Writing Corner: How I Write - Keeping Track of Details
Have you ever been reading something and had to reread a prior sentence, paragraph, or section to keep up with what is going on? You read a sentence and think, "Wait, I thought it was morning time," or "Wasn't Character Q on the other side of the room, did they move?" or something similar. That is just as a reader, imagine being a writer.
For big picture stuff between books, I reread my previous books in the Touch of Gray (TOG) series prior to writing a new story. This is to refresh my memory of prior events, character details, and perhaps I planted a seed for future story and I need to jog my memory. Though I may be writing the books months apart, a reader may be reading the books back-to-back and inconsistency in small details like the color of the wall or what type of vehicle a character owns would give me pause. I know some authors never reread their books, or they focus on one section if they have to recreate a scene. I prefer to just reread everything. Luckily, my books are novellas between 35,000 and 40,000 words, so it does not take too long. Plus it helps me to get back into the mindset of writing in this world.
For instance, in Out of Touch (OOT), Gray consults on a case that is not resolved within OOT. She marks the case for follow-up as Gray will check back in a month or so to see if the memory she accessed was helpful in apprehending a suspect. Gray follows up on the case in Invisible Touch (TOG Book 2), so I need to make sure the information provided in OOT and IT is consistent and not contradictory. In IT, Gray is recalling a memory described in OOT so the same descriptors need to be used.
However consistency between books may not be as important to some readers. You may be forgiving of minor details and chalk it up to human error or realize that maybe a scene had to be changed to accommodate a current plot. I work a book ahead for this reason. Maybe I need to change something in the previous book like dialogue or who was in the scene or altering someone's abilities. But not everyone can do this, deadlines and whatnot.
As understanding as we may be about inconsistent details between books, within a book we have higher standards. Or, at least, I do. I try to be vigilant regarding this, even going so far as to block scenes or draw diagrams. In OOT, I provide a few details of the layout of Gray's office building. To keep it straight in my own head, I drew a rough sketch of the layout to include kitchen, conference area, entrances, office space, parking areas and the like. If there is a meeting scene (like a multi-party dinner or a group discussion) then I make sure I know who is standing or sitting where, who enters or leaves, who moves around and in which direction, etc. This way, I don't have Gray turning left to face someone that is now on her right. For directional scenes, I may describe her turning left on northbound road, which means she is now westbound and things that were in front of her are now to her right. This is why I always have scratch paper and dry erase board with multicolored markers available while writing. I may just need to jot something down so I can easily refer to it. I have a more in-depth post planned for the software, technology, and writing tools I use when writing.
However, as much as I try to keep track of scenes while writing them, I am not always successful. This is why editing and beta readers are so important. Even then, some mistakes are missed. I welcome all feedback, including readers pointing out errors. I may not be able to justify fixing an epublished copy for one error, but if there are multiple corrections needed, I may fix them all and re-upload the work. But rest assured, I will always fix my personal writing document.
Happy Reading!
For big picture stuff between books, I reread my previous books in the Touch of Gray (TOG) series prior to writing a new story. This is to refresh my memory of prior events, character details, and perhaps I planted a seed for future story and I need to jog my memory. Though I may be writing the books months apart, a reader may be reading the books back-to-back and inconsistency in small details like the color of the wall or what type of vehicle a character owns would give me pause. I know some authors never reread their books, or they focus on one section if they have to recreate a scene. I prefer to just reread everything. Luckily, my books are novellas between 35,000 and 40,000 words, so it does not take too long. Plus it helps me to get back into the mindset of writing in this world.
For instance, in Out of Touch (OOT), Gray consults on a case that is not resolved within OOT. She marks the case for follow-up as Gray will check back in a month or so to see if the memory she accessed was helpful in apprehending a suspect. Gray follows up on the case in Invisible Touch (TOG Book 2), so I need to make sure the information provided in OOT and IT is consistent and not contradictory. In IT, Gray is recalling a memory described in OOT so the same descriptors need to be used.
However consistency between books may not be as important to some readers. You may be forgiving of minor details and chalk it up to human error or realize that maybe a scene had to be changed to accommodate a current plot. I work a book ahead for this reason. Maybe I need to change something in the previous book like dialogue or who was in the scene or altering someone's abilities. But not everyone can do this, deadlines and whatnot.
As understanding as we may be about inconsistent details between books, within a book we have higher standards. Or, at least, I do. I try to be vigilant regarding this, even going so far as to block scenes or draw diagrams. In OOT, I provide a few details of the layout of Gray's office building. To keep it straight in my own head, I drew a rough sketch of the layout to include kitchen, conference area, entrances, office space, parking areas and the like. If there is a meeting scene (like a multi-party dinner or a group discussion) then I make sure I know who is standing or sitting where, who enters or leaves, who moves around and in which direction, etc. This way, I don't have Gray turning left to face someone that is now on her right. For directional scenes, I may describe her turning left on northbound road, which means she is now westbound and things that were in front of her are now to her right. This is why I always have scratch paper and dry erase board with multicolored markers available while writing. I may just need to jot something down so I can easily refer to it. I have a more in-depth post planned for the software, technology, and writing tools I use when writing.
However, as much as I try to keep track of scenes while writing them, I am not always successful. This is why editing and beta readers are so important. Even then, some mistakes are missed. I welcome all feedback, including readers pointing out errors. I may not be able to justify fixing an epublished copy for one error, but if there are multiple corrections needed, I may fix them all and re-upload the work. But rest assured, I will always fix my personal writing document.
Happy Reading!
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