Sorting Your Research

[stu1883]

I was wondering how you all categorize and sort your research documentation? I've got to start collating mine & I have the usual assortment of notes, magazine clippings, prints female the net etc. Can anyone give me pointers on not only how You sort it but how you find it again after?

[boswellbaxter]

For my last three novels, I've sorted the various hard-copy articles and printouts I've acquired by the character or subject they're most relevant to (e.g., Henry VI, Battles, Religion). I download lots of books from Google, and for a while I was putting them in a special folder on my computer, but I've got pretty sloppy about doing that. I try to keep all my nonfiction books on related subjects together (Wars of the Roses, Mary I), though they tend to migrate to other shelves on their own.

[stu1883]

Yeah I have loads of things I've bookmarked and downloaded too - but strangely it seems more difficult to keep on top of that!

I'm going to take advantage of the Back To School sales & buy some more folders and separate things out. I am really keen to get it sorted and organised before it gets completely out of control!!!

[SGM]

it's a slog but I keep my standard bibliography in Excel to which I add hyperlinks to the stuff that's on my computer and web pages that are of interest and I scan in all the odd bits of paper because I really don't have the space for piles and piles of paper.

But I have a category and several other columns as per my needs and then rather pathetically, I am able to pivot table in various forms. I know it's ridiculous but I am used to dealing with a large amount of documentation in many of my jobs and in a way it kills two birds with one stone as it helps keep my Excel skills up to date.

[LoveHistory]

I'm currently using index cards and noting which books to find more info in as well as related subjects. But I'm not printing articles yet so I guess I'm still a beginner.

[stu1883]

Originally Posted by SGM

it's a slog but I keep my standard bibliography in Excel to which I add hyperlinks to the stuff that's on my computer and web pages that are of interest and I scan in all the odd bits of paper because I really don't have the space for piles and piles of paper.

But I have a category and several other columns as per my needs and then rather pathetically, I am able to pivot table in various forms. I know it's ridiculous but I am used to dealing with a large amount of documentation in many of my jobs and in a way it kills two birds with one stone as it helps keep my Excel skills up to date.

Any chance of letting me have a blank copy of such a table please? Sounds awsome!

[EC2]

Ummm.... in my head. I have my library arranged by subject matter and the same goes for any folders of info. I have research pages bookmarked on my PC and that's it really.

[DianeL]

EC2 ... I am in awe!


I actually organize nuggets I plan to use based on my outline and then place text "plugs" in situ in the WIP where either (a) research indicates they should be positioned within the flow of events to follow the timeline, or (b) where non timeline-specific information simply fits best into the story as it builds. Plugs go in in blue, and as I work them into manuscript (or delete or reposition them), the work increasingly defaults back to black. By the time writing work overtaken reasearch work, the job is to work the puzzle, turning "plugs" into actual writing, refining the flow, then editing and having readers view scenes for balance etc.

I'm wishing now I could really remember just how long it was between the time I had an all-black document (hee) and a finely polished manuscript - because even after I'd closed the last book, it seemed a long time before I'd worked out all the blue plugs. The timeline I *didn't* keep was the one of my process!