I want to start working on a web fiction project but I’m unsure about what writing software to pick. I’m really comfortable with Google Docs since I use it every day for other stuff. I’ve heard Scrivener is pretty amazing for writers, but honestly I have no clue how to use it and my computer is kind of slow so it might not work well. Since Google Docs added those new tab features, I’m thinking it might actually be perfect for organizing a really long web fiction story. Has anyone tried using Google Docs for a massive writing project like this? I’m talking about something with hundreds and hundreds of chapters, so I need to make sure it can handle that much content without crashing or getting super slow.
i’ve got around 400 chapters in google docs and it’s crawling now. tabs help, but search gets wonky with tons of content. i split mine every 100 chapters - works way better. just backup everything first since google can randomly mess things up.
Google Docs will crash and burn with something that huge. I found out the hard way during a massive software rollout - hit around 300 episodes and everything turned to molasses.
Collaboration became impossible.
Storage isn’t your biggest problem though. It’s managing the workflow. You need to track publishing schedules, handle reader feedback, manage revisions, and connect with whatever platform you’re using.
This needs automation. Stop fighting document limits and build a system that handles writing to publishing automatically. Set up workflows to organize chapters, backup across multiple platforms, schedule releases, and auto-post to your web fiction site.
I’ve watched writers automate their entire pipeline. They write wherever they want, then automation does the grunt work - organizing files, formatting for different platforms, even posting social media updates when episodes drop.
Best part? You’re not stuck with one tool. Your automation pulls from Google Docs, Notion, or plain text and converts everything to whatever format you need.
Latenode makes this workflow setup super easy, even if you’re not technical. Check it out: https://latenode.com
Been using Google Docs for my serial for two years now. Performance tanks around 200-250 chapters if you dump everything in one doc, but tabs fixed that problem. I split mine into ~50 chapters per doc and made a master index with links to each section. Works great and loads fast. Revision history is clutch for tracking changes over such a long timeline. Here’s what nobody tells you - the comment system is perfect for plot notes and character arcs that stretch across hundreds of episodes. Yeah, dedicated writing apps have more features, but Google Docs nails the basics and I can write anywhere. Just backup your stuff because trusting one cloud service with years of work sketches me out.