Important Little Notes

When writing a novel, there are many small details that one must remember. Once you have mentioned that your hero enjoys smoking cigars, you must remember to add scenes with him enjoying one. If you imply that your heroine’s favourite pastime is riding horses, you had better put her on a horse at some point. If you decide to put your characters in costume, you must remember what each is wearing.

This is why I have a large notebook full of odd notes. I am constantly scribbling, scratching out, and re-writing notes. I’ve got arrows indicating the sequence of events, lists that help me understand terms that I looked up, and translations for the characters that happen to be from a different country.

My notebook is an indispensable tool for me while I do my writing. It helps me keep my novels free of discrepancies or continuity errors, and it ensures that I remember important plot points.

I keep a notebook for my ‘real’ life, as well. It has my list of things ‘to do’ and the list of things I must remember.

So now I ask you: Do you have a special notebook? What do you use yours for?