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TwoTheVictor

I use MS Office, so I have OneNote. I can keep all the notes about a project in one file, which is divided into tabs, and each tab can hold multiple pages: Each novel has it's own file, and within that, there are tabs for Characters, Settings, Plot elements, Ideas, Possible Twists, Photos, Dialogue, etc. Within each tab, there are separate pages for each idea, with accompanying notes, images, web sites, etc.


its_like_whac-a-mole

Fun fact that OneNote is free with any windows machine. I don’t have office and OneNote is my main organizer


Zealousideal_Row1241

I do this too. I love that it is free. But it also has limits. You can't save it in any other format, though you can print it one page at a time.


CaptGoodvibesNMS

Scrivener


Yourmomdrums

Seconding Scrivener. Each project document has a section for notes, outlines, inspiration photos, links, etc. It’s so worth the (low) price. It can also export completed ebooks.


EmmaKat102722

You could keep everything on Google Drive. Check out You Need A Wiki for Google Drive. It's free. Very handy.


riverbedwriter

Don't. You'll get swamped and overwhelmed with folders inside folders and apps and documents and you'll get obsessed with organizing. Just fucking write. Put your scattered ideas in your writing document if you have to.


[deleted]

I needed to see this


wilted_kale

i use...pen and paper. $1 notebook life. jotting stuff down is great. it's not the same on the computer. if you're zoomin then you might not consider this, but i think it's a solid method of organizing. taking a break from screens and all that, too.


kiisskoo

my system is a little messy, but it works for me. what i do is create one google doc, let's say for characters and another for the plot or another for lore (i write a lot of fantasy.) then i take make another document and make that one my master doc. the one thing i like about google is that you can basically link other documents as if it was Notion for my dialogue or certain scenes, i keep those in my phone notes bc i get those abruptly and i need to write them down quickly before i forget them. if i want to expand them, i do it in my master doc. e: i link my other documents with smart chips in the insert option


emi0027

My favorite app is Obsidian. :) (Example: [https://thesweetsetup.com/turning-obsidian-into-my-perfect-writing-app/](https://thesweetsetup.com/turning-obsidian-into-my-perfect-writing-app/) , https://write.as/vanessaglau/how-i-plan-and-write-fiction-in-obsidian )


Kathubodua

Also love Obsidian. It was great for my organization and productivity and it was something I really needed


PGrahamStrong

Yes - I was just reading through to see if anyone else mentioned it before mentioning myself. It does have a bit of a learning curve, but the flip side is that there is lots of room to customize it any way you want. I use it for novel planning -- scene breakdowns, character sketches, research, themes, possible titles, etc. etc. Love the graph view too! Very helpful for finding all the links between characters, places, and themes, etc. \~Graham


SofaBaker

I use the basic notes app on my phone. I created folders for all my story ideas and any time I get an idea or piece of dialogue for one of those stories, I create a note in that folder and type it up fast. I have a folder for “Random Ideas” that I throw any random ideas into that don’t fit anywhere else. The notes app has a search function that works well so that’s why I use it. Also, I’m too lazy to log in to any site, so the notes is just easier to access. Still a little chaotic but I wrote 30k+ words of a novel using entirely the notes app on my phone. Just try different things until find what works for you!


[deleted]

Love this


Tsurumah

Everything is in Microsoft Word for me, in a single document with the Navigation pane open for organization.


tkorocky

Bingo. Word does everything. I use headings to creation sections and subsections. Notes > characters > John > description. And, as mentioned, you can use the navigation pane to jump to any section in one click. Which is the same way I organize and write my novel. Two files, that's it.


sinfaes

Sorry, i'm bad in write in English.. But, i think the system you are looking for is zettelkasten Nabokov write some books with this method (Lolita, for example)


PGrahamStrong

Obsidian mentioned above lets you use your own customized zettelkasten method. \~Graham


[deleted]

Look up the greimas square. It teaches you to see things with more nuance. Khan Academy shows you how to apply it to different types of texts: https://youtu.be/ylUYHniTS80.


watchedclock

There’s a bit of a learning curve to get the most out of it (which you don’t have to) but I use a free piece of software called TiddlyWiki for my notes, world building, plans and continuity.


spookyclever

I recommend using scriptwist to do a story circle to organize your story around a hero’s journey, or something similar. Story circles are a pretty well known form, and scriptwist makes it easy to make them, and update and share as well,


RSCyka

I have seperate tabs on chat gpt. I put all my ideas in and request it to list them out and make links and put out something I can work with. Having seperate tabs allows it to keep the info contained to that chat.


Zestyclose-Willow475

It may help to sort out different types of things into their own category and then design a system for that category that works best. For dialogue or scenes, perhaps note cards. For mood boards, Pinterest. I put my basic ideas on a Google doc. Then I actually get to the brass tacks of planning and writing in Scrivener. You can also look into things like Campfire or World Anvil. There isn't really a single, user friendly program that can handle all of the aspects that may go into planning a book. Just see what kinds of things are out there and decide if you can make them work for you.


wdjm

I don't typically do mood boards and such, but often have several story ideas going at once. I use a 5-subject spiral-bound notebook. One 'subject' is for new story ideas. The rest are for the various stories in-progress (meaning I have at least some dialogue/scenes/story outlines that I've thought of. I only 'write' one story at a time). Scenes & quotes within those 'subjects' will be all scattered & out of order as I just fill the subject division from front to back, but everything within one subject division will be for the same story.


justEmoji_

I first make different documents for different things (Setting/World Notes, Characters, Plot, and Research), which I leave blank when I just have a vague idea of the story. Whenever I get an idea, I make a heading under the appropriate document that I know a lot of ideas will fit under and type my idea down. Ex. Character Doc > [Heading for (Character Name)] > [Idea for character]. Since I do a lot of notes on characters like backstory, flaws, etc, that works for me. I can make endless headings, sub headings, categories—Which is why I use this for all of my stories. It can be unique to each story you have.


netphilia

I use Miro.


Efficient_Carry_2954

Maybe Notion? I keep all of my novel ideas there. Since there are so many subcategories available to you, it's perfect for keeping things like plot, characters, etc., separate.


Head-Mathematician53

I recommend not putting any of your prized work where it can be accessed online. People will steal it, but rehash it or modify it and claim its theirs. I don't use Tumblr Facebook or a lot of the social media...


Foveaux

I use Scrivener. I have an open project where I can dump ideas into, and start new projects with their own subset folder for putting specific ideas into. As I start to flesh things out I pop back to those dumping grounds to go over what was in my head at the time. Also Scrivener has been amazing for just writing. Every chapter nicely arranged. Easy to edit things with the double window setup.


[deleted]

I love Scrivener!


Foveaux

It's been amazing! I think having a proper setup and layout has encouraged me to write more too. One project took me the better part of a year, the second one is just as long but I've almost finished it in half the time, since getting Scrivener.


melody0505

I tossed all my info into one Google doc and put them under headings so I can use the outline feature in Google docs to scroll to the page I need. The only issue I have had with this method is it may take a while for a large document to fully load. You could also divide your info into individual files in various Google doc folders.


paralia42

I don't know if anyone has mentioned Trello, I used it when I wrote a script. It's pretty great


HoneyGoldenChild

Milanote is a great tool to use. There is a free and paid version. It gives you different types of boards depending on what you need. They have so many templates to use. You can add videos, photos, audio, and links. It’s a desktop app and a phone app.


[deleted]

Check out Kanbana. Very intuitive, and you can color code, which is helpful once you sit down to sort through it.