I know. File management sounds like the most boring topic in the world, and it really might be.

But a lot of writers don't have any system for keeping track of their work and that ultimately ends up costing a lot of time and leading to confusion down the road, especially when you're dealing with a long-form project like a script, screenplay or book that is going to require multiple drafts. I actually think that ignoring draft numbers or dates might be a way of staying in denial about how much work is really involved in the project.

But whether your reasons are psychological, motivational or just never thought about it, my advice is to put up with a little annoying non-creative organization at the beginning of your project, then you never have to think about it again! I recommend this simple 2-step protocol:

1. HEADERS UP! - I'm amazed by the amount of drafts I see with no header on them. It makes it hard for me as a writing coach and consultant to keep track of drafts and I know it's hell on the writers too. This is the single simplest thing you can do to organize and keep track of multiple drafts. I like to put the NAME OF PROJECT - DATE - PAGE #. That way when you print out a draft you have a time casule of your work, can compare multiple drafts, retrieve anything you deleted and now want back, and make a backup copy of your work. You are printing out drafts, right?

2. FILE-NAMING 1.0 - I like to title my files something like "PROJECT.OVERVIEW.v1.0". Then, next time I open the file to work on it I immediately SAVE AS "PROJECT.OVERVIEW.v1.1". Next draft will be "...v1.2", "...v1.3", etc. When I make a structural innovation, or take the project in a new direction, I usually move on to "...v2.0".

I like different files for the OVERVIEW, OUTLINE and DRAFT, each with their own progression v1.1, 1.2, etc. With a long book I sometimes recommend creating different documents for each CHAPTER. You don't have to bother with dates for file names because your computer does that for you - and it changes the date every time you open the document so don't count on those numbers retaining any chronology. The 'v' numbering system also lets you easily find the latest (or original) version of the project file - and when you're in a creative frenzy the last thing you want is to get bogged down thinking about file management and what you called that latest draft!