Consistency with Characters...

You probably know that issue of discovering you've given one or more of your characters two different eye or hair colours in your manuscript, well I'm trying to avoid that as I rewrite.

File cards were the solution. Most places sell the smaller standard size cards in a pack of 50 or 100. The lines on them are quite narrow and honestly my hand writing isn't that small so I wouldn't get much on them!

I knew there was a larger size available, and didn't want to resort to buying online when all I wanted was one pack; I checked every shop I knew had file cards.

 Then I found them, in Rymans. The 5 x 8 inch size.

File cards...

Even with my large writing I can get good amount of words on both sides of one card.

As they only had the white file card in the largest size I needed, I had to find another way to highlight what was physical description; characteristics and negative aspects of each character.

In the end I went with little coloured circles- coloured pens are useful and not just for editing on the printed page.

The other advantage was noticing the gaps in those three areas. My hero is doing fine, but my heroine needs some work. Her characteristics are acceptable at the moment, but physical description is a bit vague...

I do write character profiles before I start writing, but then as the characters develop and particular traits emerge I've not added them to the profiles, so the cards will fill in the gaps as I work through the second draft.

Now I have to decide are his eyes hazel green or green? And whichever one, what sort of green?

My lesson from this for the next time is add the details as I go...

Do you have a process to ensure consistency or do you put it right later on?

Getting Back to Where I Was...

Finally I've had some free time to get back to my Nottinghamshire short novel- lots of appointments at this time of year. :(

As I was retyping the first chapter of draft 2 from my print copy I found myself making a list of comments and notes as I went along, so these points could be dealt with in future drafts.

It was one of those 'if I don't write it down now I'll forget it' things.

So I got out a pack of file cards from my stationery stash (every writer has one of those don't they?), put the chapter number at the top of the first card, and then added the comments with the page or paragraph it related to.

(I know that when I've dealt with those in the third draft I'll likely have more notes to add, but I'm taking it one draft at a time...)

Once I'd finished retyping the chapter I saved it in three digital forms (after losing everything but the print copy I'm being triple careful this time); printed it out and put it into a plastic cover and popped the file card in with it.

I use those thin plastic sleeves that have holes already punched (for various types of file storage) and use green treasury tags to keep the chapters together. I can easily add the next sleeve behind it; then it goes into it's own file box- nothing more annoying than looking for that piece of paper with information you need and not knowing where it is, so everything goes in the box now.

Really I'd like to add a filing cabinet, but my office area doesn't have room for one at the moment- but that doesn't mean it will stay that way...

Though honestly, it's easier to create an office from a bare room, than it is to change one that has furniture you can't move elsewhere.

Do you have an office essential that makes your writing life easier?

One day I will get a filing cabinet...

image from pixabay

Using Image Boards...

As I have a number of stories in various stages of development and/or writing, I also have a lot of images in folders, and my mind.

A couple of days ago I got really fed up of having no room for the images for my Mary Street competition entry; at the end of every writing session they had to go back in the folder, and that cut the connection with the story and the characters. Plus there were numerous bits of paper slipping off my desk!

It's never been a problem with my historical based stories as I know the plots and the important images are set in my mind. But this competition entry is being created as I write, so I need the constant contact with the people I've imagined and the plot ideas in this story.

So yesterday I bought a large cork board-self-healing- and it has a surround with corner fittings so you can screw it into the wall (not that I'll be doing that with it). 

An image board-minus the images...

My images are now pinned and working on my brain,

and everything is starting to come together...

I was quite surprised how quickly I responded to having the images in one place, as every time I see the board my sub-conscious gets a jolt.

It also acts as a reminder I should be writing rather than chatting on Facebook!

Perhaps it will also help me sort out a suitable title.

I will definitely be using it for my other stories from

now on.

Do you use an image board, or do you just blu tack your pictures on the wall?

Writers Love Stationery...

I had a day trip to Yorkshire on Saturday and visited Elvington Air Museum, which is why there was no blog post at the weekend.

But back to normality now.

The office area is coming along slowly. The main problem is storage and disposal. Once I sort items out into keep or dispose, I have to arrange disposal so that pile has to hang around for a while. And the stuff I'm keeping has to be stored in boxes until other furniture is moved so I can get to the empty cupboards... I'm still not totally recovered from last year's accident, so shifting furniture solo is out at the moment.

But I have chosen a shelf for my numerous notebooks, those in use and those waiting to be opened and for their pristine pages to be finally written upon.

The notebooks in use are more numerous than those waiting- which is probably a good sign.

Now I know writers generally have an irresistible urge to buy stationery, but we each have our personal preferences.

I know a few people who love Moleskin notebooks, and although I've looked at them a number of times in Waterstones and John Lewis, I just can't see what's so enticing.

My personal preference for notebooks is a hardback with an attractive cover design and the round spring style spine.

And the paper has to be thick enough for my preferred choice of pen, as I tend to be heavy handed when writing, and if the paper is not thick enough, so that I can see the ink through the other side of the page, that really annoys me...

And my pickiness even extends to diaries.

Not only must I decide on the type- day-to-a-view or week- to-a-view, but does the diary have those extra pages of information, calendars and charts, and blank pages for notes in it?

Then it's cover colour preference- silver, black, red or navy?

My ideal diary would have (for each week) two pages for a week to a view, but then for that week also a page a day following it.

I need an overview of the week, but I also want a full page for each day so I can write in detail when needed, rather than a few key words and times.

So if there are any stationery companies who'd like to try it out, I'll volunteer. :-)

I think I'll be buying a page a day diary for 2013, even though it's thicker than a weekly view, as I'm going to start putting regular reminders in it about competition deadlines and events I want to attend.

I have a few appointment reminders for early next year already, so it will start being used as soon as I find one I like.

And I've seen a few notebooks I would like to add to my waiting box too...