Writing Question - How do you keep track?

[AMR]

I have a question about how you keep track of all the loose threads in your story. You know, for long-running series, there are a lot of unresolved threads hanging around, and we need to keep them in mind when writing new chapters and planning how to resolve them. What I wanted to ask is, what's the best way to do that?

Right now, I keep all of this mess in a doc and just hope I find what I need when I need it. It’s not efficient at all, and I know there’s a better way of doing it, I just don’t know what that is. I’d really love some ideas.

 

[Garolymar]

I have a note pad of all my ramblings on where things are going and what plot points to keep important always up on my computer. Old stuff I push down to the bottom and I cut and paste the most relevant stuff to the top whenever I'm writing a relevant chapter. It's a complete mess and I do not recommend doing it my way.

 

[HisDivineShadow]

Google Sheets...

 

[Hans.Trondheim]

I have a question about how you keep track of all the loose threads in your story. You know, for long-running series, there are a lot of unresolved threads hanging around, and we need to keep them in mind when writing new chapters and planning how to resolve them. What I wanted to ask is, what's the best way to do that?

Right now, I keep all of this mess in a doc and just hope I find what I need when I need it. It’s not efficient at all, and I know there’s a better way of doing it, I just don’t know what that is. I’d really love some ideas.

I plan my stories. But yeah, even when I plan my works, there are still minor details that tend to get past my mind and notes, hence, I don't release my stories once I finished writing it.

I check the other volumes before posting, so I can iron out any inconsistencies.

 

[Corty]

I keep a glossary for my work.

 

[Minx]

You guys keeping tracks?

 

[AMR]

I have a note pad of all my ramblings on where things are going and what plot points to keep important always up on my computer. Old stuff I push down to the bottom and I cut and paste the most relevant stuff to the top whenever I'm writing a relevant chapter. It's a complete mess and I do not recommend doing it my way.

Sounds like controlled chaos

Google Sheets...

Like a table with all open plot points and characters listed?

I plan my stories. But yeah, even when I plan my works, there are still minor details that tend to get past my mind and notes, hence, I don't release my stories once I finished writing it.

I check the other volumes before posting, so I can iron out any inconsistencies.

I don’t finish my stories before I upload them, I just follow a rough roadmap. That might be why things get a bit messy. Planning too much kind of takes the fun out of writing for me.

I keep a glossary for my work.

Awesome. I wish I was that organised. :')

 

[HisDivineShadow]

Sounds like controlled chaos

Like a table with all open plot points and characters listed?

I don’t finish my stories before I upload them, I just follow a rough roadmap. That might be why things get a bit messy. Planning too much kind of takes the fun out of writing for me.

Awesome. I wish I was that organised. :')

Yes. Who, What, Where to, Why, With whom, What did they do, What will they do, Goal, Relationship to the main character etc

 

[Rhaps]

Raw memorization (not recommend for those who don't have good memory like me)

 

[WhaleSprite]

I usually keep a decently detailed outline for my stories. I have tons of outlines and saved plot points in my phone.

 

[JayMark]

- I keep a grand outline of the overall story plan
- I write the final few chapters as a goal toward finishing the story
- Files for every individual character so I'm less likely to mix up features, likes, dislikes, or personality traits.
- Files for any unique creature and how it functions in the world.
- And then, finally, I draw maps that look something a third grader made if the world is unique.

 

[RainyLiquid]

I'm just so good I resolve everything perfectly and leave nothing out of the script.

Yep. Not once have I have forgotten a vital piece of information or thing a character said several chapters ago and contradicted myself... Yeah... That's never happened...

 

[venomoussilence]

I often read through all my chapters again. But the most vital things are in my notes.

 

[Paul__Michaels]

This isn't the best method, but I'm really good at remembering most of my story plots. And I have them layered into different levels of foreshadowing. So, once one story beat is done the readers should be ready for the next goal that the MC will need to face.

But like I said it's not ideal because I will forget somethings. But once in a while I'll reread my older volumes to edited them.
I'll come across some stuff that I forgot that I'll implement in the new rough drafts ahead.

 

[yeul_e]

I've an old school notebook for this.

 

[CharlesEBrown]

The first time Chris Claremont left the X-Men, some fans got together and found 117 teased plots, hooks that were later made irrelevant or impossible by later events, or dead end leads in his roughly 200 related books (early New Mutants, X-Men annuals and some of the X-Men crossovers into other books). I figure, if that's good enough for HIM why not for me?

 

[MindFudge]

Theres a quote i like.
"Send 2-3 years dagestan and forget"

In other words, i forget everything

 

[ShrimpShady]

I used to just keep everything in my brain, but that got really scary, and I started having mental crises over whether or not I've forgotten something. Now I just keep an incredibly loose collection of notes. Some are more detailed, while others are vague and function more like mnemonic devices

 

[AMR]

The first time Chris Claremont left the X-Men, some fans got together and found 117 teased plots, hooks that were later made irrelevant or impossible by later events, or dead end leads in his roughly 200 related books (early New Mutants, X-Men annuals and some of the X-Men crossovers into other books). I figure, if that's good enough for HIM why not for me?

Now that's logic I can get behind ?

 

[ChrisLensman]

A notepad. A physical notepad that I can actually have sitting next to me while writing.
You want something that doesn't require you to alt-tab ever. Of course, excessively rereading your own story also helps a ton.