"WORDS ARE, IN MY NOT-SO-HUMBLE OPINION, OUR MOST INEXHAUSTIBLE SOURCE OF MAGIC. CAPABLE OF BOTH INFLICTING INJURY, AND REMEDYING IT." ~ALBUS DUMBLEDORE
I save chapters individually when drafting, because it makes it easier to find and work on specific things (not having to scroll through 300+ pages is way easier for me.) When I revise, I split them again, but then I clump them (as you know.)
I always make sure to send a revised manuscript to cps for comments. If you guys ever WANTED to read a first draft as I wrote it, I'd let you, but I'd want to look over it and fix it up before getting comments, because my first drafts are riddled with typos and repeated words and awkward sentences and unrealized plot points :)
I keep everything in one document as I hate having to go through 30+ files to find something. I tend to search through my manuscript all the time for world details, character details etc., that aren't in my notes.
And usually I wait until a draft is 1/4, 1/2, 3/4, and done to send to betas, except for certain people. They get the chapter once it's done, all raw and dirty like. =)
When I worked with my editor, we did one chapter at a time. so I saved them separately. I normally keep it all together though. I also used to do separate chapters with my CP, but then I tried all at once with another CP and liked that better because you get the big picture and can comment on the plot and story as a whole.
There's a third option on the second poll. I send chapters to my crit partners in groups. Four to five chapters at a time. It works for us. We feel like we get a better feel for the story that way.
I keep the document together as I write it. When I'm finished, I make a copy of each chapter and save it separately.
As for the other...I haven't had too much experience with it yet, but one chapter at a time is what I've been doing thusfar. Gives me drive to keep working!
I've been debating how I wanted to complete my next manuscript. My first manuscript was a bit complicated--it has 4 differen POVs (yes, I know I'm crazy). I started submittind individual chapters to my MFA program for feedback, but I wasn't gettting the feedback I needed, which is how the story was working overall. I ended up scrapping that idea and allowed 3 other individuals to read the manuscript as a whole. Their feedback was priceless. I think this is the route I may take for my next manuscript, even though I'm buckling down and just using one POV. :)
I have two CPs. One sends her stuff to me as she finishes, the other sent the entire MS to me. I'll admit getting the entire MS was a little overwhelming at first, but it was nice to know immediately how everything ended and be able to look at the book as a whole. On the other hand, when you send them out a few chapters at a time, any changes you make that might affect later parts of the book can get changed before you send the next chapters out.
I usually send chapters out in chunks (maybe two to five at a time), but I save them all in one doc. I'll write them, then do a first round edit, then send them out.
I save my chapters individually, clumped together and as a whole document. When I'm revising, I revise the chapter in the whole document, save it, save it individually. When I send to my CPs, I usually send two or three chapters together. So, I copy the three chapters I'm sending and save those too.
I like having the whole MS in one document - it's just easier for me to have access to everything at once. I don't want to overload my CP's, so I send them all of it at once. :-)
I go both ways on the sending chapters. Usually, during the initial draft, I pass off the chapters as I finish them. I like hearing what my Alpha thinks of things and hearing reader's predictions of the future. But, when I'm editing, I like to edit the whole thing before letting someone else see it, because then I like to fix the whole problem in one go and then reexamine for other issues.
I write in a linear fashion, one chapter at a time, though I have notes regarding different aspects of the story in my writing journal.
I like to know I have the first ms finished before sending chapters to others. Then if I abandon the project, at least they'll get to see how it ends. Plus, if I'm passing out chapters as I finish them, it feels like I'm only writing for my CPs and not for the project itself.
Nice polls. I don't have a group for critiquing work at this point, but I used to. When I did, I would both submit chapters of an unfinished work and that of a finished work (once I succeeded in finishing one for the first time ever thanks to nanowrimo).
I save my chapters both in a single document and online as a book item on writing.com. It's convenient as there is the book and then each entry is a chapter. Though, I want to get a writing software but am waiting till I get a new laptop for that.
Hmmm...generally I have the whole thing in one running document. However, I do have a separate document where I keep my "darlings" - the sections that have been cut because they don't work but I suspect they may be useful at a later date.
Also, I have several "versions" of my wip document. If I'm writing along and I find myself wanting to back up and take a slightly different direction, I'll save it as a version # and then make the changes. If the change in direction doesn't work, I've got the original version to go back to.
As for CPs? I won't send it to someone else until it's finished and revised.
I write my first drafts in Scrivener, which means one document divided in a whole bunch of different ways: acts, chapters, beats, whatever. But I put it all together into one big document when I move on to the second draft.
I'm still experimenting with how to use critiquers. Sometimes I want someone to read the whole mss at once to get an idea of the pacing and flow. But other times I can't wait until I've done a whole draft before getting another opinion on a problem area. I don't want to make any more work for myself than I have, so I want to fix the big stuff early. I also find that having feedback as you go helps with motivation and support. If I need to whine or brainstorm about my book, there are people who will know what I'm talking about and can help. Or they can kick my butt if I'm started to slack off.
But it's a hard line to toe, because you don't want to exhaust your critiquers by overworking them. And you want fresh opinions now and then too. If only I had my own small army of personal critiquers.
I answered the first question no problem. I have a big ol' hairy document and loosely structure the chapters during the first draft (more to give me bookmarks to jump through the MS more quickly than anything. The original chapter designations frequently change. I'm looking at software which helps segregate scenes and will make things easier to move around as need be. Having it separated into multiple documents would drive me insane (and I don't need any help in that arena.)
The second question stymied me. I don't send anything to CP's/betas/alphas/the dogs/etc. until the first draft has been completed and a few passes through on the edits. The exception to that is I may send a section during first draft or early revisions - a scene, no more, to a few people to get some feedback on it to make sure the reaction I was hoping for hit the mark. After that, I've done both, sent the entire MS and sent it chapter by chapter as I finished the edits. You didn't have a both, so I couldn't vote properly.
I say you do whatever works best for you & your CP's.
...I learned the hard way, a file for every chapter is a nice and sensible idea while writing, but can be a holy nightmare throughout the editing phase. My editor asked me, as politely as he could during a stressful literary moment, to keep novel number two in one complete file. Thought I'd pass this along:)
I usually write a novel all the way through in one document. Although, sometimes I'll have scenes that I couldn't wait to write in seperate documents (but only because they were completed before I was ready for them in the main draft). But once I'm able to paste them into where they need to be, I delete the seperate file.
I find that after I've drolled out a chapter, it helps to go back over it for some light editing.
ReplyDeleteIf I have to stop writing for a while, I can always go back over the chapter again and catch up on where I was.
There's a method to my madness. Just not sure what it is...
I save chapters individually when drafting, because it makes it easier to find and work on specific things (not having to scroll through 300+ pages is way easier for me.) When I revise, I split them again, but then I clump them (as you know.)
ReplyDeleteI always make sure to send a revised manuscript to cps for comments. If you guys ever WANTED to read a first draft as I wrote it, I'd let you, but I'd want to look over it and fix it up before getting comments, because my first drafts are riddled with typos and repeated words and awkward sentences and unrealized plot points :)
I save my chapters together, but saving them individually is an interesting idea. Maybe I'll try it and see if it works for me!
ReplyDeleteI keep everything in one document as I hate having to go through 30+ files to find something. I tend to search through my manuscript all the time for world details, character details etc., that aren't in my notes.
ReplyDeleteAnd usually I wait until a draft is 1/4, 1/2, 3/4, and done to send to betas, except for certain people. They get the chapter once it's done, all raw and dirty like. =)
When I worked with my editor, we did one chapter at a time. so I saved them separately. I normally keep it all together though. I also used to do separate chapters with my CP, but then I tried all at once with another CP and liked that better because you get the big picture and can comment on the plot and story as a whole.
ReplyDeleteThere's a third option on the second poll. I send chapters to my crit partners in groups. Four to five chapters at a time. It works for us. We feel like we get a better feel for the story that way.
ReplyDeleteI keep the document together as I write it. When I'm finished, I make a copy of each chapter and save it separately.
ReplyDeleteAs for the other...I haven't had too much experience with it yet, but one chapter at a time is what I've been doing thusfar. Gives me drive to keep working!
I've been debating how I wanted to complete my next manuscript. My first manuscript was a bit complicated--it has 4 differen POVs (yes, I know I'm crazy). I started submittind individual chapters to my MFA program for feedback, but I wasn't gettting the feedback I needed, which is how the story was working overall. I ended up scrapping that idea and allowed 3 other individuals to read the manuscript as a whole. Their feedback was priceless. I think this is the route I may take for my next manuscript, even though I'm buckling down and just using one POV. :)
ReplyDeleteI have two CPs. One sends her stuff to me as she finishes, the other sent the entire MS to me. I'll admit getting the entire MS was a little overwhelming at first, but it was nice to know immediately how everything ended and be able to look at the book as a whole. On the other hand, when you send them out a few chapters at a time, any changes you make that might affect later parts of the book can get changed before you send the next chapters out.
ReplyDeleteI usually send chapters out in chunks (maybe two to five at a time), but I save them all in one doc. I'll write them, then do a first round edit, then send them out.
I could only do one poll, because I had a different answer for one of them. LOL!!
ReplyDeleteI save my chapters individually AND lumped together. sometimes I like to look at it separate and sometimes togher to see the flow.
I save my chapters individually, clumped together and as a whole document. When I'm revising, I revise the chapter in the whole document, save it, save it individually. When I send to my CPs, I usually send two or three chapters together. So, I copy the three chapters I'm sending and save those too.
ReplyDeleteI like having the whole MS in one document - it's just easier for me to have access to everything at once. I don't want to overload my CP's, so I send them all of it at once. :-)
ReplyDeleteI go both ways on the sending chapters. Usually, during the initial draft, I pass off the chapters as I finish them. I like hearing what my Alpha thinks of things and hearing reader's predictions of the future. But, when I'm editing, I like to edit the whole thing before letting someone else see it, because then I like to fix the whole problem in one go and then reexamine for other issues.
ReplyDeleteInteresting post. I wrote a mg novel for my NaNo project last year and I saved that in individual chapters. Each chapter was a story unto itself.
ReplyDeleteHowever, the YA novel I'm writing, I save all together in one document.
I write in a linear fashion, one chapter at a time, though I have notes regarding different aspects of the story in my writing journal.
ReplyDeleteI like to know I have the first ms finished before sending chapters to others. Then if I abandon the project, at least they'll get to see how it ends. Plus, if I'm passing out chapters as I finish them, it feels like I'm only writing for my CPs and not for the project itself.
But that's just me and I'm weird. :o)
It's easy for me. I don't have chapters in my novels. :)
ReplyDeleteKarin
Nice polls. I don't have a group for critiquing work at this point, but I used to. When I did, I would both submit chapters of an unfinished work and that of a finished work (once I succeeded in finishing one for the first time ever thanks to nanowrimo).
ReplyDeleteI save my chapters both in a single document and online as a book item on writing.com. It's convenient as there is the book and then each entry is a chapter. Though, I want to get a writing software but am waiting till I get a new laptop for that.
Hmmm...generally I have the whole thing in one running document. However, I do have a separate document where I keep my "darlings" - the sections that have been cut because they don't work but I suspect they may be useful at a later date.
ReplyDeleteAlso, I have several "versions" of my wip document. If I'm writing along and I find myself wanting to back up and take a slightly different direction, I'll save it as a version # and then make the changes. If the change in direction doesn't work, I've got the original version to go back to.
As for CPs? I won't send it to someone else until it's finished and revised.
I write my first drafts in Scrivener, which means one document divided in a whole bunch of different ways: acts, chapters, beats, whatever. But I put it all together into one big document when I move on to the second draft.
ReplyDeleteI'm still experimenting with how to use critiquers. Sometimes I want someone to read the whole mss at once to get an idea of the pacing and flow. But other times I can't wait until I've done a whole draft before getting another opinion on a problem area. I don't want to make any more work for myself than I have, so I want to fix the big stuff early. I also find that having feedback as you go helps with motivation and support. If I need to whine or brainstorm about my book, there are people who will know what I'm talking about and can help. Or they can kick my butt if I'm started to slack off.
But it's a hard line to toe, because you don't want to exhaust your critiquers by overworking them. And you want fresh opinions now and then too. If only I had my own small army of personal critiquers.
I answered the first question no problem. I have a big ol' hairy document and loosely structure the chapters during the first draft (more to give me bookmarks to jump through the MS more quickly than anything. The original chapter designations frequently change. I'm looking at software which helps segregate scenes and will make things easier to move around as need be. Having it separated into multiple documents would drive me insane (and I don't need any help in that arena.)
ReplyDeleteThe second question stymied me. I don't send anything to CP's/betas/alphas/the dogs/etc. until the first draft has been completed and a few passes through on the edits. The exception to that is I may send a section during first draft or early revisions - a scene, no more, to a few people to get some feedback on it to make sure the reaction I was hoping for hit the mark. After that, I've done both, sent the entire MS and sent it chapter by chapter as I finished the edits. You didn't have a both, so I couldn't vote properly.
I say you do whatever works best for you & your CP's.
I write each scene in a separate Google Doc, then I transfer them to Word (because Word is distracting during drafting but nice for editing).
ReplyDeleteNow for my revision I'm chunking them into 35-page "chapters" to send to potential CP's.
Now I just need me some CP's ;)
...I learned the hard way, a file for every chapter is a nice and sensible idea while writing, but can be a holy nightmare throughout the editing phase. My editor asked me, as politely as he could during a stressful literary moment, to keep novel number two in one complete file. Thought I'd pass this along:)
ReplyDeleteI usually write a novel all the way through in one document. Although, sometimes I'll have scenes that I couldn't wait to write in seperate documents (but only because they were completed before I was ready for them in the main draft). But once I'm able to paste them into where they need to be, I delete the seperate file.
ReplyDelete