Too Many files!

[Bob Parker]

So , how many of you fall in to the trap that i have. When you start you plan out the story ( outline) which inevitavely has to be amended as the story takes on a life of its own. Then ther is the Character bible, which is amended, frequently, and of course the file of ideas .
THen when writing the book, every time you save you have this niggling feeling that the bit you have written is good, but some of your previous work has merit too. so you save seperate files.
Every time you come back to the file you have to remember which one is the WOrking document, because of course, you have labled some of the files working document!

I am at around the 58000 word stage of fantacy novel with sci fy underpinning, which now populates a LARGE file in my computer.

Anyone else hord previous edits?

 

[pmmg]

I've had this problem in the past. Now I just save a revision number. The most recent is the one with the highest number.

 

[Gurkhal]

I also save a ton of files with different versions as I progress.

My system is that I use the title and then a number for the version. So its X 1, then X 2 and so on. If I only do a minor revision or addition it might be called X 1.1 or something with the file with the highest number being the current version I work on.

This always allows me to go back to previously deleted or unrevisited parts in the writing process if I need or want to.

 

[ThinkerX]

Rough Draft:

A (Title) 'zero' file for the outline and character list.
A (Title) 'work' file for the bits and pieces I had to cut but might still reuse.
One file per chapter, labeled in sequence.

That's it.

First Rewrite:

Copy and assemble chapter files into larger files, typically 30-40K. each marked with a 'temp' designation. Some chapters get deleted, rewritten from scratch, or relocated. New cha[ters get written.

Second rewrite (Rewrite Lite'):

A few chapters get rewritten or moved. A few new scenes get added.

Past this point, it is editing. Fixing typos. Consistent spelling. Reworking awkward phrases.

 

[skip.knox]

The subject line says too many files, but in the OP you speak of one big file.

One big file would be a nightmare.

I do hoard versions. I almost never go back to the earlier ones, but not having them feels too much like walking a tightrope without the rope.

 

[Penpilot]

When I worked primarily in Word, I would have revision numbers for that one large file. Eg Novel-V001. But then I realized it was easier to work with smaller files. So instead, I would split a book into its chapters with each chapter having it's own folder. So, a chapter would be named like Chapter-01-V001. Also, it's a bit safer, too. With a large file, one corrupt file and I could lose the whole thing. Breaking up the book into chapters means one corrupt file, I only lose a chapter and probably only the latest version of that chapter.

But since I moved to Scrivener, I don't have to worry about that any more. For each chapter/document I can take a snapshot and name that snapshot, and it's all grouped together as one "package." So all the different versions of Chapter 1 are in one "package" completely separate from Chapter 2 or my character files etc. Each "package" displays the current version of the document, but I can thumb through all he previous versions and revert back, if I wanted to. Or I can simply cut and paste things out of the previous versions.

And all the different chapters and stuff are saved as one project. which I can back up as a zip file. I have project for a 180K book, with each chapter having at least a half a dozen versions, along with all the notes, etc., all zipped up and it's around 20-25 megabytes, which is tiny.

 

[Finchbearer]

Oh god I feel exposed by your OP!

 

[S. Borne]

I work in word, I have 3 to 4 files that I use: The outline, the manuscript, my codex where I record every significant place, all creatures, gods, the magic system. And my Nortantis save, so I have my visual map open when I edit or track routes. And perhaps a backup manuscript when I test a new chapter/chapters and significant changes.

 

[Adam Scribentis]

Yes, I do keep previous recensions. I find it more of a help than a hindrance, the condition being that each file is adequately titled. On my first book I worked initially with a separate file for each chapter, but after being forced to use a single document for uploading onto the publishing platform, I did everything in the one file for each version of the second book.

 

[Mad Swede]

I write using Word, for various reasons. There's no real problem keeping track of versions, I just save the file with a new version number as soon as I start writing. I'm a one pass writer, so what goes down on the first pass is it. That also means the story is in one complete file. I always take backup copies (these days my PC is set up to do that automatically) with one backup copy on my network drive and one backup copy in my cloud storage.

 

[minta]

I hoard drafts like treasure, too. Version chaos feels awful, but it’s also proof the story is alive and evolving.

 

[Prince of Spires]

3 files for me:
- Work in Progress file: I write in Word, and I write in 1 file. The whole story goes in there. As for being huge. I just checked, and my 100k word novel comes in at less than 1MB in file size. Text files are tiny. So that's no worry at all.
- OneNote file: All plotting, character stuff, and world building goes in here. OneNote is a note taking app, which easily organizes stuff into different sections. Each novel gets its own file in there. Keeps everything nice and organized.
- A prose graveyard file: Any deleted sections go in here. I rarely do anything with it (and it usually isn't very big). However, it tricks my brain in being okay with me deleting stuff. Because "it's not realy deleted but saved for later use".

For later drafts, each of them gets a new file, with an increased version number. So I start with "novel draft 1.doc", then "novel draft 2.doc" and so on (or sometimes "novel draft 2.1.doc" just because I'm weird like that).

 

[Cliff Hannan]

So , how many of you fall in to the trap that i have. When you start you plan out the story ( outline) which inevitavely has to be amended as the story takes on a life of its own. Then ther is the Character bible, which is amended, frequently, and of course the file of ideas .
THen when writing the book, every time you save you have this niggling feeling that the bit you have written is good, but some of your previous work has merit too. so you save seperate files.
Every time you come back to the file you have to remember which one is the WOrking document, because of course, you have labled some of the files working document!

I am at around the 58000 word stage of fantacy novel with sci fy underpinning, which now populates a LARGE file in my computer.

Anyone else hord previous edits?

I use DabbleWriter. Its an online platform that is super user friendly. It's really easy to move chapters and scenes around without having to scroll through pages and pages. I love it!

 

[Penpilot]

I use DabbleWriter. Its an online platform that is super user friendly. It's really easy to move chapters and scenes around without having to scroll through pages and pages. I love it!

How does that compare to Scrivener? I've been working with Scrivener for years, and looking at DabbleWriter, on the surface it looks to be similar except way more expensive.

 

[Naruzeldamaster]

I keep my rough drafts of chapters in their own file so if I need to look something up later when writing it's easy to find some scene or chapter.
After I finish the rough draft I might merge everything into one document (Per story) and see how that works.

 

[queen silvia]

So , how many of you fall in to the trap that i have. When you start you plan out the story ( outline) which inevitavely has to be amended as the story takes on a life of its own. Then ther is the Character bible, which is amended, frequently, and of course the file of ideas .
THen when writing the book, every time you save you have this niggling feeling that the bit you have written is good, but some of your previous work has merit too. so you save seperate files.
Every time you come back to the file you have to remember which one is the WOrking document, because of course, you have labled some of the files working document!

I am at around the 58000 word stage of fantacy novel with sci fy underpinning, which now populates a LARGE file in my computer.

Anyone else hord previous edits?

Oh yes this is far more common than people admit

What you’re describing isn’t disorganization it’s a side effect of caring about the work. When the story evolves, your outline evolves. When the story deepens, your character bible deepens. And when you rewrite, you don’t want to lose versions that still feel alive. That’s not hoarding that’s creative insurance.

A lot of serious writers do exactly this, especially in complex worlds like fantasy.


A few gentle things that might help (purely practical, not preachy):

• Pick one master folder and inside it keep:
  • MANUSCRIPT_CURRENT
  • OLD_DRAFTS
  • NOTES / IDEAS
  • CHARACTERS / WORLD

Then only one file ever lives in MANUSCRIPT_CURRENT. Everything else goes straight to OLD_DRAFTS.

• Instead of “working document,” use dates:
  • Book5_2026-02-09.docx
    That way your brain doesn’t have to remember the newest date is always the live one.
  • If you’re afraid of losing good passages, keep a simple “salvage” file where you paste scenes you love but removed. That frees you from keeping ten almost-identical drafts.

And honestly at 58k words with layered arcs, evolving antagonists, and emotional threads? You’re doing real novel work. This is exactly when things get messy. That’s normal.
Most writers don’t talk about this phase because it isn’t glamorous but it’s where books actually get built.
You’re not alone in it.
Out of curiosity do you tend to rewrite whole chapters when things shift, or do you patch scenes as you go?

 

[Naruzeldamaster]

Oh yes this is far more common than people admit

What you’re describing isn’t disorganization it’s a side effect of caring about the work. When the story evolves, your outline evolves. When the story deepens, your character bible deepens. And when you rewrite, you don’t want to lose versions that still feel alive. That’s not hoarding that’s creative insurance.

A lot of serious writers do exactly this, especially in complex worlds like fantasy.


A few gentle things that might help (purely practical, not preachy):

• Pick one master folderand inside it keep:
  • MANUSCRIPT_CURRENT
  • OLD_DRAFTS
  • NOTES / IDEAS
  • CHARACTERS / WORLD

Then only one file ever lives in MANUSCRIPT_CURRENT. Everything else goes straight to OLD_DRAFTS.

• Instead of “working document,” use dates:
  • Book5_2026-02-09.docx
    That way your brain doesn’t have to remember the newest date is always the live one.
  • If you’re afraid of losing good passages, keep a simple “salvage” file where you paste scenes you love but removed. That frees you from keeping ten almost-identical drafts.

And honestly at 58k words with layered arcs, evolving antagonists, and emotional threads? You’re doing real novel work. This is exactly when things get messy. That’s normal.
Most writers don’t talk about this phase because it isn’t glamorous but it’s where books actually get built.
You’re not alone in it.
Out of curiosity do you tend to rewrite whole chapters when things shift, or do you patch scenes as you go?

100% doing this, at least for my two original fictions, once I finish the rough draft and get them all compiled the chapters into one big 'master' rough draft.

 

[Cliff Hannan]

How does that compare to Scrivener? I've been working with Scrivener for years, and looking at DabbleWriter, on the surface it looks to be similar except way more expensive.

Ive never used Scrivener so really cant comment. When i was looking to move from Word and was doing some research, Dabble seemed to rate better for what i wanted. It uses the same 'Word' principles, so it's super familiar, but without any of the unnecessary features (like charts/tables etc). It's very user friendly and the support team is super reactive. It also has a 'light on dark' setting that I love.

 

[queen silvia]

Yep that actually sounds like a really healthy way to do it.


Getting everything into one big “master” rough draft after the chaos phase is exactly what a lot of experienced writers do. The early stage is messy by nature multiple files, half-formed ideas, alternate versions and then there’s that moment where you say, okay, this is the spine of the book now.


One small thing that can make that transition easier (if you don’t already do it):

• Treat that compiled rough draft as the only living document
• Move every other version into an archive folder
• Keep a single “cut scenes / good bits” file so you don’t feel like you’re deleting anything forever

It removes a lot of mental friction. Your brain stops negotiating with old drafts and starts committing to the story in front of you.


Also the fact that you’re finishing rough drafts and consolidating tells me you’re past the hardest part already. A lot of people never make it that far.


You’re doing real work here even when it feels chaotic.


Do you usually do one big cleanup pass after the master draft is built, or several smaller revision passes?

100% doing this, at least for my two original fictions, once I finish the rough draft and get them all compiled the chapters into one big 'master' rough draft.

 

[Naruzeldamaster]

Do you usually do one big cleanup pass after the master draft is built, or several smaller revision passes?

I haven't 'completed' anything to get to that stage yet, my new years resolution is to finish at least one of my original fictions rough drafts though.
Things are coming along at a good ish clip though I might have to take some of my 'focus' away from the two fanfictions.