This isn’t as you envisioned it, but I’ll describe what I do when I start a new writing project.
First, I create a new rich text document in which I’ll lay out a rough topical outline consisting of the sections of the project.
Next, I create a new group to hold the article sections. Select that group, open its Info panel and choose the Show State option.
Now I create within the project group a new rich text document corresponding to each section of the article and name each appropriately. Each document will have a State checkbox.
Next, I create a hyperlink from each of the topics listed in my rich text document to its corresponding document.
That initial rich text document becomes a ‘table of contents’ for the project, so that I can link to any topical section and begin writing in it.
When I’m satisfied with the draft of a section, I check its State box.
Now I can glance at the group that holds the draft sections and tell whether any section remains to be completed, by the State box.
When I’m finished drafting all of the sections, I place the sections into the order in which they should appear in the project, select all of them and choose Data > Merge. Now I’ve got a single document that I’ll copy to the clipboard and paste into a competent word processor for final layout and editing, including page headers/footers, footnotes, etc. My drafts will include information for footnote/endnote citations, graphics, etc.
That initial rich text outline of the project usually remains pretty rough in appearance, although sometimes I pretty it up by setting up the links to sections in a List format. I usually make in-progress notes to myself about ‘problem’ sections, what I’m going to take up next, possibly relevant references (perhaps with links to those references), etc. This document is my map for the project. It will probably include some notes on the purpose of the project – the objective(s) to be accomplished.
Works pretty well for me. That initial work of creating the ‘table of contents’ document includes breaking out the project into workable segments and ordering them logically. In progress, I may add or delete sections and/or reorder them. I’ve ‘assigned’ myself specific topical sections to write, and I just have to tackle them to flesh them out.
