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[lacygrey]

How is everything going with the ficcing today?
Word counts? Sighs of relief? Panics? Gripes? Celebrations?

This week is my first time doing check-ins - or any remotely mod-like activity ever, actually. So hi there, I'm Lacy and I'm writing a long Hikago fanfic at the moment.

Question for discussion: How do you organise your writing? Do you find you can write in chromological order, or that you feel like jumping straight into the middle scenes. Do you put the whole story in one file or split by scene while you are working? If so, how do you keep it all together on the computer/internet, especially if you are working on multiple fics at the same time. Where and how do you back-up? Do you keep all your old versions?

Comments

[meridian_rose]

I have problems writing the middle bits of fic; I usually start at the beginning or with a key scene, and I often know exactly how it will end, but drawing all the pieces together can be very difficult. I do, however, tend to keep it all in one file, with things like page breaks, italics and coloured text to mark separate sections and my notes.

I sometimes back up to Dropbox, and/or sometimes mail copies to a web-only email account.

Sometimes I save the file under a new name so I can keep both versions, especially if I've changed direction in a fic and made a major re-write. After all, I might want to go back and check on the original details, or salvage some sections/ideas for other fic. I only do this for chaptered fic normally though.

[littlebutfierce]

I'm in the throes of moving- & landlady-related angst, so I am proud I managed to write 880 words of complete drivel today. It was cathartic: my characters are moving too! (Which is all part of this futurefic I started ages ago, but it feels v. good right now to write them panicking about moving too. -_-;;;) Someday I'll have more brain to write more sensibly again.

I tend to write most of my first drafts day by day in 750 Words (this is why most of my daily wordcounts hover around 800-900 words). If there are bits that are obviously part of the same fic, once I'm done there I copy the day's words into a file (along w/the words from previous days that are part of the same story). I use Dropbox/Spideroak to back stuff up. I also have the stuff saved on the 750 Words site, natch, & at the end of the month I export my words from there too. So I guess I have a few backups.

If I'm making extensive edits to a fic, sometimes it feels better to cut out huge chunks if I paste those deleted chunks into an outtakes file. That way they're not gone, just... removed. But if I end up really missing them, they're there. That helps me be bolder w/editing quite a bit!

[lacygrey]

I have problems writing the middle
Me too, sometimes the middle ends up a jumble of scenes that need to be put in a sensible order.

tend to keep it all in one file

My present fic is several files (I start a new file each time I start a new scene). I'm going to try printing it all on one-sided paper an then laying it all out on the floor. When I'm clear on the order of the middle scenes I'll try sticking them all the files together in one file.

As for backup. Ive just opened a Dropbox account too. A few people mentioned it here. I want to try it out as my fic files are spread across two hard drives, two memory sticks, two Google docs accounts and 750 words. Yeah, I'm pretty disorganised and the writing's been spread throuh time but this sort of thing didn't cause me problems when I was only writing short fic.

I tend to get old versions, new versions and keep pre and post-beta versions (as I'm trying to learn from my betas), all multiplied by scene (file) and places I store them. It gets a bit messy. Plus I like things to be hidden from the prying eyes of family and have them backed up.

[meridian_rose]

That's a good point about betas; that is another time I keep extra copies. It's very useful to have something to look back on. And you can never ever have enough back ups :D

[lacygrey]

Sorry to hear about your accomodation woes and good on you for keeping the writing muscles moving anyway.

I had a UK landlord increase the rent to 'cover council tax' when in fact, as a student, I was exempt. Trouble was, I was the only student in the house so the house wasn't exempt. I left, but he kept my deposit.

The next house was better.

I tend to write most of my first drafts day by day in 750 Words
I use it occasionally. Nice to know that its private and that its automatically saved. I put titles in capitals so I can find things again on the download. Its not bad but you do need to be online to use it, which I'm not always. Im going to experiment with Dropbox now for the reasons I mentioned to meridian_rose.

I paste those deleted chunks into an outtakes file
Me too. I always have an 'extra' file so I don't lose the ideas, as bad as they may be ^_~

P.S. Sorry, I went and forgot to title and number the check-in post - guess some folks missed it. I'll do better for the next one.

[meridian_rose]

Yes, keeping chunks of fic into a notes file :D Sometimes I do that instead of saving a new version of the file - just in case I miss those paragraphs or want to reuse them/the ideas in them for something else :D

Good luck with the move :D

[linaewen]

I organize using folders, both the real paper kind and the kind on my computer. I have pocket folders for handwritten notes and printed pages that I am working on (including maps and outlines and other such things), one for each story. Any scribbles that don't quite have a place yet go in those folders -- somehow it seems easier to not forget them if they are on paper rather than lost somewhere on my hard drive. I have all my story folders on my computer, as well -- that's where the actual chapters are kept, plus notes and research. Each story has its own folder and they are all together in one big one. The ones I'm working on the most are also copied to a flash drive which gets carried around with me, as well as being on Google Docs. (I'm not using Google Docs as much anymore for actual composing, though I will probably still use it for backup). I have a Dropbox account that has nothing in it as yet, so I am considering putting my stories there, too.

I definitely write in chronological order, but when I am struggling with a scene, I might jump to a later part and work on that for a bit. I usually keep my work in chapters, though I do also add them to a single long story document. It's easier to work with smaller chapters, though.

I tend to keep old notes and portions that are good but that get edited out -- I can't bear to delete them if they don't get used in the story!