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The Novelist's Bible: Creating a Project File

© Kim Kay

Good order is the foundation of all things. – Edmund Burke

If Robert gazes into Sarah’s deep blue eyes on page 67, unless she gets new contacts, her eyes should still be blue on page 132. If Sarah buys a new convertible in chapter seven, she should not be driving it in chapter two. To be believable, every single detail must be consistent throughout your entire novel. You have to know how each character looks, thinks, acts, and feels at all times. You must also pay close attention to the setting, plot, subplots, and background information. To ensure total consistency, it is necessary to keep up with these and countless other details from the moment you begin your novel until the very end.

This is not an easy task. Six months may pass between when you write chapter one and chapter eight. Relying on your memory to recall every detail for that amount of time is next to impossible. You risk ending up with inconsistencies such as eyes that “magically” change color from one chapter to the next. One way to keep from forgetting minor details is to create a project file before you begin writing your novel. Not only will it reduce inconsistency, it will help you stay organized, allowing you to spend less time searching for bits of information you’ve jotted down and more time writing.

All you need to create a project file is a three ring binder (so you can add and remove pages easily), tabbed dividers, and paper. You can tailor the specific contents of the file to create a system that works best for you. Below are some sections you may want to include. Omit anything you do not need and add whatever else will help you organize and write your novel.

Idea and/or Theme: The idea is the concept of the novel. It may be a few paragraphs or a few pages describing the “meat” of the novel. It can be a summary of your first idea(s) for this novel. This is not an outline of the entire plot, but rather a description of what you want to achieve. You may also want to include the theme of the novel. The theme is in effect, the moral of the story. Generally, your theme can be summed up in a single sentence.

Characters: This section can contain all of the relevant information about your characters. You can do character sketches on all characters or just the main ones. Information about the characters’ backgrounds and past histories may also be included. If you have artistic ability, you might want to sketch your characters (or use pictures from magazines), for a visual representation of each one.

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