Organization
by A Sutherland
(England)
Question: I’ve been trying to find an answer to this question for the last few years, and I may be missing something obvious, but at this point I’m stumped. Perhaps it’s not a common problem, but I find no matter what I do, I cannot keep track of all the small details going into my story. Many of them simply disappear once written, only to reappear long after the fact when they're no longer relevant. The plot stretches over several books and has a very complex back story that leaks into world creation, and so far I have not found a good organizational system that can help me stay ahead of the story and on top of my notes.
Suggestion: Most writers traditionally have simply kept files of notes on different aspects of the story world - updating them as revisions to the story require.
Although I don't use it myself, I have heard the software program Movie Magic Screenwriter (which allows you to write novels as well as screenplays) has a Notes feature that allows you to keep notes on a variety of topics linked to specific mentions in your document. But I'm not sure how well this works for cross-referencing or linking one note to various occurrences of, for instance, a backstory.
Nontheless, you can find information on it at this link...
http://www.screenplay.com/p-29-movie-magic-screenwriter-6.aspx
Of course, the downside is that this would mean transcribing all the notes you have been keeping into a new software program.
It strikes me that there must be other software options that allow cross-referencing of data, but my own knowledge is not great on this subject. Perhaps something along the lines of concordance or encyclopedia creator would be helpful?
Sorry I'm not more help, but perhaps some readers of this site know of better options and would be willing to add a comment?
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