Kill Your Darlings

Kill Your Darlings. This is a recent phrase I’ve heard from other authors in the twitterverse. It took me a bit to realize what it meant. Then I realized it's the same as when I say Eviscerate Your Baby. Just less gruesome.

The editing process is a battle. Grammar is only part of it. Consistency is a huge part of the story. Characters, scenes, locations, world rules. Ever get lost in your writing and then forget what color eyes your main character has? I’ve had the main character go through three different eye colors without explanation. 

This is an important part of the writing process, although when you do it is up to you. If you are a Planner, you’ve likely written bios, description of locations and all the world building steps there are. In your case, if you change something as you’re writing, you make notes in your files.

For a Pantser, like me, it’s a lot tougher. We let the ideas just flow out, if we’re lucky, and that’s where we run into problems. Like eye color. Staying consistent during the first draft is not only tricky, but a challenge to the writing process.

So, how do you keep track of everything? A mass of post-it notes on every surface? Don’t you wish you had a wiki to keep everything organized? Guess what? There is something that can help. Zim - A Desktop Wiki. A friend recommended this site to me and I have been using it ever since. 

Zim gives you a place to make notes as you go along and maintains that consistency you need without interrupting your writing process. It’s also great for keeping track of those terms that are unique to your own writing. 

For example, in my Section Seven Case Files series, I have people who are capable of magic called Magum. As I write, I have to develop what they can and cannot do. Making notes in Zim as I go along leaves me free to finish the first draft. It became a key component when I go through the 2nd draft of the book to maintain the consistency.

How do you keep track of your novel’s world and rules? Comment below.