You are just totally organised eh! I'd never do all that in a single document - it just gets confusing and harder to edit the more detail there is. I'd have a basic idea document, then a basic outline document, then that doc would get embellished with ideas until it gets saved as a new doc being the 'detailed' outline, then the next one would be maybe a scene by scene outline - that's the most important one, as you can check continuity and any gaps etc.; then the fun part comes last which is the writing it. Except I always get too inspired so the detailed outline ends up being the first draft, then I do the scene by scene, then edit the draft. And all that without a navigational aid. Maybe that's why I get so disorganised. I salute your organisational skills and self-discipline. I end up relying on my memory. Not what it once was...
Nothing wrong with having separate docs for sure. I used to do it that way too. The headings are the game changer--if you started using them to label each section (or chapter or whatever works), you can jump between them quickly and drag whole scenes to new locations. You definitely don't have to go hardcore on everything like I did (like naming conventions, etc). But the headings are soooo useful.
Wowo! Your process is 1000x more organized than mine. I'm not a charts and graphs person, so that chart at the beginning outlining each step quite impressed me.
Sharing this to Notes in case anyone else finds this article helpful. :)
Honestly, having to break it down into phases really makes it look more complicated than it is, haha! If you know how to use Word headers, it's just breaking your manuscript into pieces that you can move around later. Like using cue cards (or Scrivener's Notes). Up until about four years ago, I was a 100% "pantser" who just wrote with no outline and it created so many consistency problems with later drafts (especially with my world-building). But, at the time, I found writing a detailed outline too hard. This method gives me an easily changeable structure, but under each header (section or chapter) I can still run wild. I was able to write Book 2's Rough Draft (400 pages) in under 2 months with this method.
You are just totally organised eh! I'd never do all that in a single document - it just gets confusing and harder to edit the more detail there is. I'd have a basic idea document, then a basic outline document, then that doc would get embellished with ideas until it gets saved as a new doc being the 'detailed' outline, then the next one would be maybe a scene by scene outline - that's the most important one, as you can check continuity and any gaps etc.; then the fun part comes last which is the writing it. Except I always get too inspired so the detailed outline ends up being the first draft, then I do the scene by scene, then edit the draft. And all that without a navigational aid. Maybe that's why I get so disorganised. I salute your organisational skills and self-discipline. I end up relying on my memory. Not what it once was...
Nothing wrong with having separate docs for sure. I used to do it that way too. The headings are the game changer--if you started using them to label each section (or chapter or whatever works), you can jump between them quickly and drag whole scenes to new locations. You definitely don't have to go hardcore on everything like I did (like naming conventions, etc). But the headings are soooo useful.
Wowo! Your process is 1000x more organized than mine. I'm not a charts and graphs person, so that chart at the beginning outlining each step quite impressed me.
Sharing this to Notes in case anyone else finds this article helpful. :)
Haha, I swear it's easier than it looks! I was a "pantser" for years, but my world building for this latest series got way too complicated too fast!
Wow, this would ruin me. Not sure I could even make it through this process. HAHAHAHA!
Honestly, having to break it down into phases really makes it look more complicated than it is, haha! If you know how to use Word headers, it's just breaking your manuscript into pieces that you can move around later. Like using cue cards (or Scrivener's Notes). Up until about four years ago, I was a 100% "pantser" who just wrote with no outline and it created so many consistency problems with later drafts (especially with my world-building). But, at the time, I found writing a detailed outline too hard. This method gives me an easily changeable structure, but under each header (section or chapter) I can still run wild. I was able to write Book 2's Rough Draft (400 pages) in under 2 months with this method.
I have scrivener and use the note cards. they do help.