How do you name manuscript files?
- A consistent naming pattern prevents version confusion.
- Standard fields: book title, draft number, date, status.
- ISO date format (YYYY-MM-DD) sorts correctly in file lists.
- Status flags: clean, marked, edited, frozen, archive.
- Working novelists use the same pattern across every book.
You name manuscript files with a consistent pattern: book title, draft number, date, status. Example: "Stargazer-draft-3-2026-04-22-clean.docx" or "Stargazer-draft-2-2026-01-10-edit-marks.docx". Using ISO date format (YYYY-MM-DD) makes the files sort correctly in alphabetical lists. Working novelists use the same pattern across every book.
Chapter i·Why it matters
Inconsistent file names are how writers lose track of which version is current. "novel-final.docx", "novel-final-FINAL.docx", "novel-final-real.docx" — every writer recognizes this anti-pattern. A consistent naming convention from day one eliminates the version-confusion failure mode entirely.
Chapter ii·What to include
- Book title (consistent abbreviation if title is long).
- Draft number: draft-1, draft-2, draft-3.
- Date in ISO format: 2026-04-22.
- Status flag: clean, edit-marks, frozen, archive.
- No spaces in filenames (use hyphens) for cross-platform compatibility.
- A README in the folder explaining the convention for future-you.
Chapter iii·Example
A working YA author’s naming convention: "Stargazer-draft-3-2026-04-22-clean.docx" (after dev-edit revisions complete), "Stargazer-draft-3-2026-05-15-edit-marks.docx" (after line editor returns it), "Stargazer-draft-3-2026-06-01-clean.docx" (after line revisions). Every file sorts in order, every state is named.
Chapter iv·Related questions
WriteLoom names snapshot files for you with date, draft, and status — so version confusion never happens.
See the Write studio