The Devil Is In The Details, Part II

And Joanna's Two Cents

The Devil Is In The Details, Part II

by Nancy Christie

Note from Joanna: I was so impressed by Nancy Christie’s comment about keeping things straight that I asked her to share more. This is the first part of a three-part series.

Endnotes

I got into the habit of using endnotes decades ago when I wrote articles for magazines and had to endnote primary source details for every bit of factual information I included in the piece. And it’s still my go-to even for fiction.

For example, in my current WIP, Investing in Iris, the main character’s parents were from England, so every now and then she’ll use a British term rather than an Americanism. When I find the definition of the phrase or word I want to use online, I paste the link and definition into an endnote.

Anything I research or any relevant background information is tracked in endnotes, which is very helpful if one of my editors wants to double-check whether what I wrote is correct. Since I send the manuscript to them with the endnotes included, they can quickly verify it.

Running list of names and places

This is useful whether you are writing a series or novels that are standalones, especially if you are like me and have certain names that you really like and show up often.

I use a Word document to enter every character or place name under that specific novel’s title. When I need a name for a person or place, I check this list first.

Next Monday, Nancy will share more ideas for keeping us organized when we’re writing.

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Nancy Christie is the award-winning author of fiction and nonfiction books, including her Midlife Moxie Novel Series. She’s the creator and host of the Living the Writing Life podcast and teaches workshops and gives presentations to groups, at libraries and at conferences. Visit her website and follow her on Facebook, Substack, Threads, Bluesky and X.

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And Joanna’s Two Cents About Keeping Track of All This—
(And Yes, It’s True. I Can’t Count.)

Here’s what I can tell you after writing 80+ books:

In the beginning, you THINK you’ll remember everything—every character, every place, every important detail.

You won’t.

After that first book, you take a breather. Then comes the second. Then the third. And before long, you’re so deep in the weeds you can’t remember who owned which cat, who was married three books ago, or whether Aunt Mildred was allergic to shellfish or cigarette smoke.

True story: I numbered Purple, Blame, Game as Book #22—and yes, I need to change the cover and details on Amazon. Sigh.

(And I’m trusting you’ve pre-ordered your copy, right? Puh-leeze? Pretty puh-leeze? Go ahead and hit the button!)

It’s not.

It’s Book #21 in the Kiki Lowenstein Cozy Mystery Series.

Yup. I can’t count.

And apparently, I don’t keep track nearly as well as I should.

In fact, not long ago, I downloaded my to-do list into ChatGPT and said, “Help me get organized. I think I have ADHD.”

Chat replied, “You might, but honestly, I think you’re trying to do too much. You have too many projects going at once.”

Whoa. Chastised by Chat?

Now remember, ChatGPT is supposed to be nice. Encouraging. Slightly flattering, even. So for Chat to basically look at me and say, “Ma’am… respectfully… this is chaos,” felt significant.

Poor old Chat was genuinely concerned for my welfare.

The truth is, I’ve heard this before.

People Who Care Tell Me

Neil Plakcy, my accountability partner, has gently pointed out that my ratio of ideas to available hours in the day is…askew.

Jane, my Leetle Seester, says, “You never sit down. You are always doing something, making something, planning something.”

And they’re both right.

Here’s the deal: when it comes to life, I want a Big Gulp portion.

This is finite, folks.

I want to enjoy every minute. I want to make as many people as possible feel just a little better about their lives—whether that’s chatting with the cashier at Publix, helping another writer, or making a reader smile after a hard day.

I want to leave behind a BIG footprint that proves I used my limited time on earth for the general good and not just for myself.

So tonight, I’m taking the evening off.

Sort of.

Hang-Over Not Hang-Ups

I still have a pile of “hang over” tasks waiting for me—you know the kind. The annoying little projects that hang over your head and exhaust you simply because they exist.

But tomorrow?

I’ll probably start three new things.

(I think that man in the portrait is giving me the evil eye. Ugh.)

Love,
Joanna