Writing Help a Scatterbrained Author Out

[NiQuinn]

What do you do when your story has a lot of information? An example would be something like Chinese cultivation novels. There's cultivation levels, potions, sects, etc. - How do you list down stuff like that? Do you have a system? I'm the type who gets their attention span sway me too often than I'd like so I tend to forget ideas when I think of something else to do. I know I really should just sit down and itemize my story's lore and whatnot but I feel caged when I start writing them down. I'm not sure if you understand but I'm not an orderly kind of person and messy stuff is my sanctuary. Which is probably why I find it hard to put things in order.

Any suggestions on how I can get over this? I really need to list down so many items. Not writing them down is tripping me up.

 

[jinxs2011]

Hmm... Right now, for both my novels, nearly everything is just in my head. I have very little written down, and that's mostly just a few notes on future characters and a few names of races etc that haven't been introduced yet.

This is not a good way to do it.

This is a very bad way to do it.

...I'm still going to do it.

Anyway, I tend to work things out as I go, including lore, characters and abilities. The stuff I do think ahead about I introduce when it seems relevant and natural. Unfortunately, doing it this way does have a few minor (major) flaws, namely that if you figure out how something works in later chapters, there might be something in earlier chapters that contradicts this. I've had to go back and edit these several times. It's also quite easy to forget things. I forgot the name of one of my planets once. I liked that name.

I would recommend that, even if it's not an ordered document or anything, just get everything written down. Characters, events, places, mechanics and so on. Just so you don't forget them. Even better is spending time figuring out how it all works. I've found that in writing chapters, there are a lot of questions that you end up asking - unless you're the type of person to say 'it works because MAGIC!' - and it's better to work those out sooner rather than later.

Examples of random questions that popped into my head: what's the electrical conductivity of mithril? Its melting point? What's the volume of a fork (well, that's a question that'll only really be a problem for me)? Of a warhammer? A sword? How is limestone formed and where is it found? How was medieval mortar made? Bows and arrows? How fast do arrows travel? How did they treat broken bones in medieval times?
Anyway, most of these sort of things you don't think of until it's immediately relevant. Planning ahead helps.

 

[keitaro-sempai]

Well... I personally keep all in my head, but you can just make something like character sheets, just for everything else. If you have access to any kind of webpage like a blog, just write down what you think will be needed or just useful in a post there (privately) and link the post that has something to do with the one you are writhing, you will end with a webpage of info about your story, wich you can even polish and make public (what you want to be public) in the future.
About including the Info in the novel itself, I do say just put it a little at a time, or if it's something too important, search for some clever reason to gicve the long talk about it.

 

[NiQuinn]

I have very little written down, and that's mostly just a few notes on future characters and a few names of races etc that haven't been introduced yet.

That sounds very reckless. I applaud you.

It's also quite easy to forget things.

Especially for me. My attention span is crazy. It just switches so fast I feel like I have whiplash. Probably why I feel the need to write down stuff and hope for the best.

unless you're the type of person to say 'it works because MAGIC!

Another problem with me (or is it?) is that I want things to make sense IN MY HEAD. I have no plans to write specifics down but if things don't work in my head, it won't work on paper. Of course, there comes a point where over analyzing will end up detrimental to a story.

but you can just make something like character sheets,

I actually use Bibisco for character sheets. So far, it's going great for me.

But not everything has to be written down and organised. Just the things you feel you're either going to forget, or that are very important to keep straight in your opinion.

Yeah, that makes sense. One of the main reasons why I feel like I need to write things down is so that I can be consistent in my story. Mistakes will probably happen but I don't want to come across a situation where I refute myself later on in the story.

One trick is to write your ideas down in a word document, but use comic sans font. It's the same logic behind drawing in red or blue ink instead of black - it makes what you're writing/drawing feel less final and sacrosanct. "This is just a dumb idea written down in comic sans. I can just delete it if I don't like it after all."

For some reason, I laughed at this.

 

[CupcakeNinja]

What do you do when your story has a lot of information? An example would be something like Chinese cultivation novels. There's cultivation levels, potions, sects, etc. - How do you list down stuff like that? Do you have a system? I'm the type who gets their attention span sway me too often than I'd like so I tend to forget ideas when I think of something else to do. I know I really should just sit down and itemize my story's lore and whatnot but I feel caged when I start writing them down. I'm not sure if you understand but I'm not an orderly kind of person and messy stuff is my sanctuary. Which is probably why I find it hard to put things in order.

Any suggestions on how I can get over this? I really need to list down so many items. Not writing them down is tripping me up.

Dude. Let me tell you something: dont assume your readers are stupid or inexperienced. If they are here, most likely they have already read a ton of cultivation type stories, isekai stories, otome game stories. Others. You aren't gonna be likely to surprise them.

Unless you have a truly unique magic system, cultivation system, lore, and all that stuff, its good to think they already know what you have going on. They dont NEED explanations then, not very much.

So dont bog your story down with all this. Explain lightly.

Use the glossary. The finer detail, the full explanation for characters, lore, how magic works...the relationship between faction and how THEY work....all this info, put in the glossary.

Now if you want readers to not know until they get to a certain point, make a glossary separate for your eyes only on like a Google Doc. Then add the info to the glossary for the story whenever its written in. You essentially constantly update the story glossary. Some readers may get spoiled if they read it first either way but you cant help that so i find this rather unnecessary but its just an option.

You can make a glossary for yourself only and never make it part of the story, but i suggest giving the story a glossary for the sake of the readers

Edit: i hate when authors explain shit like they're holding our hands. As if we need it. As if we stupid. Like bro, we have gone through this shit before just tell your story. Info dump somewhere else, we'll read it if we want there....that kinda feeling. Dislike being patronized.

Games do that too. "Press Y to jump"
"Hold R2 to aim" like we ain't fucking played games before.

 

[Read-a-mon]

What do you do when your story has a lot of information? An example would be something like Chinese cultivation novels. There's cultivation levels, potions, sects, etc. - How do you list down stuff like that? Do you have a system? I'm the type who gets their attention span sway me too often than I'd like so I tend to forget ideas when I think of something else to do. I know I really should just sit down and itemize my story's lore and whatnot but I feel caged when I start writing them down. I'm not sure if you understand but I'm not an orderly kind of person and messy stuff is my sanctuary. Which is probably why I find it hard to put things in order.

Any suggestions on how I can get over this? I really need to list down so many items. Not writing them down is tripping me up.

Make a voice recording log of your thoughts. I usually get my best ideas on the toilet seat, so it became a habit (however bad it may be) to carry my phone in with me, just in case I get a bit of inspiration :P
Seriously though, when you’re head’s a messy place, you need to organize your thoughts outside, like in a notepad or randomly jot them down on your phone. That way, you can save all those brilliant ideas you may forget about. Opportunity knocks only once, after all. Or is that twice? Hmm..

 

[NiQuinn]

Make a voice recording log of your thoughts. I usually get my best ideas on the toilet seat, so it became a habit (however bad it may be) to carry my phone in with me, just in case I get a bit of inspiration :P
Seriously though, when you’re head’s a messy place, you need to organize your thoughts outside, like in a notepad or randomly jot them down on your phone. That way, you can save all those brilliant ideas you may forget about. Opportunity knocks only once, after all. Or is that twice? Hmm..

On a different subject, welcome to the forum!

 

[Deleted member 2533]

What do you do when your story has a lot of information? An example would be something like Chinese cultivation novels. There's cultivation levels, potions, sects, etc. - How do you list down stuff like that? Do you have a system? I'm the type who gets their attention span sway me too often than I'd like so I tend to forget ideas when I think of something else to do. I know I really should just sit down and itemize my story's lore and whatnot but I feel caged when I start writing them down. I'm not sure if you understand but I'm not an orderly kind of person and messy stuff is my sanctuary. Which is probably why I find it hard to put things in order.

Any suggestions on how I can get over this? I really need to list down so many items. Not writing them down is tripping me up.

I can relate. That is why I have lost count of my chapter 1s, prologues, and ideas/concepts listed.

 

[Scribbler]

Not enough information. Please describe your dilemma in more detail.

 

[BenJepheneT]

Games do that too. "Press Y to jump"
"Hold R2 to aim" like we ain't fucking played games before.

pokemon sword and shield like we haven't beat 20 criminal organizations b4