Is anyone else this crazy?

[TheExperimentalist]

I know most people probably don't have two dozen WIPs like my ADHD AF ass does, but people can definitely have even more than that already published. Anyway, I realized that I was starting to lose track of what names I was using for characters, and didn't want to end up using the same name for different main characters. Long story short, (no pun intended) a couple of days ago, instead of writing, I used the time to go through my posted stories and all of my WIPs and make a spreadsheet:


I don't entirely mind if a supporting character or one-off mentioned name is reused for a different person in a different story, but I've already noticed I have two "main" Daves, and a couple of other overlaps as well.

I know that, at least my own work, is all just stupid, mostly average porn stories on the internet, but they're meaningful to me (one of the few such things in my life at the moment) and I want to do them well. But at the same time, I still feel vaguely ridiculous for the amount of effort I'm putting into this silly, ultimately pointless smut.

Does anyone else go to these lengths or am I just nuts?

 

[old_prof]

My wife scolded me when my first story not in my original series had the MMC named Allen. The MMC in my first series was named Alan. She thought this was a problem. (And no, before you ask, my IRL name is not close to either of those.) I changed Allen to Jeremy.

I do try to mostly keep primary names unique. The novel I just finished has an important supporting character named Lisa. Lisa is the FMC from my original series and the narrator in her half the stories. Write enough, and names will get re-used or you become limited to unusual names. Thinking about it, I have had two FMC, both the story narrator, named Mel. I had not noticed that until thinking about it here.

It doesn't bother me.

 

[StillStunned]

I know most people probably don't have two dozen WIPs like my ADHD AF ass does

 

[TheExperimentalist]

View attachment 2584443

I've heard you're the exception rather than the rule, though. At least, that was the impression I got from the followup chatter on one of my first threads here.

 

[YmaOHyd]

I don't have that many WIPs. Two ongoing series. Two more series in, uh, let's call it pre-production. Three standalone pieces. I don't use spreadsheets, but I do use outlines. Generally, for every ten words I write I have one in a supporting document. That ratio is lower if I'm writing something contemporary and higher if I'm writing something that requires more significant worldbuilding; the series I'm actively writing right now is more like 5-1.

 

[IWroteThis]

I just counted, and I have 47 WiPs in my main folder, with 19 more in my inactive folder. I have a couple hundred story starts, but very few of them have named characters yet. Then, add 10 in my editing queue, 1 in Pending Purgatory, and 28 already published.

Yeah, I created a spreadsheet for names a long time ago, and it currently has 323 entries. I leave a lot of characters unnamed or the list would be a lot longer.

I created the spreadsheet because I caught myself using the same few names for female love interests. I still reuse names occasionally, but it helps avoid overuse. More importantly, it helps prevent using the same combinations in different stories.

 

[StillStunned]

I've heard you're the exception rather than the rule, though. At least, that was the impression I got from the followup chatter on one of my first threads here.

Probably more of an outlier than an exception.

 

[Z_TheWriter]

1) No I am not. Not yet at least, and hopefully not ever

2) I just give characters names I think fit. If over time I end up gravitating towards certain ones more, I honestly don't consider that a problem. Multiple in the same story is different, but just in general? I'm a person, people have preferences, I don't mind that my work seems like it was made by me.

 

[stickygirl]

Today I realised two of my mcs had surnames that were chess pieces. Wrong breadcrumbs. Changed one

 

[TheExperimentalist]

Today I realised two of my mcs had surnames that were chess pieces. Wrong breadcrumbs. Changed one

"Alexander Pawn and Gabriel Bishop had been friends for as long as they could remember. Recently, though, Alexander had been feeling like he was meant to be something more. Something... different. He'd been gliding onward through life one step at a time, but he had decided that his next step ought to be one that let him take charge, go in a different direction. After all, there was a lot more acceptance in the world for such things, so he bravely took the final step. The transformation from Alexander Pawn into Alexandra Queen was gradual, at first merely trying on a few skirts, playing with makeup here and there..."

To be honest, there could be some potential here for a chess-themed transgender journey, possibly in H&S instead depending on how over the top the references get...

 

[THBGato]

@HelenL just beta-read for me and pointed out that I have six different Jennies across my stories. All fairly minor characters, but, well, whoops! So I probably need something like this.

However, on other occasions, I leave it deliberately ambiguous about whether characters are the same or not. Often I haven't made up my mind myself. For example, I use the name Rhian in two different stories. They may be the same person - I haven't decided. It gives me a plot opportunity to explore later if I want to.

 

[old_prof]

I know most people probably don't have two dozen WIPs like my ADHD AF ass does

I just counted. I'm at 18 WIP. And I think of myself as pretty focused and good at finishing tasks. And this is in ten months of writing.

 

[WittyUserName]

I know most people probably don't have two dozen WIPs like my ADHD AF ass does, but people can definitely have even more than that already published. Anyway, I realized that I was starting to lose track of what names I was using for characters, and didn't want to end up using the same name for different main characters. Long story short, (no pun intended) a couple of days ago, instead of writing, I used the time to go through my posted stories and all of my WIPs and make a spreadsheet:
View attachment 2584440

I don't entirely mind if a supporting character or one-off mentioned name is reused for a different person in a different story, but I've already noticed I have two "main" Daves, and a couple of other overlaps as well.

I know that, at least my own work, is all just stupid, mostly average porn stories on the internet, but they're meaningful to me (one of the few such things in my life at the moment) and I want to do them well. But at the same time, I still feel vaguely ridiculous for the amount of effort I'm putting into this silly, ultimately pointless smut.

Does anyone else go to these lengths or am I just nuts?

A spreadsheet is a good idea. I use word documents, a full cast of characters. I just CTRL+F to check if I used a name already.

 

[Writer61]

I know most people probably don't have two dozen WIPs like my ADHD AF ass does, but people can definitely have even more than that already published.

I have 23 in various stages of completion, from a brief outline to awaiting publication (e.g., a couple are competition entries).

Anyway, I realized that I was starting to lose track of what names I was using for characters, and didn't want to end up using the same name for different main characters. Long story short, (no pun intended) a couple of days ago, instead of writing, I used the time to go through my posted stories and all of my WIPs and make a spreadsheet:
View attachment 2584440

Does anyone else go to these lengths or am I just nuts?

Oh, yes, my list has about 200 main and more important secondary characters, including a note on which story they first appear in, a basic bio, and a physical description. I don't track everybody (that would be nuts). I started doing this quite early, so it was not a significant chore to build up. The first benefit was that it alerted me to having an MMC and an SMC with the same given name.

Because I write in a universe with connected stories, I also have a timeline that shows (roughly) when each story is set and whether it links to another. The ages are there so that if characters from different series meet, I know the gap between them. It also helped me get "period details" right, e.g., avoiding mobile phones in one series.


As you can see, each series has a colour assigned, and I use the same one in a PowerPoint slide that I created to help me work out which story I need to write next.

 

[TheExperimentalist]

I have 23 in various stages of completion, from a brief outline to awaiting publication (e.g., a couple are competition entries).

Oh, yes, my list has about 200 main and more important secondary characters, including a note on which story they first appear in, a basic bio, and a physical description. I don't track everybody (that would be nuts). I started doing this quite early, so it was not a significant chore to build up. The first benefit was that it alerted me to having an MMC and an SMC with the same given name.
View attachment 2584444
Because I write in a universe with connected stories, I also have a timeline that shows (roughly) when each story is set and whether it links to another. The ages are there so that if characters from different series meet, I know the gap between them. It also helped me get "period details" right, e.g., avoiding mobile phones in one series.

As you can see, each series has a colour assigned, and I use the same one in a powerpoint slide that I created to help me work which story I needed to write next.
View attachment 2584446

God damn. Short version of your answer: "no, I'm even crazier"

 

[Writer61]

A benefit of maintaining stuff like this is that if I get blocked writing, I can sort of stay on task.

 

[Britva415]

No way, not me. I might have a few stories' worth of ideas and notes, but actual draft in progress? I never had more than one, even that time I completed around a dozen stories in a couple of months.

Even if I were writing all the time, I don't think I could have more than two or three "in progress," and even then, "in progress" would look more like drafting a new one while another story's completed draft awaited revision.

 

[Writer61]

God damn. Short version of your answer: "no, I'm even crazier"

I prefer to see it as "thorough".

And I have not even mentioned the PowerPoint files, which act as mood boards for each series: images that are roughly analgous to the characters, locations, occasionally a map or a plan of a building, and a couple of pictures of dresses that I imagine someone wearing. I use the series colours here too, so that I know that I am in the correct file.

 

[Writer61]

No way, not me. I might have a few stories' worth of ideas and notes, but actual draft in progress? I never had more than one, even that time I completed around a dozen stories in a couple of months.

Even if I were writing all the time, I don't think I could have more than two or three "in progress," and even then, "in progress" would look more like drafting a new one while another story's completed draft awaited revision.

Mine started to proliferate when I got stuck on one story, so jumped to another. Typically, I only have 2-3 active WIP at any one time.

When I have an idea, I often write several paragraphs to help me decide whether I like it. If I do, I park it away until it comes higher up the writing schedule. The overview slide above helps me focus on what they are.

 

[APilgrimSquare]

I realized when rereading an old story of mine that I tend to use a lot of the same names for male characters (Nick and Dave in particular), but it’s only because I don’t know any Nicks or Daves! I find it’s easier to diversify with women’s names. Maybe that says something about me and my view of male/female characters.

 

[Britva415]

If I needed an overview slide, I would just feel like I was procrastinating by making an overview slide instead of writing!

 

[Writer61]

If I needed an overview slide, I would just feel like I was procrastinating by making an overview slide instead of writing!

My tools were mainly created when I got stuck writing, so it did not feel like procrastination.

 

[Inkognito1]

I, too, have a teetering tower of WIPs and a meticulous little blacklist of names so I don’t accidentally use the same one repeatedly.

There was one time, though, when I became irrationally attached to a name I’d already used. I auditioned plenty of alternatives, but none of them had the right vibes, so I stubbornly kept Aven and slapped an extra “A” on the front, both as a badge of originality and as a generous assessment of my own effort in keeping the name.

That felt clever right up until it dawned on me that readers were probably out there pronouncing it every possible way except the one I intended.

 

[TheLobster]

I have 23 in various stages of completion, from a brief outline to awaiting publication (e.g., a couple are competition entries).

Oh, yes, my list has about 200 main and more important secondary characters, including a note on which story they first appear in, a basic bio, and a physical description. I don't track everybody (that would be nuts). I started doing this quite early, so it was not a significant chore to build up. The first benefit was that it alerted me to having an MMC and an SMC with the same given name.

Because I write in a universe with connected stories, I also have a timeline that shows (roughly) when each story is set and whether it links to another. The ages are there so that if characters from different series meet, I know the gap between them. It also helped me get "period details" right, e.g., avoiding mobile phones in one series.
View attachment 2584444

As you can see, each series has a colour assigned, and I use the same one in a PowerPoint slide that I created to help me work out which story I need to write next.
View attachment 2584446

 

[jpro56]

I have one 9 chapter story(so far) that I haven't published anywhere yet. I have a small notepad that I keep track with but I sure like the idea of a spreadsheet for this one. My muse, who brings me ideas in my sleep has kind of abondoned this story line but I was really enjoying writing it.
Maybe reviewing it to put into a spreadsheet will give me some new ideas to take the story.
I prefer to write the story start to finish so I don't get any mixed up.