To write a novel in Google Docs, keep the whole manuscript in one document, mark each chapter title as a heading so that the outline lets you jump between chapters, and build a set of folders in Google Drive for your outlines, characters, settings, research, and notes.
Are you looking for a place to write and organize your novel? Google Docs may seem like a plain choice for writing a novel, but it has features that can make your writing process organized and even fun. This article shows you how to set up your manuscript and how to create a workspace for writing, plotting, brainstorming, and outlining your characters.
Organize the manuscript
Writing a novel is a complex task that takes a lot of organization and planning. One key to it is a well-organized manuscript that is easy to navigate. Many writers use specialized software for this, but Google Docs can also do the job well.
Start by creating one document for your entire manuscript. Rather than letting it run on as one endless stretch of text, divide it into chapters with headings. Select the title of each chapter and apply the Heading 1 style from the styles menu in the toolbar (the menu that shows Normal text). Google Docs then builds an outline of your manuscript from these headings.
Open the outline panel on the left side of the screen, and you see all your chapters listed there. Click a chapter to jump straight to it. That is how you navigate your document with ease.
Build your workspace
A well-organized workspace is just as important. In Google Drive, you can create one that works much like the project folders of specialized writing software.
First, create a folder in Google Drive for your writing projects. You can give it any name you like; this example calls it "Novels". Inside it, create a folder for each writing project. For instance, when you start a new novel, create a folder with the novel's title inside "Novels".
Once you have a folder for your project, you can start building your workspace inside it. A complete one could look like this:
- Manuscript: the main document of your novel
- Outlines: your ideas, your story structure, and your subplots
- Characters: one profile for each character
- Settings: your world-building and the look of each place
- Research: the material you collect for the story
- Notes: everything else
The first folder to create is the one for your manuscript. This is where you keep the main document of your project. You can upload an existing manuscript file to this folder, or create a new document in Google Docs and name it accordingly.
Outlines
Next, create a folder for your outlines.
Outlining is a crucial part of the writing process, and you need a system to organize your ideas. An outline folder keeps all your outline documents in one place, so that they are easy to find and update as you go.
Once you have created the folder, open it and create a new document for your ideas. This is where you can jot down every idea, without worrying about whether it makes sense or looks neat.
Next, create a document for your three-act structure. You can copy it from a template or create one from scratch. It helps you organize your story into three acts, so that you can see the beginning, the middle, and the end.
For a longer project, you can also create a document for a long outline. It should include all the plot points from your three-act structure, with more detail for each one.
Finally, create a folder for your subplots. Subplots are an important part of any story, and a separate folder for them helps you keep track of each one.
Character profiles
Another essential folder is the one for your character profiles. It should hold a profile for every character in your story. You can create a subfolder for each character, with any notes, images, or research related to them.
Tip: use a character profile template that covers everything you need to know about a character, such as their desires, fears, misconceptions, goals, relationships, and conflicts. When you find a template you like, make a copy of it and rename it with the character's name. Then duplicate it for as many characters as you need. How to write a perfect character description helps you fill it in.
Settings, research, and notes
You can also create folders for settings, research, and notes. They keep your material organized and give you quick access to important information.
The first is "Settings". This is where you keep everything about the world-building or the look of your story's places. Create a new document for each setting and add images to make it more visual, or upload an image and use it as the setting's profile. This folder can be as detailed or as simple as you want it to be.
The next is "Research". Here you collect all the research material for your project. Add links to web pages, or copy their content into a document, to keep your research at your fingertips. This folder is especially useful for writers of historical fiction, science fiction, or fantasy, where the research material can be extensive.
The last is "Notes", where you keep all the notes that do not fit anywhere else. It can contain anything from notes on your writing style to music that inspires you, and it can become messy over time. Even so, it is useful to keep all your loose ideas in one place.
Make Google Docs work for your novel
That is how you organize a novel in Google Docs. Many writers who use Google Docs never personalize their workspace, because they limit themselves to one long document. With headings and the outline, a manuscript becomes much easier to manage, and a few folders keep everything else close at hand. So experiment, and make the most of Google Docs for your writing projects.
When a draft is finished, you can download it as a Word file (File, then Download) and open it in the Spell Checker. Downloaded again as DOCX, the corrected file keeps its formatting, with each fix written into it.