Thread: What numbering sequence do you use on your computer to file the chapters of a WIP?

For the sake of this question, let’s assume you write eight numbered chapters, in sequence, and you file them on your pc, and then, afterwards, you have an idea for an additional chapter that could fit between, say, chapters five and six, and you write it.

But, without re-numbering everything, how do you identify on your pc where that file belongs in the WIP? Remember, you already have eight files numbered one to eight. (For simplicity, I said eight files; there could just as easily be forty-eight.)

Thank you.

I number the Chapter 5A if I am uncertain about its final placement, then 5B, and so on.

I actually do prefer to renumber everything as I go along, though.

I write my chapter titles using Roman numerals. In the past I have kept each chapter as a separate file using Arabic numerals (1, 2, 3) in the file name. If you name your files using Roman numerals, your computer will list them out of order. More recently, I have started keeping the entire book as one file. I always heard there were problems when the files got too big, but I haven't encountered any, and I have manuscripts of 150k words. When I was saving each chapter as a separate file, when I wanted to change the order of the chapters or insert a new one somewhere, I just cut and pasted each chapter into the next file. The old Chapter 6 became the new Chapter 7, the old Chapter 7 became the new Chapter 8, etc... I suppose it work equally well if you re-named the files.

Use a pseudorandom binary sequence.

I write by scenes. Chapters are folders, and I name scenes as "SCxxxRy" where xxx is the scene id and y is the revision >.>

If we all just had that writing software everyone said they didn't need, you could just insert a new chapter with the click of a button. It would be just that easy! (As they say on the infomercials.)

Why not just save the chapters in one file, then if you need to insert something then you can just do it. Why save them in separate files?

Graham

Originally Posted by JosephB

If we all just had that writing software everyone said they didn't need, you could just insert a new chapter with the click of a button. It would be just that easy! (As they say on the infomercials.)

In this instance the software already exists. If you save the chapters in Quark or Page Pus then when you insert an additional chapter the ones that follow will automatically update.

I wrote out the plot and started to expand it, when it got unwieldy I took off the first 30 or so pages, then I started writing them in detail and taking them off five at a time as they reach the finished stage, so I have the second half in outline, the first quarter as finished and the middle as wip. I have not thought about splitting it into chapters yet.

The problem with adding something is more in adjusting everything that went before to make it fit, That's a drag if it extends into the finished bit.

Originally Posted by Baron

In this instance the software already exists. If you save the chapters in Quark or Page Pus then when you insert an additional chapter the ones that follow will automatically update.

That's very convenient. A work-around that requires another application and an extra step.

Originally Posted by JosephB

That's very convenient. A work-around that requires another application and an extra step.

Well both will work seamlessly with Word but they're publishing tools not writing tools.

Yes, I’ve used Quark, but it was good while ago. I use InDesign now, which is pretty much the industry standard these days.

Regardless, I think you know what I’m driving at. Opening another application and importing Word docs just to add another chapter sounds somewhat cumbersome to me. And I’m used to working in multiple apps. Most people aren’t.

Ideally, it would be a lot easier to work with chapters in a tree view in your word processing app. Then you could insert new chapters -- or reorder them just by dragging and dropping. There’s no denying that this would be a very useful feature for writers.

I’ve downloaded the Word add-on that I mentioned in the writing software thread, but I haven’t had a chance to use it. It’s not novel software exactly – just a tool for managing and navigating around large documents that might have sections or chapters. I’ll let folks know if I think it’s any good.

If you work in Microsoft Word, you can go to the view menu and select outline and divide your story into chapters. You can add chapters where ever you like. Switching back to normal view will show your work but with the chapter numbers and chapter titles if you wish.

All of this is shown in the Help section of Word.

Hi friends, I have a similar question. How can I stop my computer putting page 10 after page 01? Instead of going 01,02,03,04,05,06,07,08,09,10, the silly thing numbers files like this: 01,10,11,12,13,14,15,16,17,18,19,02,20,21... you get the idea. Thank you

SWS: You can add 100 (or 1000, etc) to each of the numbers. Thus the first file is 101, the second is 102, the third is 103, etc. There might be another way, but this would work.

Personally, I keep my entire novel in a google document so that I can access it in the same formatting from any computer, can get others to comment on it easily enough, and editing is simple.