In the Aliventures survey, one reader asked for help with organizing a novel.
This can be really tricky, especially if you're using Microsoft Word or Google Docs – even if you make good use of features like headers and the table of contents. It's particularly hard for authors who like to write scenes out of order, or who don't have an outline up front.
There's no "magic" fix for getting organized with a novel, and I think that novel-writing is naturally a somewhat messy process.
However, there are a bunch of things you can try to help:
#1: Consider Using Scrivener Instead of a Word Processor
Scrivener is a popular tool with both screenwriters and novelists (and I know some bloggers/non-fiction authors use it too). It's specifically designed for long writing projects and lets you see your novel in a more visual way, arranged on virtual index cards. You can also set up a distraction-free full-0-screen writing environment in there, too,
which I've found really helpful
For me, the main drawback of Scrivener is that I can't use it on my Chromebook, so I've been working in Google Docs more often. I'm missing Scrivener, though, so I need to figure out a good work-around.
Scrivener costs $45 (one-off fee), but there's a generous free trial, so you can try it out if you think it might be useful for you.
#2: Include the Character POV and Time/Date in Your Chapter Headings
One of my biggest struggles with organising a novel is keeping my timeline straight. While I mostly write linearly, from start to end, I do often find myself shifting chapters around or removing/adding chapters, particularly in the first half of the book.
I've tried keeping spreadsheets in the past, but I'm really bad at remembering to update these ... I tend to get carried away with writing the next scene! Now, I just put the character name and time/date into the chapter header, like this:
Chapter 1: Alastair – Thursday 10th February, evening
Chapter 2: Ellie – Thursday 10th February, night
Chapter 3: Alastair – Thursday 10th February, night
Chapter 4: Rachel – Friday 11th February, morning
... and so on. You could also include the location in the chapter heading, if your characters move around a lot.
If you switch POV part way through chapters, you might want to add in extra headings (just for the first draft, you can take them out later).
#3: Create a "Cheat Sheet" of Key Information About Your Novel
If you're struggling to keep track of all the little details, like characters' eye colour, how you write certain words ("no one" vs "no-one") and so on, you night want to create a document or a series of notes in software like Evernote so you can easily look these up.
You don't need to spent lots of time creating this or coming up with details to include. Your character's eye colour won't matter if it's never mentioned in the book! But each time you write in a detail that you'll likely want to use later, add it to your cheat sheet.
Organising a novel isn't easy. There's a lot to keep track of ... but finding a method that works for you and the way you naturally write will help you to stay organised and write more smoothly.
It's particularly important to get organised if you often have long gaps (a week or more) between writing sessions. That way, you won't have to constantly dig back through everything you've already written to figure out where you are!
