One of the things you should do when writing a novel is create writing aids for yourself.

These are documents, files, or pictures that hold handy info you’re going to refer to as you get deeper into the story.

Writing aids help in two crucial ways:

• Consistency
• Saves time

For example, you don’t want to contradict yourself (tell the reader one thing about a character in Chapter 1, only to tell them the opposite in Chapter 13 – because you’ve forgotten). Likewise, you don’t want to have to trawl back through pages and pages of prose to check something.

Even minor details should be consistent (for example, the position of a kitchen in a house that characters come back to later in your story). If there are inconsistencies, your product may come across as amateurish. You don’t want that!

• Timeline of events
• Character profiles
• Maps of key locations
• Labelled diagrams of weapons
• Labelled diagrams of the equipment characters carry

See below for the reference diagram I created to remind myself of what equipment Heath and the rebels carry during some of their missions.

Note: this equipment list is not 100% accurate anymore (there were some changes during editing), and instead it should be viewed as an example of a writing aid only.

I will share more of my writing aids and tips with my VIP members in the future. Stay tuned!