I’ve written ten books. That’s only a modest achievement compared to many of my fellow authors.
Still, it’s enough that I’ve now started to forget many details in my stories.
One of my readers once surprised and delighted me by making an online quiz based on the first novel I ever wrote. I did the quiz and got eight out of ten questions right.
I, the author, couldn’t remember the names of two of the side characters in my own book—a book I spent over a year writing.
As time goes on and I write more, the challenge to keep on top of the details is growing.
It’s fairly straightforward to remember the names of the lead characters. But where it gets confusing is if there’s a person who has a less central role, such as the pastor’s wife, the owner of the local coffee shop, or the boy who shovels his neighbours’ driveways.
The details are important since I write in series. I once read a series where one character is referred to variously as someone’s “relative,” then his “niece,” and then his “daughter.” It’s understandable since this particular series has over 20 novels, so it must be hard keeping all the information straight.
I want to keep things consistent between my books, but it’s time-consuming to leaf through several hundred pages when I want to find the name of the Chinese restaurant everyone went to in Book 1, or the type of car the lead character in Book 2 was driving.
I forget what everyone’s eye colour is and what their physique is like, unless the fact is important to the story.
So, a few weeks ago, I took the plunge and asked someone to create a “series bible” for my current series.
It will contain key information about all the characters, their relation to each other, and the locations that appear in the books.
I’ve chosen to use a service that’s a bit like a Wikipedia page, if you’ve ever seen that online encyclopedia. I’m really thrilled with the potential. Right now it’s only for my use, so I can easily look up the details I need, but it might be fun to open it up to my readers at some point.
I enjoy geeking out on wiki-style encyclopedias about books, movies, and video games, but perhaps it’s just me!
As a reader, would you enjoy reading an encyclopedia about your favourite books?
I write fiction that reflects my Christian faith. I love happy endings, heroes and heroines who discover sometimes hard but always vital truths, and stories that uplift and encourage. My family and I live in the east of England where we enjoy rambling in the countryside, reading good books and making up silly lyrics to our favorite songs.
Hi Milla! This retiree has been part of the blog since around 2013. It all started with Valerie Comer and her Farm Fresh Romance Raspberry and Vinegar. Over the 10 years authors have come and gone. I know some authors have spread sheet to keep characters and facts straight. Some use Pinterest with pictures of characters and settings. Some have detailed maps of their small towns.
Being on about 10 reader groups of historical romance, contemporary romance and cozy mysteries, I personally would not read an encyclopedia. As I work with various authors, there are several items I appreciate in books. For historical I enjoy a map of the setting and author’s notes on where the discovered the information / what is true / what is made up. One cozy mystery author who has lengthy and multiple series, starts each book with a list of 5 – 10 major characters in the book. I find this helpful as I read the various series. Refreshes my memory as I start the book, especially since I read a variety of genre and over 150 books a year (about 3 per week). I am a busy wife, mom of 3 adult sons, and Oma to 4 grandkids. Happy Writing.
Wow, Renate, with such a large intake of books and a full life, I can imagine it’s helpul to have items like maps, authors’ notes, and character lists! Thanks for being such an encouraging and steadfast member of this InspyRomance community.
That’s so funny you forget the details, I can understand why with all the details, and I don’t feel so bad for forgetting as a reader now!
I would live this sort of encyclopedia, often when you read a series that’s ongoing, by the time a new book comes out I’ve forgotten some of the details from the earlier books, so it would be really helpful.
Sorry, love not live.
I don’t know if I’d like the info or not, to be honest. In some ways, I might, and in others I don’t think I would. It would depend on if I’d read all of the books or not. I’d hate to get spoilers, even accidentally!
I had a type of “encyclopedia” for a series I loved as a kid and it was neat to have all of the info in one place and for it to be “searchable”. On a different note, I also enjoyed watching the 1990’s PBS kids’ show “Ghost Writer” and have often wished I could use Ghost Writer to search a book for me when I am trying to find a certain scene or where a character is first introduced.
No need to feel bad at all! It’s so easy to forget those kinds of things, which is why I prefer to binge-read a series while all the information is fresh in my mind.
Thanks for your comment, Trudy. I remember starting a very long series of books (11 in total, I think?) and I wasn’t sure whether I wanted to read more after the first three. But I did want to know how it all ended, so I was delighted to find an online encyclopedia about it. I was able to satisfy my curiosity, and it helped me decide I didn’t want to invest more time in that particular series.
But I’ve also found wikis that made me buy the books, so it can work both ways!
I can relate, Jessica! I’m such a geek. When I’m into something I’m *really* into it.
Good morning , yes I think that would be nice to have for sure! I think it would be very useful. Have a great day. Thank you for sharing this with us.
Thanks so much, Alicia! Hope you have a great day, too.
That’s just such a great idea! I keep starting one but then forget where I put it and start another…rinse and repeat. What does that say about my organization skills?!
It would be fantastic to have someone else do that for me.
I have been reading since I was young. I am now almost 65. So yes, I have forgotten many of the books that I have read. But many are still there in the back of my brain.
Ha ha, that’s hilarious! The less said about my own organisation skills, the better.
I do think the best stories always leave a long-lasting impression on us somehow, even when we forget the details. Thanks for your comment, Lori!
Hi Milla,
I love your books. I think something like you’re talking about would be nice to have to refresh our memory about some of the characters in the story.
It would depend on if it was written with levity and fun or if it was dry. Thank you for sharing. God bless you.
Aw, thank you so much, for your sweet words, Bonnie!
Tone does matter a lot! Thanks for your comment, Debra.
Sounds interesting yes I would.
Thanks for your comment, Kim!
Yes, I would like reading it. I make it simpler, in a word document called timeline and another called documentation…