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.