My system's a bit different, but I thought I'd describe it in case anyone else likes the idea. I keep most stories I've read or want to read on my hard drive in doc format and use Windows Explorer for searching. Within my fanfiction folder is a folder for each author, with cross-references for authors who use more than one name. Total so far, around 6,000 stories, mostly older ones I've already read, so I don't plan to add them to Calibre.
I add NR (not read) to the titles of unread stories and WIP for unfinished stories, plus series name and order. After I read the story, I remove the NR from the title and add tags at the end of the story itself, so I can search for various keywords or genres, such as Action/Adventure or Romance or Meridian fix. (The last is Stargate SG-1 specific.)
I used to read on a PDA. I've had my Sony Reader for six months, but Calibre for only two, so I'm still exploring. I see Calibre mainly as a tool for getting new fic to my Reader, and that tends to be longer stories and ones that are complete. As Asperity said above, it's too much trouble for shorter fic. I still save first as a Word doc, then in HTML for Calibre. I've got fewer than 200 stories converted so far, so I'm still working on my Calibre tags. I use UNREAD as a tag and remove it when I've read the story, plus tags for each fandom and genre.
For tracking stories I've already read and want to remember, I use a spreadsheet. One sheet is for themes or plot elements that I think I'll want to look for in the future or that people ask for on the story search sites, e.g., "Daniel leaves the SGC" or "Atlantis declares independence" or "Cats and cat-like animals." Under each heading, I list author and title and either a sentence description or key words. Another sheet indexes crossovers by which shows, movies, or books are crossed. A third is for "real family" relationships. I don't track every story I read, just ones with themes or plot elements I'm interested in.
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timeasmymeasure
Organizing and tracking
Date: 2010-07-07 09:36 am (UTC)I add NR (not read) to the titles of unread stories and WIP for unfinished stories, plus series name and order. After I read the story, I remove the NR from the title and add tags at the end of the story itself, so I can search for various keywords or genres, such as Action/Adventure or Romance or Meridian fix. (The last is Stargate SG-1 specific.)
I used to read on a PDA. I've had my Sony Reader for six months, but Calibre for only two, so I'm still exploring. I see Calibre mainly as a tool for getting new fic to my Reader, and that tends to be longer stories and ones that are complete. As Asperity said above, it's too much trouble for shorter fic. I still save first as a Word doc, then in HTML for Calibre. I've got fewer than 200 stories converted so far, so I'm still working on my Calibre tags. I use UNREAD as a tag and remove it when I've read the story, plus tags for each fandom and genre.
For tracking stories I've already read and want to remember, I use a spreadsheet. One sheet is for themes or plot elements that I think I'll want to look for in the future or that people ask for on the story search sites, e.g., "Daniel leaves the SGC" or "Atlantis declares independence" or "Cats and cat-like animals." Under each heading, I list author and title and either a sentence description or key words. Another sheet indexes crossovers by which shows, movies, or books are crossed. A third is for "real family" relationships. I don't track every story I read, just ones with themes or plot elements I'm interested in.