Do You Use Any Version Controlling Software/Methods As Writers?

Question

As writers, do you use any version controlling software to track and monitor what you write? For example, if you accidentally deleted or overwritten a paragraph that you'd like to have it back?Usually what I do is to save multiple copies with incremental numbers, but I find that this isn't a good method because I end up with a folder full of word documents of the same file + changes. It isn't really easy to organise because of it.(Storyname 1, Storyname 2, Storyname 3, ...)This isn't necessary a question about programs, but version controlling software used for writing/writers, methods, tricks, ...

Answer 1

Microsoft Word has editing functions you may find useful. If you open the Review tab, there is a section called Tracking that keeps track of all insertions, deletions, and formatting changes. There is another tab called Compare that allows you to compare or combine multiple versions of a document.

Word also has functions to allow editorial notes without changing the base document.

If you want to keep multiple separate files of your story, perhaps create file names using the calendar date and store them in a folder sorted chronologically.

If you're open to other word processing applications, you could try Google Docs which also allows you to revert to earlier versions of documents to track your changes. Go to docs dot google dot com to set up an account (linked to any google or gmail account you already have). Check out the Help & Feedback section of the Main Menu to learn about all the functions.

Google Docs is great to share your work easily with other people if you want to get feedback or editorial help as well. I've used this for many group projects in college and to work on editing and proofreading for clients. Each person's contributions remain separate so you can preserve your original version. It also functions as online backup in case your computer crashes or you need to access your documents away from home.

Happy Writing!

note: I have Word 2007 so your version of the software may have updated or improved features.