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One big document?

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kermodi

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A (probably silly) newbie question ...

Do you just keep re-opening the same document each time you sit down to write - or do you break it up into a different document for each day - or each chapter - or whatever?
And why?

Thanks guys,
K
 

rwm4768

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The same document for me. I occasionally start a new document for whatever random reason, but not all that often.
 

amergina

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A (probably silly) newbie question ...

Do you just keep re-opening the same document each time you sit down to write - or do you break it up into a different document for each day - or each chapter - or whatever?
And why?

Thanks guys,
K

Before I started using Scrivener, I wrote in one big document. Usually from start to finish.

Technically, I still write in one file, since there's one .scriv file per project. But now I write by individual scenes, so my mental process is a bit different.
 

Neegh

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I write in scenes, so no, not one big doc. After I get close to finishing I compile them into chapters.
 

Roxxsmom

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Same document for me, with scenes and chapters in the order they'd be in in a finished novel (though I do sometimes move them or leave gaps if I'm stuck on something) but I save multiple back ups of each, and occasionally (usually after I make a substantial change to a manuscript, like cutting or adding entire scenes), I rename it.
 

Marlys

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Just one big document here. With a clickable table of contents for ease of navigation.
 

Underdawg47

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I have my chapters numbered and named and each are in their own folder and those folders are kept in one main folder. I also have a folder containing a mini biography of all my major and minor characters as well as a folder that contains a time-line of events.
 

LJD

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One document. I save it under a new name when I start a new draft though.
 

Kessar

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I have a mixture. When I sat down to write the entire manuscript, I worked from the same document. However, right now that I am adding in scenes, I find it easier to "pretend" I am writing a short story and squeeze it into the spot of the larger document.

Ultimately there is no right or wrong. Work with what helps you, and go from there.
 

Nightd

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Each my documents are labeled by chapters (Ex Chapter 1, Chapter 2, etc).

At the end when I'm ready to submit, I merge them all into one document (After vigorous editing till my fingers bleed, of course).
 

noranne

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I prefer one document. I do a save as before starting on a major draft so that I can refer back to previous iterations if I need to (but almost never do).
 

blacbird

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One document. Years ago I tried working with each individual chapter as a single document, and it damn near drove me into an institution.

BUT (and this is IMPORTANT), I ALWAYS work on a copy of my source document, not the only single original document. I save and keep multiple interations, numbered in sequence, just in case I need to go back to one of the earlier versions to retrieve or check something. That has happened, numerous times. NEVER EVER EVER EVER only have ONE file on which you work.

caw
 

Chasing the Horizon

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I also use Scrivener, so I have many individual documents within a single file. I make a separate document within Scrivener for each chapter, plus documents under the research section of the file for notes. I've been using Scrivener for a very long time and would be lost without its organization.

ETA: I don't do multiple drafts so I don't bother with saving multiple versions of my .scriv files. That would just confuse me. I do keep back-ups, of course.
 
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Filigree

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Another vote for one big document, but the working draft is always a copy. This comes in real handy for porting around large blocks of text. I wrote my first two mms chapter by chapter in separate docs. No more. I need to have the *whole story* in front of me. I may someday try Scrivener, but not anytime soon.

Example: I have a gigantic series I've been noodling on for longer than is sane. One mms has been trunked for a while, but contains two folktales out of my worldbuilding that I want to use in a new, more promising mms. Now, I know these stories by heart. I could rewrite them from scratch. But it will be faster to grab the old versions and tweak them for cultural 'voice', then build an appropriate framework within the new mms.

My original draft is not compromised, and the new book is a little further along the way to its target word count.
 
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KTC

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One document for me.

I write the first word, then the second, etc until the end. No complexities. Just from beginning to end.
 
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Punk28

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I usually put all of Part 1 all in one document then I start a fresh document when Part 1 ends and Part 2 begins. I use the search tool to find specific areas that I need to re-read so I don't veer off with new chapters. To separate chapters in the document I do this: ////////chapternumber////////, this also helps to keep things better organized.

If a specific part of what I'm writing gets too long I'll make a new document, this one I'll head with ///////chapternumbercontin//////
 
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Kessar

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That... is a brilliant idea!!! I have the one document but I'm always scrolling and scrolling.
If you know what you are looking for, Ctrl F and type a word in that will bring it up. For example the other night I wanted to add in somethings for a scene (I call it the Sewer scene). So I Ctrl F Sewer and bam, straight into the scene. Might help...
 

blacbird

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If you know what you are looking for, Ctrl F and type a word in that will bring it up. For example the other night I wanted to add in somethings for a scene (I call it the Sewer scene). So I Ctrl F Sewer and bam, straight into the scene. Might help...

Yep. That works for me, too. In works-in-progress, when I have something I know I need to work on further, or have skipped something I know I'll need to fill in, I leave a simple code, lik QQQ or ZZZ. A snap to search for. I also change font color for passages I know need work.

caw
 

DancingMaenid

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I work with one document. If I'm revising, I'll often save revisions as new copies.
 

Axiomae

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I started my WIP as one document but got frustrated when I needed to go back and check/change something so now I use Scrivener. I love that I can keep all my research and images (I'm huge on images as prompts and inspiration) in the one place. I love being able to open it side by side and have the info I need right in the same program.
 

Silenia

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I usually start with one document and end up working with two, at least in the first draft stage. I don't quite work "from copy", but I frequently make a back-up of the complete contents of my Documents folder in a "Back-up of [DATE]" folder to my external hard disk, which
means I generally have multiple old versions should anything go wrong. Since I don't actually use or work from those documents, I haven't counted them above, though.
(If only a small number of documents have been added or changed, I go for the "e-mail to own address" version of back-up instead. Similarly, regardless of how long ago it has been since my last back-up, if I've made any significant changes/additions to a story, I also e-mail it to myself)

One of the two documents I work from/with is for the story proper, with the scenes in the (for-the-moment) correct order and if some in-between scenes are missing, a short highlighted piece describing what should be in said scene, roughly.

The other document is for loose scenes I intend to work in somewhere, bits and pieces of background information, notes on things I figure I might not keep straight from top of my head, potential plotholes I've noticed but can't immediately solve, random ideas for scenes too many chapters from where I am that may-or-may-not become part of the novel and culled scenes, bits and pieces I figure I might end up reworking and re-adding to the story.

(Mind, the above is for stories where I work with at least a vague idea of where I want to end up and write my scenes more-or-less in order with the story)
 

BethS

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Do you just keep re-opening the same document each time you sit down to write - or do you break it up into a different document for each day - or each chapter - or whatever?
And why?

I create new documents for each chapter, or set of scenes in a particular POV. When I'm finished with them, I add them to a master document that comprises one section. I don't currently have the WIP in one single document.

I've found working in one large-and-growing-larger document to be too unwieldy.
 
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Once!

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One document. Years ago I tried working with each individual chapter as a single document, and it damn near drove me into an institution.

BUT (and this is IMPORTANT), I ALWAYS work on a copy of my source document, not the only single original document. I save and keep multiple interations, numbered in sequence, just in case I need to go back to one of the earlier versions to retrieve or check something. That has happened, numerous times. NEVER EVER EVER EVER only have ONE file on which you work.

caw

Yes, yes, yes.

There is an old IT saying: there are only two types of people in this world - those who have had a hard disk crash and those who are about to.

For fiction I use one big document, but multiple copies. Always multiple copies. Copies on the hard drive (backed up frequently), copies on dropbox, copies emailed between email accounts.

I also keep separate files for notes and deleted bits.

I used to keep chapters as separate files. But that was many years ago when computers were much weedier than they are now. Now the main text is all one big word file. If nothing else, it means that I can search (with or without replace) across the entire document at once.

Non fiction and work writing I sometimes split into different chapter files, for example if I'm working with multiple contributors and need to send the chapters off separately.
 
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