Managing Documents
From my Newsletter, Summer 2008
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When you first began to write your book, you probably just opened a new file in Word and started typing. You didn’t think about how to organize it, you were probably just grateful you got started. But now maybe you have 100 pages and you aren’t sure what you’ve got and you’ve been having trouble finding paragraphs you know you already wrote. This is where it’s handy to know a few tricks about managing large documents.
It helps to start using some of these tricks from the very beginning, but it’s never too late to go back and get started.
Naming
The name you choose for the file is very important. I always call my first file whatever the title of the manuscript is with the word draft after it, which to me means it’s my initial raw writing. Then, when I edit the file, I always use “save as” (in the file menu on Word) and change the name to the title and the number 1 after it instead of “draft.” (When you use “save as,” you create a copy of the file under a new name and then have two versions.) I change the number for each edited version. This way I always have the original saved if I accidentally make too many edited changes and want to go back to the way it was. Of course it’s also crucial now to keep working only on the most recent file. That’s also why I always keep the initial file name the same. When I arrange my files alphabetically, I can see all the different versions and I know which is most recent.
I also always create a separate folder for each manuscript so I don’t have anything else cluttering it up.
How Big a File?
The next question is how big you let your file get. In the beginning you may want to use only one file because it’s easier to do a search within only one document, plus it’s small enough that you can scroll to the bottom easily. But here are some reasons to break it up:
·Technically, Microsoft says you should not have a file longer than 100 pages, because it’s less stable. (I know many people who have not had any trouble, however.)
·If you begin dividing by chapter or section, it’s easier to print only what you want and search and find within the chapter
·It’s easier to keep track of the different edited versions by version
Other Tips:
·If you use the “header and footer” feature (under “view” in the menu bar) you can create a running head on the manuscript with the name of the chapter, the page number, and a date stamp so when you print a version you will always know which one it is. It’s also the best way to do page numbering.
·If you want to find a specific page number quickly, use “go to”, which on the mac is the apple (or propeller) key and “g.”
·If you don’t know the page number but know a word or phrase, use “find” which is the apple key and “f.” Try to find distinctive words that won’t be repeated throughout.
·If you decided to change a word throughout the manuscript, the fastest way to make the change is by using “find and replace” which will actually take you through each incidence of the word and let you change it to another word. (This is especially helpful when you decide to rename a recurring character or place.)
·Finally, if you have two different versions of a chapter or section and you want to see the difference between them redlined, us the “compare documents” feature under “track changes” in “tools.” It will show in red all the cross-outs and additions.
For a more complete information, tips, and a guide to the latest versions of Word, pull down the “Publications” menu above, then go to E-Books, or Other Products, where you can purchase a copy of my E-book, Microsoft Word for Writers, or individual sets of instructions for specific areas of need.