Noirllyn

How do you keep organized?

I'm very good at meeting deadlines and prioritizing submissions, because I keep a very detailed (but easy to read) calendar.

My problem is with organizing my writing files. I've tried to make really elaborate folders and sub-folders for everything under the sun, but I usually wind up naming files "hsdifhadijkjjjjjjjjoooooweeuueuuvv" or something similar and saving them to the desktop. When the desktop gets full, I move them into the general "writing" folder, but I don't bother putting them into the sub-folders for poetry, essays, short stories, so on. Obviously, I need to slow down and title things something a bit more revealing than *random sequence of letters*, but what do you all do to keep your work organized?

The only thing I can really seem to find when I want it is crap that doesn't deserve to be seen by the eyes of others.

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RomanticRose

I give each project an overname, usually the first name of the main character, and set up a folder with that name. Everytime I start a document for a particular project, I use "SAVE AS" when I open it -- I never wait until I am ready to close it. The documents will have names like, "Daisy cuts" (things I have deleted, but I'm not sure if I want to completely trash just yet.), "Daisy timeline", "Daisy character work".

Maybe a big help is that I'm a touch OCD about being organized.

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Hawke

I have folders on my desktop with such witty titles as Unfinished Works, Finished Works, Crap-n'-Scraps and Short Stories. In each of those are sub folders for each work that include notes, multiple edits as well as the finished product. I also back up my work via burning and emailing them to myself.

It ain't fancy, but it works for me.

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Sam Winchester

I work on one project at a time. If writer's block hits, I move to another. But I don't have a dozen pieces strewn about at any one time. I like to finish things. At the moment, I'm 298 A4 pages into my latest novel (hope to have it finished very soon) and I have already wrote the first chapter for the next one. Aside from those two, I'm doing a re-write of my first ever book (about thirty pages done so far) and have a stand-alone novel I'm working on. Other than that, I haven't got anything. So that's four novels on the go. Any more than that, and I'd never get anything done.

Sam.

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booker41

One novel at time is enough for me. Any ideas for future novel's(of which there are many) are written down in a note book. All files are placed into folders, and named accordingly. I also keep everything I write, safely tucked away on A4: in a filing cabinet.

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I've never seen a sight that didn't look better looking back.

SAHMAuthor

I have an accordion folder that I use to store everything.

Every day, after I write, I print out that day's pages and store them in one section under the name of the novel I'm writing. Story notes are handwritten on yellow lined legal pads and those are stored in the section right next to the printed pages.

New story ideas are in a spiral notebook that I stow in the back section of the folder.

If I keep it simple, I do much better. Keeping files on the computer, I find I just lose things.

SueC

I've started using Google Notebook while I'm on the computer (which is constantly) to store notes and ideas. I can also share notes with people I'm working with on joint projects.

I try not to print anything. There are these big piles of printed stapled matter on my floor. Once they land there, they really don't ever seem to be needed again...

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SueC

More ideas. More money.
http://sixfigurewriting.com

Katastrof

I have two notebooks (I think I lost one) and a bunch of Word files. Does that count as organized?

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"Carpe Diem, quam minimum credula postero"
(Seize the day put no trust in tomorrow.) ~ Horace