Continuity - Especially in a series

[nicksouth]

I'm sure this has been discussed many times but I didn't find anything in the search that matched what I am questioning.

I'm wondering how people track continuity, within a story and across a series (who has done or said what, or who's body parts are currently where).

I've seen beat sheets but they tend to focus on macro story arcs, not the smaller details.

For now, I've taken to writing bullet-list summaries of each story part which helps but is a bit clunky. Does anyone have a better technique ?

-Nick

 

[Small_Island]

I start small and use the Footer in Word to capture new details as they show up in the story. Characters' names, ages, relationships, body descriptions, etc. That way they show up on the foot of every page for me to refer to.
When it gets longer, as you say, especially in a series, I'm doing what you describe and making bullet lists in a separate document that can stay open alongside the manuscript.

 

[pink_silk_glove]

A good beta reader helps immensely.

 

[Voyeurkenneth]

I’ve used bullet-list summaries too. But lately I’ve tried using them within a whiteboard app that lets me move stuff around more flexibly and lets me visually see details clearer from left to right. It also allows me to paste images which help with scene-setting inspiration.

 

[ElectricBlue]

I can remember what I've written.

 

[nicksouth]

A good beta reader helps immensely.

Definitely. I only have two stories right now so I don't have any but that sounds like a good idea

I'm also thinking of adding comments in Google Docs, because they will be at the right place in the story. Only issue is they don't carry to the next chapter as well

 

[nicksouth]

I can remember what I've written.

I try but I have multiple stories in progress and I sometimes forget some of the details

 

[MrPixel]

I can remember what I've written.

Exactly. And if I have doubts, I do not hesitate to re-read material to freshen details.

 

[mrs_mackenzie]

I am bad about making continuity errors. My best advice is just to try to avoid adding pointless extraneous detail that's easy to contradict (like giving surnames to characters that don't need them - there are masses of people I know in real life only by their first name), and to reread carefully in the editing stage, sometimes repeatedly. Still things slip through the cracks, though.

 

[Voboy]

I can remember what I've written.

This.

I try but I have multiple stories in progress and I sometimes forget some of the details

Well... not to suggest anything uncomfortable for you, but that might be a discipline issue? It's fine to keep several irons in the fire all at once, but when it negatively affects one of the irons, that might be a sign that you should pare back your new ideas until your old ones are completed.

I used bulleted docs to keep track of things when I did my Big Series years ago, and produced a bunch of background material to give myself some consistent backstory I could work from. This included a glossary and several excerpts from mock histories and other treatises. Eventually, once my series was complete, I went ahead and published all that so the nerds could cream their pants.

Here's that material; I wouldn't think you'd enjoy it unless you've read my series, but you can peruse it and get a sense of the kind of stuff I produced to stay straight. But for the interpersonal stuff, I generally followed the technique Electric Blue suggests: just remember.

 

[VallesMarineris]

Does anyone have a better technique ?

I use and recommend Scrivener (https://www.literatureandlatte.com/scrivener/overview). It has multiple methods to keep track of characters, places, details, etc.: Corkboard, Outline, Labels, Keywords, Comments, Bookmarks, Collections, Revision Status, Metadata, Snapshots, Synopses, Quick Reference-- the list goes on. I'm not exaggerating. Those are all features in the menus. Many of the tracking features are dynamic and update in the background as you write. Your biggest problem will be deciding which feature to use for what purpose.

Take a look.

 

[Euphony]

Team Scrivener as well. Plenty of tools to work with. My brain works best with uniquely color coding anything I may want to carry forward/call back.

Timelines are great too but more of the macro than fun reader service.

 

[nicksouth]

I use and recommend Scrivener (https://www.literatureandlatte.com/scrivener/overview). It has multiple methods to keep track of characters, places, details, etc.: Corkboard, Outline, Labels, Keywords, Comments, Bookmarks, Collections, Revision Status, Metadata, Snapshots, Synopses, Quick Reference-- the list goes on. I'm not exaggerating. Those are all features in the menus. Many of the tracking features are dynamic and update in the background as you write. Your biggest problem will be deciding which feature to use for what purpose.

Take a look.

Thank you !

 

[ronde]

For me it depends upon the complexity of the plot. If there are multiple characters, I keep a list of names and a brief description like "husband", "wife", "neighbor". If the story takes place over time, I also keep a simple timeline showing who did what and when.

 

[gunhilltrain]

I'm sure this has been discussed many times but I didn't find anything in the search that matched what I am questioning.

I'm wondering how people track continuity, within a story and across a series (who has done or said what, or who's body parts are currently where).

I've seen beat sheets but they tend to focus on macro story arcs, not the smaller details.

For now, I've taken to writing bullet-list summaries of each story part which helps but is a bit clunky. Does anyone have a better technique ?

-Nick

I allow myself an occasional digression from the timeline. Of course, it won't be entirely consistent because then I'll have two parallel pieces of time with different events. I wouldn't recommend that kind of thing, but sometimes I want to experiment with the a story without replacing an existing chapter. Usually these are done months or even years later. I tell the readers what and when the diversions are, but so far no one has complained or even commented on it. Older series just don't get that much attention.

 

[TarnishedPenny]

For most stories and all series, I have a separate file of notes. I write in Word, so is the file. Descriptions, occupations, likes, dislikes, etc. I also usually surf the Net until I find a photo or two that to my imagination perfectly suits each character; those are in the file, too. It gets updated from time to time as new details are added to a series.

I like the footnotes idea. Thanks.

 

[Bamagan]

I have one long story with a large cast of characters. I use a spreadsheet to record their relationships to one another (if any) and maintain some biographical notes as a reminder, especially for details that change during the course of the story (or will change after a certain point). I keep a rough timeline in the same file. The main characters are easy enough to remember, but it's helpful for the ones who show up more sporadically.

I'm sure this has been discussed many times but I didn't find anything in the search that matched what I am questioning.

I'm wondering how people track continuity, within a story and across a series (who has done or said what, or who's body parts are currently where).

I've seen beat sheets but they tend to focus on macro story arcs, not the smaller details.

For now, I've taken to writing bullet-list summaries of each story part which helps but is a bit clunky. Does anyone have a better technique ?

-Nick

 

[Kelliezgirl]

Exactly. And if I have doubts, I do not hesitate to re-read material to freshen details.

Definitely this, especially when the story takes an unexpected turn.
In one of my stories I'd referenced the FMC's daughter but couldn't for the life of me remember if I'd given her a name, because I hadn't planned for her to be "on screen". Had to reread everything to make sure I hadn't.

 

[OffNSFW]

Do your best and accept that we all make continuity mistakes. Arthur Conan Doyle did it. Raymond Chandler did it. If you do it, you're in good company.

 

[HordHolm]

Exactly. And if I have doubts, I do not hesitate to re-read material to freshen details.

^ This ^

It also has the added benefit of working as an editing process - I catch many, many small errors using this method, and also (I hope) improve the prose as well as work my mind into the story before I reach the point where I need to start composing fresh material.

 

[Kumquatqueen]

I've written a couple series and a half-dozen stories with the same characters. There's a fair few continuity errors, chiefly five years that doesn't exist in some of them. And I swear I find a new one every time I re-read to check a detail.

(Some can be retrofitted - one guy is about to have a nipple re-pierced after a previous story had him comment that he used to have a piercing, didn't like it, got rid, but later in the timeline he has a barbell...)

But not one reader has ever mentioned noticing any of them. So I try to be consistent for my own satisfaction, but not fret about it to the point of requiring extra admin. One time I actually looked up a certain name, then wrote down a different name, so the character changed name despite me checking.

That said, for one story elsewhere I had a group of canon characters meet a group of my original characters for the first time, and there's a lot of debate about how the canon characters get on after their timeline ends. I ended up doing a spreadsheet setting out what characters A to H all thought of each other and what the ones in the room thought of the others. Hardest 5000 words I've done, though the tiny fandom liked it.

 

[Whanmore]

I have a

Descriptions, occupations, likes, dislikes, etc. I also usually surf the Net until I find a photo or two that to my imagination perfectly suits each character; those are in the file, too.

I do this too.
I have a page of descriptors for each character. from Hair color, major as they are in college (Uni as yall say lol) to the sound they make during sex. I'll reread each character's introduction as I'm writing their scenes. And I outline every chapter... then every scene.
Honestly outlining is one of the more fun parts of writing for me. ... the brainstorm.

 

[M_K_Babalon]

I usually can remember, or I just reread, or use search. Even if I am working on more than one thing. At most nothing goes past a novella or novel, so it's not that hard to keep up with. If I were doing a bunch of interconnected stories, and spin-offs, I might take notes and shit. But it's not that serious here, I'm not going all out for free, making lore and shit.

 

[TheWritingGroup]

A week ago, I wrote a scene in which a main character drinks a beer.

And today, I happened to be looking at her first appearance, and realized that she says she never drinks alcohol.

Luckily, I caught it before the current story was published, so it's an easy fix.

On the other hand, in that first story she's watching a particular video series.

In the work in progress, she's still watching it ... 10 years later. And it's in season 3.

Oops. Maybe I'll call the "current" series a reboot.

-Annie

 

[VallesMarineris]

In the work in progress, she's still watching it ... 10 years later. And it's in season 3.

I just saw a trailer for the second season of Severance. The first season came out in 2022, so that's almost 3 years ago. At this rate they could still be on season 3 in 2032. Just sayin'.

Severance, by the way, is insane and awesome. I'm all-in and ready for season 2 even if I had to wait 3 years.