In this first article of my collaborative paper authoring series I’m proposing a directory layout for storing a single paper in a subversion repository. While using a version control system is essential in a multi-user environment, storing your papers in a subversion repository makes also sense if you are the only author. The general benefits of version control, such as archiving and restoring of different versions for all files, documentation of changes and painless synchronization of data between multiple computers will pay off quickly, even in a single user environment.