Message Board Topic 4/6

[Comsie]

When writing a longer story, especially if it's a series of chapters stretching out over a long period of time, it can be easy for an author to lose track of certain details and elements that they put in the story before. Even with outlines and notes on the characters, little details can slip by if you don't wrap it up while the ideas are still fresh in your mind.

 

How can an author avoid these mistakes before an editor gets their hands on it? After all...missing or incorrect details can drastically have an impact on the end of the story. And if the inconsistencies are MAJOR flaws in the telling of the story..you could find yourself rewriting the whole second half of the book to make it match up! (The mistakes aren't always that severe, but imagine..) So how does a writer steer clear of continuity problems and keep their characters loyal to their own personalities without getting mixed up along the way? Let us know!

[Mark Arbour]

When writing a longer story, especially if it's a series of chapters stretching out over a long period of time, it can be easy for an author to lose track of certain details and elements that they put in the story before. Even with outlines and notes on the characters, little details can slip by if you don't wrap it up while the ideas are still fresh in your mind.

 

How can an author avoid these mistakes before an editor gets their hands on it? After all...missing or incorrect details can drastically have an impact on the end of the story. And if the inconsistencies are MAJOR flaws in the telling of the story..you could find yourself rewriting the whole second half of the book to make it match up! (The mistakes aren't always that severe, but imagine..) So how does a writer steer clear of continuity problems and keep their characters loyal to their own personalities without getting mixed up along the way? Let us know!

 

Great point, and one that I face often. Besides keeping a note with files, I rely on my team. I'm lucky, in that they tend to catch my mistakes (they're a good bunch).