As someone who is not naturally ‘organized’ in a linear world, I empathize. ![:slight_smile: :slight_smile:](/images/emoji/apple/slight_smile.png?v=9)
I had to clean up a big mess in Scrivener and I’m learning as I go through the ‘tidying up’ (I like your expression). My first excursions into this murk were difficult, but not impossible, and I am now the proud owner and (mostly reliable) keeper of a shiny and productive Scrivener project. ![:laughing: :laughing:](/images/emoji/apple/laughing.png?v=9)
I had to enlist my tactile sense to help and to get a different perspective. I got a stack of index cards onto which I wrote topics. You could also brainstorm topics on a sheet of paper. I then grouped similar topics under a single heading and created folders from these headings, then subheadings as I needed them. Don’t worry about perfection, if that’s a concern–you’ll refine as you go along. I would start with very general categories at first, then refine as I needed.
I also find that when I work with drafts, I have to print the pages and cut the paragraphs/sections and physically cluster these with paper clips to index cards. I can then picture the project and its organization much better.
Oh, and: Back up your scrivener project before you start–that way, if anything happens, you can return to your original file.
To start, I’d select all those files and bits of writing and Group them into a single folder (select in the binder, Control-click, Group)–just to clear the binder. Then you might begin moving files to a few general subfolders. Again, you can select several files, Group them, and name the new folder.
To illustrate, here’s an overview of my ‘organization’:
In my Research folder, I have general subfolders like ‘background info’ with subfolders for ‘theaters,’ ‘song,’ ‘theories,’ for instance. I also have folders for specific sources, ‘references for future,’ ‘archives,’ ‘ideas from archive research,’ and so on. the organization is not perfect by any means, but it helps me. And it’s much, much easier than facing an overwhelming mass of material.
I’m working towards a system for drafts that works for me. So far, I have top-level Working Draft folders for:
- Arguments
- Keep in mind
- Snippets I want to use
- Current writing
- Bf chapter
- Previous drafts
- Sent drafts
I do most of my work in Current writing, which has the following folders:
2. Discards/Elsewhere
2. Intro-ish
2. Incorporate
And Intro-ish (again, where I do the bulk of my work) includes:
3. intro to [works]
3. views on [works]
3. methodology
3. theaters
3. audiences
&c.
I’ve discovered that I need folders for ‘Discards/Not sure/elsewhere’–those bits I want to hang on to but don’t know where to place–and that a single folder is better than several tucked away (and lost) in other folders.
The other top-level folders serve more as reminders as I draft and revise; I have older drafts in Previous Drafts from which I cull and move material to Current Writing.
I hope this helps a little. I’m afraid I may have befuddled more than clarified.
Do you brainstorm using mind-mapping? Freemind is a nice and free program; I’ve found that mind-mapping helps me clarify my ideas.
I’d be curious to know how you proceed. Good luck!