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Author Craft / Re: Keeping track of characters...
« on: March 27, 2009, 02:35:23 AM »
I have two systems going and I'm not really sure which works best.
The first one is that I have a notebook full of character descriptions and my subplots with the minor characters are detailed in short segments after I've written a brief backstory. I also scribble down other important things in the last few pages of the notebook. It isn't terribly organized though, which can be a problem when I'm trying to remember one of the very minor characters for a mention or something.
The second system I have is a lot like meg_evonne's, but most of the direct character information is in a Word document, short descriptions and personality traits, the rest is floating in my head. And then I use Excel to run a calendar where I detail important things that happen on the days where I have actually written stuff, or where things happen off stage and are going to get a mention, or I just have to know that they happened. It's a little complicated but at least I don't have to go back and read through everything to find stuff again.
The first one is that I have a notebook full of character descriptions and my subplots with the minor characters are detailed in short segments after I've written a brief backstory. I also scribble down other important things in the last few pages of the notebook. It isn't terribly organized though, which can be a problem when I'm trying to remember one of the very minor characters for a mention or something.
The second system I have is a lot like meg_evonne's, but most of the direct character information is in a Word document, short descriptions and personality traits, the rest is floating in my head. And then I use Excel to run a calendar where I detail important things that happen on the days where I have actually written stuff, or where things happen off stage and are going to get a mention, or I just have to know that they happened. It's a little complicated but at least I don't have to go back and read through everything to find stuff again.