wouldn't hurt to set up a folder structure in the story's folder containing subfolders and files relating to each individual character, aspects of the world, etc, with hyperlinks between them. I think I'm just being silly. I know how to create an organised structure with hyperlinked files (I do it at work all the time) I'm just not thinking to apply those principles to my novel planning.

In fairness I've not really done this much planning for a novel before. Normally I get bored of outlining by this stage and just go for it and then regret it later, so this time I've set aside time to outline and will not allow myself to start writing until July 1st. And I'm not bored of outlining yet. In fact I'm doing it all the time and I'm making huge strides. Already fixed two big plot holes which I'd normally come across during the writing stage.

Thanks all.
 

SeverinR

Vala
I agree with Ophiucha, I posted a thread on how I used the 9 headings of MS word2007 to make a Severin's world encyclopedia.

http://mythicscribes.com/forums/writing-questions/3303-compiled-all-my-work.html

Since then I have seperated the works into volumes, since the one big one had a 5 page table of contents.

Character compilation
World geopgraphy (country, province, continents etc)
Bestiary-(animals of the world)
Book of magic.

I only use 5 headings for the lesser works.

Every topic I need is one "ctrl" right click away.
 
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Devor

Fiery Keeper of the Hat
Moderator
Hyperlinks sound like a lot of work.

Here's a sample of the program I was talking about - I dragged the tabs on the right over the page so I could do with a small picture, they don't normally cover the text.

http://mythicscribes.com/gallery/showfull.php?photo=147

If I click on one of the tabs at the top, all of the ones on the right change accordingly.
 

Penpilot

Staff
Article Team
I use scrivener to write so I can make folders in a notes section to organize docs. I also use a wiki program called wiki pad. It's super easy to use. Creating a hyperlink auto creates a page and creating a link can be as easy as typing something in this format... WritingStuff or MyNotes or WorldBuilding
 
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