I've always thought it a good idea to have a separate file for each chapter of a novel, but now that I come to print off a whole first draft it's so tedious, especially as I foolishly numbered them starting with a page one each time.

Is it better to have all the chapters in one long file with page breaks between chapters? Maybe that's just for the final draft?

Sheila

I work on the chapters in separate files, yes, till that final draft. It's so much easier to find things when the file's smaller, plus I work a lot from long-hand lists of things to do, which have page numbers, so it drives me nuts when it's all in one file that every time you change something the whole damn book re-numbers itself.

But when you're doing all the final sweeps through for the fiddly stuff, you do need the whole in one file. Plus in the end you have to get the page numbers right.

Emma

I have to say it's never occurred to me to do separate files! How do you manage word counts and so on?

I've always written in one long continuous file - partly because I don't always know where the chapter breaks will be until afterwards if you see what I mean.

I use control F to edit, not page numbers, partly because I don't run word so other people's print outs are always different pagination to mine. So I will pick a phrase on the page that's relatively uncommon and find that.

And when I'm combing through and editing as I go, I type EDITED TO HERE in caps when I finish, and then use control F to pick up where I left off.

Very interesting to hear how other people do it though!

I'm not quite sure I understand what you mean here!

With my novel, I opened a word document and started typing at chapter one - well once I'd done the title and byline and dedication pages, and I stopped at the end, so I guess that's one file.

Blimey I can't be doing with each chapter as a seperate word doc!

Kat x

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separate!

I do it in one file. I do great big chapter headings (or summaries) in size 36 or 48 font, and in colour, that show up clearly in 10 or 25% views, so that i can find things quickly.

This is all very helpful and thank you for some quick responses. As I type this the printer is sending forth the last chapter.

Flora, it's easy to know word counts for each chapter, and add them up if necessary.

Emma, thanks. That's what I'll do - put it all in one file at the end and also fix the pages numbers -when I'm sure it's finished.

Kat, I'm about to subdivide it further -into scenes!

Sheila

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Popsicle, I forgot to say thank you for the tip-off about the big print - it will come in handy for marking things later.

I read a few how-to books, and I'm going to use one particular method, following instructions to the letter, at least this time.

I use control F to edit, not page numbers,

I think the thing is that I don't know what to search for - most words that I know might be in the bit I'm looking for, are in about a hundred and fifty other parts of the novel

And in making a snag list, first as I write the first draft, and then on every pass through the novel, it's much quicker for me to jot down 4/15 for Chapter 4, p.15, than it is to write down enough of a phrase for it to be recognisable, and then type that in.

The other reason I do separate chapters is that having Chapter Three, say numbered 3-1 to 3-30, or whatever, means that I always have a sense of where I am, both which chapter I'm in, and where I am in it. The shape and structure and pace and proportion of the chapter is very important, and just seeing that I'm on 247, say, doesn't tell me anything about that.

But that's I plan in chapters right from the start - they're very big (the WIP is 141,000 and it's only 8 chapters, half of each chapter per narrator) - so I always know what this chapter's doing - where it's going, what needs to be in there - and I need to make sure that everything's the right size and shape. I know lots of writers who don't know where the chapter breaks are till afterwards, and I can see that it would make more sense then to do it in one big document.

I do know that I could do all this if I could be arsed to find out how Word manages documents with sections and so on. But the time I tried, it just seemed to be more trouble than it was worth.

Emma

There is another way. You can create a Master Document which contains Sub-Documents. The Sub-Documents would be your individual chapter files. This way gives you the best of both worlds: a single file with a total word-count and the ability to print or view the whole thing in one go plus separate files for each chapter to get over the problems Emma mentioned.

The big problem is that it can be a bit complicated to set up and maintain, so I hesitate to recommend it as the way to go.

I used a master document for some time but now I'm back to single file operation. I format the page numbering to include the chapter numbers so that they read ...1-13, 1-14, 2-15, 2-16 etc. You have to make sure you use a particular Heading format for all the chapter headers and not to use it for anything else. That's how the numbering knows when the chapter changes. You can also define the Heading so that it automatically generates its chapter number. When you move a chapter around, the chapter numbers and the page numbering all get adjusted automatically. The trouble is - all these approaches introduce levels of complexity that can be unwelcome!

Just do the thing that seems most convenient and simple to you and which therefore carries the least chance of your making some ghastly mistake resulting in disappearance of work.

Chris

I actually do have a separate file for each chapter, and a 'master draft' for the whole novel so far. Any changes I make to the chapter, I do to the master as well - I just find it easier to have things organised into chapters from the beginning.

This time, I've also done a semi-detailed chapter by chapter synopsis, for my own use. I've put the major events into it so I can see how the balance of the story is working out, and pin-point any potential plot 'lags' before they become too much of a problem.

At least, that's the theory ...

Oh Emma I see what you mean now - I was thinking about editing off the page and onto your doc. If you're editing off a printout then of course it's quite easy to search for a specific phrase like "brambles caught in my hair" which probably only occurs once or twice in the novel. But I can see with your list example that would be hard with a long doc.

I never self-edit like that though - far too disorganised. It all lives mainly in my head. God that sounds terrible when I type it out!

The trouble is - all these approaches introduce levels of complexity that can be unwelcome!

Yes, I did try the Master Document thing, but like so many things in Word, it may be gold-dust when you're co-ordinating 20 people writing a 1000 page government report, but for a novelist it's like trying to pop to the shops in an aircraft carrier... Easier to walk.

Once upon a time I had - I think - Word Perfect - and you could set up a 'publication', containing various documents which you could handle together or separately - I know Master Document is supposed to be the same, but it isn't.

But I do hear great things of Scrivener and now there's about to be PC version, I'll be interested to see if it's got good ways of coping with this chapters-into-novel thing

Emma


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Flora - yes, I see what you mean. I end up each draft with a big handwritten snaglist of things to sort out, which I then work my way through on screen.

IMHO, one file is definitely the way to go.

Not only can you generate a table of contents automatically, but you can use the document map window along the side to easily navigate through the novel. (I use styles to manage chapter / scene headings that you can also auto number; Ctrl+Alt+1 >> chapter heading, Ctrl+Alt+2 >> scene heading etc.)

I take it a step further and use a synopsis of the chapter as a sub header so that I have a summary of the story permanently maintained in my table of contents... not that I refer to it very often, but it helps to keep your mind in order about what is happening.

G

Wow, those are big chapters. I'm really looking foward to the next phase of rewriting, when I can work on even smaller sections, or scenes. Each will have a sentence to describe what happens and I'm going to use the idea of coloured headings for these, at least at first. The idea of the scheme, I think (the book's not always clear) is to have the scenes exposed, as it were, so I can see what works and what doesn't, and be abble to see how they fit across a timeline. It all seems a bit technical.

I've done quite a bit of editing and had sections critted here, so it's not so scary as it might be. Maybe I can make a copy to work on, just in case it gets to be too much of a muddle and I can revert to the original ordering.

Sheila

Wow, those are big chapters, Emma.

I'm really looking foward to the next phase, when I can work on even smaller sections, or scenes. Each will have a sentence to describe what happens and I'm going to use the idea of coloured headings for these, at least at first.

The idea of the scheme, I think (the book's not always clear) is to have the scenes exposed, as it were, so I can see what works and what doesn't, and then be able to see how they fit into a timeline. It all seems a bit technical.

I've done quite a bit of editing and had sections critted here, so it's not so scary as it might be. I'll can make a copy to work on, just in case it gets to be too much of a muddle, so I can revert to the original if necessary. I suppose I could call that the 'master copy', except the real master copy will be the unassembled new bits mixed in with bits of the original,a master copy that will be constantly changing.


Sheila

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sorry this came through twice

I always use a single file, for the reasons that FloraPost gave.

Managing large documents in Word can be a bit awkward, but you can always use Bookmarks to find things quickly. You could, for example, bookmark the start of each chapter (with bookmarks called 'chapter1', etc.). You just put the cursor on the first word of the chapter, or somewhere equally meaningful, and then insert a bookmark (although I can't remember off the top of my head where Microsoft have hidden this very useful feature, in Word 2007). If you're using Open Office, bookmarks exist there, as well, but again I can't remember off the top of my head how you do it.

But I do hear great things of Scrivener

That's a new one on me. Does it have Latin and Welsh spell-checking?

Alex