road trips and organization questions

[ella_bee]

I'm still riding the high of actually completing my very first big bang. It was quite the accomplishment for me, and I'm pretty proud. Coming from my recent musings on my ability to stay on task, it was the first big thing post my life-style changes that I really accomplished, so yes, I'm kind of putting it up on a pedestal and using it as a

Comments

[alinaandalion]

Considering I'm an organization freak (I can't focus sometimes if my room is a mess), I don't think I'm as organized as you.

Of course, I tend to try to stick to only one multi-chapter fic at a time. (Let's just pretend that I don't have a couple of unfinished projects, okay?) But, I have a folder labeled "Stories" under my regular documents and for the multi-chapter fics, they get their own folder where I then store chapters, a doc where I keep ideas for the development of the fic (like how I totally have the last scene of "here to kingdom come" written), and the chapters that have my beta's comments in them.

I really think now that I'm starting to branch outside of just the Leverage fandom I should maybe have separate fandom folders

[ella_bee]

See, and in my real life I'm not organized AT ALL, but my computer files? I can't stand having to hunt for things.

Detailed file names for each chapter, that's something I should do. There were MANY times where I was like, wtf is in chapter 3?

(I can't wait to read more of "here to kingdom come". I LOVE that fic!)

[alinaandalion]

I think it's the detailed file names that keeps me from having to hunt for anything. Even if I can't come up with a good title, I'll give whatever I'm working on something and change it later.

It allows for a little less structure in the organization framework.

[hannasus]

I use Scrivener for my novel (and LOVE it) but for fics I just use Open Office. I'm not super organized either. I use Dropbox for backup and have a separate folder for each fandom (or original fiction project) with everything I've ever written (or started) for that fandom crammed in there

[ella_bee]

After looking at your file, I'm pretty please with my organizational structure. :D

Wait, you write Castle? *looks at your AO3 account* Duuuuuude, I'm totally going to go read that ASAP.

See, I use Scrivinor for my fics, just because then I can switch between them quickly if I need to. I also really like the tree file system so that I can add sub-stories as things are added / edited.

See?

[alinaandalion]

Ooh, I like that. What is Scrivenor? Is it something only Macs have?

(Because it looks like something that would make my organized brain way, way too happy.)

[ella_bee]

It used to be Mac only, but they have a version for Windows now too! I LOVE this program. The research part and "project" reminds me a little of Evernote too. I just love it.

http://www.literatureandlatte.com/

I bought it a little over a year ago, and it's the BEST program I've purchased. And I only use a FRACTION of its features.

[eponine119]

I thought I was organized. Ha. I write everything in one big long file per project in Open Office. I leave notes to myself that end up at the end of the file. I do versions when I revise. Sometimes I use track changes in Word.

I back up by emailing to myself, and I save everything on my desktop.

I may be the least organized person on the planet. *hides*

[ella_bee]

Oh, the emailing to yourself is really important, and I don't do it NEARLY often enough.

[ella_bee]

The way you separate the complete/to be betaed/posted/WIP sections is REALLY need. I think I might steal that and put it into each story's folder. That would sure help with my avengers-xbb mess.

I like your shorthand too.

This is SO interesting to me.

Also, I like your ideas for the road trip games. We've never done those ones before! I think it'll definitely keep us occupied!

[seraphina_snape]

When I write really long fics, I usually make myself an outline. I don't always stick to it - it happens often enough that the writing takes on a life of its own and goes into another direction entirely. When that happens, I simply adjust my outline. I find it helpful to have a set goal to work towards.

I also like to work chronologically since, like I said, I sometimes end up quite a ways off from where I was aiming at. Even so, I usually have a few later scenes in mind that I want to work into the story, so I make a note of that in my outline.

I have a "castoffs" file, too. Only I call it my "writing graveyard". *g*

As for my fanfic organization, it's not as good as yours.

[ella_bee]

YES! I love the name writing graveyard!

Yeah, I often don't know where I'm heading in a fic either, but sometimes there's a scene that just NEEDS to be written, or a scene that I'm super stuck on, and so I'll jump ahead and just make everything else work after.