Keeping track the bloody character roster

[NotaNuffian]

Word docs to me kind of suck.

I am not into World Anvil or whatever service that is asking for a fee even if now it is free.

How are you authors keeping tracks of the people inside your work?

I can't even keep track of the people in my workspace.

 

[CharlesEBrown]

I keep finding I'm not... characters were forgotten or changed somewhere along the line... I have a page of characters on two of them - but keep forgetting to update it on one as the MC keeps traveling a lot and meeting more

 

[Cardon]

A free program called Obsidian.md which is a kind of localized wiki where you can link articles and then you can see a graph of all the connections

 

[Madkins]

I went old school and bought a cork notice board. hung it on my wall next to my desk and put notes on it like a detective solving a case. lmao it is effective, if not outdated.

*edit*
got a map I drew, characters lists, and money counts. who dies or lives is marked and important chapter notes. also, breakdowns on authority structures. all on the board.

 

[NotaNuffian]

I went old school and bought a cork notice board. hung it on my wall next to my desk and put notes on it like a detective solving a case. lmao it is effective, if not outdated.

*edit*
got a map I drew, characters lists, and money counts. who dies or lives is marked and important chapter notes. also, breakdowns on authority structures. all on the board.

I'll be frank.

The only electronic that I have and can constantly type is my phone.

As for anything physical, no.

 

[Jerynboe]

I have three tiers of characters I keep in a document and I don’t bother updating it for every little thing. Main characters have a full character sheet that tracks what abilities they have and their overall mental state and goals.

Sandara is a priestess of the goddess of piracy, she is good at healing and support magic, likes goading people, and is here for the fun and adventure. She is vastly smarter and more canny than anyone else gives her credit for, which she feeds into because it’s convenient to be seen as a dumb hedonist.

Nendra is the yandere drow wife of the MC. She is a control freak who is honestly terrible at actually managing things due to her explosive anger issues. She can hijack control of people’s bodies, turning them into puppets at short range. She loves MC in her own twisted way and is trying to make things work but is just an absolute mass of issues that walks like a man.

Secondary characters have a slimmed down version; they have a broad strokes skillset and a single intent that their characterization and actions are built around.

Jerry is a necromancer who specializes in resurrection and prosthetics. He’s saving money while hiding from his old teacher so he can eventually flee the country.

Gobron is a narcissistic goblin bounty hunter who is a great fighter. He is trying to get the MC’s goblin party member to marry him because she is the most beautiful and intelligent goblin in generations (at gunpoint, as is tradition among the goblin clans. Incidentally she is at best ugly cute in the eyes of non-goblins, but we love her for her personality.)

Minor characters are one note. They don’t get a writeup unless they are recurring characters, and if they are then they are almost always showing up in the same context repeatedly.

Narwhal Tate is an unflinchingly loyal dwarf on the MCs Pirate crew. He is willing to do anything to help but has no specific valuable skills. He exists to be told to do random trivial or silly tasks which he completes no matter what.

Jaundiced Jape is a tall, thin half orc with sallow skin. If something painful or embarrassing (but without permanent consequences) happens to a side character on the ship, it will always be Jape.

 

[Puji-Maki]

They are all in my head(I'm insane). But sometimes I reread earlier chapters to remember better.

 

[Corty]

I had to divide my character part of the glossary because of character limits. And they are not even that descriptive, it is mostly for me to remind me if I already named someone... Two years of writing the same story does that to you...

 

[Alski]

Reminds me of the time i argued with an author over characters he had mixed up, i pointed him back to his own earlier chapter where the character was introduced and he acted like he was blind and/or dumb.

 

[Corty]

Reminds me of the time i argued with an author over characters he had mixed up, i pointed him back to his own earlier chapter where the character was introduced and he acted like he was blind and/or dumb.

I was pointed out two characters (never named, but mentioned in the early chapters) and then, 450+ chapters later, people began asking what about them... So, after telling them that I totally forgot that part, I went back and retconned it. (deleted the one sentence they were brought up in)

They never even exist now.

Big brain. Problem solved.

 

[JayMark]

I'll be frank.

The only electronic that I have and can constantly type is my phone.

As for anything physical, no.

 

[Alski]

I was pointed out two characters (never named, but mentioned in the early chapters) and then, 450+ chapters later, people began asking what about them... So, after telling them that I totally forgot that part, I went back and retconned it. (deleted the one sentence they were brought up in)

They never even exist now.

Big brain. Problem solved.

Yea these were entire chapters of character introductions, interactions & thoughs about 20 chapters apart, from 2 characters that were polar opposites. One a loving family members of the MC, the other a narcisistic richboy antagonist.

 

[Representing_Tromba]

In my head, usually. If I can't remember them then they probably didn't matter much to the story.

 

[Eldoria]

Create a glossary for important characters who will continue to play a role in each arc. The glossary should detail their names, backgrounds, personalities, appearances, abilities, and relationships with the protagonist.

Minor characters typically have a limited narrative role in each arc, but they may return in subsequent arcs (as long as they remain "alive" in the story).

 

[Alski]

Minor characters typically have a limited narrative role in each arc, but they may return in subsequent arcs (as long as they remain "alive" in the story).

I support killing all minor characters.

 

[Eldoria]

I support killing all minor characters.

I didn't kill them with the sword (don't look at me writing them like that), it was the minor characters who killed themselves with the sins they ignored.

 

[Alfir]

I used to do word docx, and it sucked. I just insert text file every chapter to a single document and use ctrl+f if I want to do a fact check. Another thing I am doing lately was use excell's spreadsheet.

 

[NotaNuffian]

I used to do word docx, and it sucked. I just insert text file every chapter to a single document and use ctrl+f if I want to do a fact check. Another thing I am doing lately was use excell's spreadsheet.

Tbh I wan to add comment or post chp note for myself.

But after awhile I just said no.

I also finally come to a simple conclusion of not generating names for one off characters. This is something I still fail but I try with just *job title* *common surname such as Smith or Lee*

 

[Lark_Devon]

Obsidian.md is your best friend - but if you're on the phone, try google sheets - its free

 

[ConansWitchBaby]

Excel like a mad man.