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Manuscript Management Tools for Fiction Authors (and Editors)

6/2/2014

 
An author hires a copy-editor to go through his/her manuscript with a fine-tooth comb and to remove errors in spelling, grammar, punctuation, formatting, layout, etc. We check for clarity, consistency and unnecessary repetition. We hunt and tame the needless passive voice and we flag up potential libel issues … all the usual stuff!

When working with fiction authors, we also address other problems that can arise: issues with the plot’s timeline; changes in point of view (POV) or in a character’s description; and improbable/impossible actions, among others. For an author it can be hard to keep all the plot lines, scene descriptions and character details in your head. There are many software tools available to help you organise all this information, e.g. Scrivener, etc.

Editors also need help tracking these details and in this blog post I will share two of my handy, customisable tools that I use when copy-editing a fiction manuscript. Authors can use them, too. The more errors you find during redrafting the more money you will save when you send your manuscript to a professional editor/proofreader. Whether you use these tools during your novel-plotting stage or when redrafting is up to you – choose whichever bests suits your style of working.

Manuscript Management Tools for Fiction Authors
1. Timeline and Plot Tracker
A manuscript’s timeline can trip up an author in numerous ways. As I work through a manuscript I use this tool to help me identify errors and inconsistencies in the timeline, POV and action.  

Timeline

For each chapter I make a note of the time/date/season in which it is set. I note every mention of the time/date/season and include the manuscript page number in brackets after each for easy reference, e.g. 0930 Mon (p26). (I use the twenty-four hour clock for brevity and speed). Chronological errors in the timeline will soon show themselves. For example, a novel opens at the very start of October. In chapter ten the plot indicates that time has moved on six weeks and the hero’s children are overexcited because it’s Christmas Eve. But it can’t be Christmas Eve – six weeks after the novel’s opening means that by chapter ten it’s only the middle of November. Or perhaps a character arrives home at 9 a.m. having worked a nightshift and the reader is told he manages to get a solid six hours’ sleep, yet a few pages on he is described as having woken up at noon­ …

Improbable Actions and Inconsistencies
I also keep note of a chapter’s location/setting and its key action points (again noting the page number for ease of reference). This helps to highlight problems of improbability and inconsistency. For example, in chapter three a punch-up occurs between the hero and his antagonist in McCauley’s pub, but in chapter fourteen it changes to McCormack’s pub. Likewise, if the pub is located at a rural crossroads "in the middle of nowhere", how likely is it that the hero will stumble out of it after the fight and hail a passing taxi?

Point of View (POV)
When writing and editing a novel with multiple third person POVs it can be helpful to keep track of the POV switches to highlight any imbalances or sequencing difficulties between them. For example, in a manuscript with alternating POV chapters the tracker will highlight if one POV character gets two chapters in a row.

Manuscript Management Tool for Fiction Authors
2. Character Tracker
I use the Character Tracker to keep note of the characters’ names; their physical and personality descriptions; their relationship to other characters; and the key points of their history as written in the manuscript (these sometimes differ with those in the author’s head, but remember the reader can only go by what appears on the page!). As with the Timeline and Plot Tracker I record the page number of each relevant point. They're not editing myths – the following types of character errors and inconsistencies do sneak into manuscripts:

  • Eyes change colour (blue in chapter four but green by chapter twenty-four)
  • Name changes (Angeline becomes Angelina)
  • Age remains the same for two years or more (I wish I could manage that!)
  • Physical attributes change without explanation (a tattoo moves from the right shoulder to the left)
  • Miraculous cures (a heroine’s peanut allergy mentioned in chapter two magically disappears when she eats a handful of nuts at the bar in the penultimate chapter)
  • Backstory inconsistencies (in chapter five the reader is told the hero had graduated from University College Dublin, but in chapter nineteen it has changed to Trinity College Dublin).

This tool gathers all the relevant character details in one handy location, making it easier to spot an error. It can also highlight name duplication of minor characters (yes, this does happen). It’s also handy for checking if a minor character’s plot line remains unresolved by the end of the book or, worse, if they were forgotten about altogether!

Download for Free
You can download the Timeline and Plot Tracker and the Character Tracker below and use them as templates when planning or redrafting your manuscript. You may wish to add additional information columns such as a chapter word count column. I’ve used a table format in Word but you could also try using a spreadsheet format if that better suits your needs.

What are the tools you use, and would recommend to other authors, to help manage a fiction manuscript? What howlers did you or your editor/proofreader find in your manuscript during the redrafting and editing stages? (You may be reluctant to share such bloopers, but you’re among friends here!)


Timeline and Plot Tracker for Fiction Manuscripts
File Size: 19 kb
File Type: dotx
Download File

Character Tracker for Fiction Manuscripts
File Size: 19 kb
File Type: dotx
Download File

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David Kavanagh link
6/2/2014 12:57:53 pm

Very helpful Mary. Thank you

Mary link
7/2/2014 03:53:43 am

Glad that you found it helpful, David. Thanks for taking the time to comment!

Sally
7/2/2014 09:08:03 am

I've recently started using an excel sheet that logs which characters are in each chapter, along with important happenings for that chapter - not as detailed as yours, and all in one sheet rather than your two. I like your view. It helps me see different ways of seeing. Thanks for sharing. :)

Mary link
8/2/2014 04:12:46 am

You're welcome, Sally. There are many ways of keeping track of a novel's details, probably using a better method than mine. I think the important thing is that the details ARE tracked -- preferably by both the author and the editor. By doing so, errors are reduced and the reader will have a better experience of the book!

Anne Marie
7/2/2014 09:31:06 pm

Thank you Mary, very kind of you to share, and it's a great idea. I'm an author of non-fiction and it will also be useful to me.

Mary link
8/2/2014 04:15:32 am

You're welcome, Anne Marie! I'm delighted to hear that you find them useful for non-fiction as well. What sort of details do you track when writing non-fiction?

as
8/2/2014 03:33:15 am

Thanks a lot!

Jean link
8/2/2014 04:50:32 am

Thank you so much for this!

Mary link
10/2/2014 02:04:11 am

You're very welcome, Jean.

Arlene Prunkl link
11/2/2014 02:29:20 pm

Thanks for these, Mary. I wish I were at home to print some out. But I'll bookmark them (although that's not the best idea on vacation with my husband's computer, because I might forget). Looks as if I may be editing with a BIG publisher soon, and I can't afford to miss even the tiniest detail.

Mary link
12/2/2014 02:01:24 am

You're welcome, Arlene. Great news about the new venture - congratulations! Let me know how it goes.

Maria McGuinness
11/2/2014 02:52:47 pm

Brilliant Mary! I use different colour paper for each character which is really handy when the desk gets dishevelled. I also add stock phrases that a character uses. Sometimes the author mixes them up and they escape from the mouth of the wrong character. Thanks for this Mary. All the best, Maria.

Mary link
12/2/2014 02:10:51 am

Maria, that's a great idea about the stock phrases! I must start noting those on the character tracker. The same goes for character tics/habits - I record them under personality. A lot of these details can be held in an author's/editor's memory but if it's a particularly complex plot/heavy copy-edit, or a very long manuscript with many characters, then the trackers really come in to their own.

Sophie Playle link
13/3/2014 05:28:34 am

Just wanted to say that these are very handy - thanks for putting them together and sharing!

Mary link
13/3/2014 10:35:55 am

Hi Sophie, delighted that you found them handy. Let me know if you come up with any improvements on them!

Robert Scanlon link
8/4/2014 04:39:26 pm

Thanks for giving away those templates, Mary! I came over from Roz Morris's blog as a result of your comment there. Thanks for sharing :)

Mary link
9/4/2014 02:34:01 am

You're welcome, Robert. I hope you find them useful. Roz gave some great tips on keeping tabs of your manuscript's timeline on her Nail Your Novel website. For those who'd like to read it, they can do so by visiting: http://nailyournovel.wordpress.com/2014/04/05/an-easy-way-to-make-your-plot-plausible-control-your-novels-timeline/

Annie Pearson link
9/4/2014 07:19:16 pm

I've been both a writer and a (nonfiction) editor. As an editor, I'm accustomed to creating a style sheet. I realized that I'd created the equivalent to guide my fiction work -- so I turned my working details into a style guide with all the above details. I deliver this with the MS to my editor, rather than having her figure it out. She can do better work faster with prepped notes.

Mary link
9/4/2014 11:26:04 pm

Annie, I bet your editor loves you for that! It would certainly make her job easier. I always appreciate an author giving me as detailed a brief as possible. Simple things can slow down the editing progress, such as inconsistent capitalisation or hyphenation; it's a real bonus if an author has already made a decision on such issues and communicates that to me. I always compile a style sheet when I work on a project and I give this to the author when returning the manuscript. Such style sheets really come in to their own if the author later contracts me to work on another manuscript.

E.Winson
10/4/2016 09:03:41 am

Thank you, hopefully this will be of great use.

Mary link
11/4/2016 05:52:33 pm

You're very welcome. Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment.

Paromita Goswami
21/2/2017 06:47:24 pm

Thanks for the info. Very helpful.

Mary link
21/2/2017 07:03:06 pm

Thanks, Paromita. Glad you find it useful.


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    Mary McCauley is a professional editor and proofreader based in Co Wexford, Ireland. In this blog she shares tips and information on all things writing and editing related.
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