by Adam Smith

Created on: May 27, 2007   Last Updated: October 23, 2009

A simple method of keeping my stories and story ideas organized on my computer involves only a folder on my desktop and a spreadsheet.

I have a folder on my desktop simply labeled "Writing."

Inside are folders labeled Ideas, Drafts, Final Drafts, Sent, Accepted and Archive.

The Ideas folder contains folders labeled with a date and keyword(s), such as 02-06-Runaway Train. This title indicates that the folder created February 6th contains notes for a story idea about a runaway train. I keep a text file in the folder to which I can add notes at any time.

The Drafts folder contains folders with a notes file and a draft of the story itself.

Final Drafts indicates folders containing stories ready to be sent to editors for consideration.

Sent are those folders containing stories that are presently out being considered, and supporting documents such as the cover letter and bio that were sent along with them.

Accepted contains those stories that have been accepted for publication and digital versions of the acceptance letter and contract, if applicable.

Revisions contains stories to which an editor has asked for revisions, and all supporting documents

Rejections contains, sadly, those stories rejected and all supporting documents.

Lastly, Archive contains stories that have been accepted, published and paid for, with all supporting documents.

It's easy to move stories (folders) from folder to folder as their status changes. For example, when a story idea becomes a draft, simply move the folder from Ideas to Drafts. Nice is that all supporting documents remain in the story's folder, from the notes down to the contract and perhaps even a digital copy of the article in print (or the entire publication in pdf format).

Should one of your stories be unfortunately rejected, the folder can simply be moved to Rejections and you can decide later if it should be moved back to Ideas, Drafts, Sent or perhaps Archive.

Any writer who composes on the computer knows that the hardest part of doing so is recalling what the files are named and where they are located.

Using a spreadsheet program such as Excel can make the process simple.

First, one must create a spreadsheet (mine is labeled "Writing"). The spreadsheet can be saved in the "Writing" folder.

Column headings should include, but not be limited to the following:
- Folder Name should contain the names of your folders as they are created and placed in Ideas.
- Location should contain the name of the folder in which your story is saved, for example;

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