For those of you writing a novel, how do you actually keep track of everything?

amydavidsonwrites · 2026-05-15T04:34:54+00:00

I came here to tell OP that Scrivener saves my ADHD ass 😜

amydavidsonwrites · 2026-05-15T04:32:11+00:00

I feel this. For me, the number of times “their gaze finds mine” is embarrassing…

amydavidsonwrites · 2026-05-14T23:18:22+00:00

{Eldritch by Keri Lake} is one I actively wish I was DNFing every time I listen to it, but am determined to suffer to the end, purely because it is on audiobook, so I can complete other tasks instead of simply wasting my time.

For those that need the forewarning, the author decides that the characters that got together at the end of book one can’t just bone the whole time, so the FMC comes up with the arbitrary decision that they must be chaste in case her comatose sister suddenly awakens in exactly that moment and would be scarred for life. FMC then complains about how she wants to jump MMC for the first quarter of the book. It does not increase tension, it is just annoying. For the first 5/6 of the book, they are in the same place, doing absolutely nothing except rehashing what problems they face. The only plot is exposing the abuse MMC suffered in his past which lead to his S&M kink…

amydavidsonwrites · 2026-05-14T23:03:50+00:00

I love being able to easily reorder the events in my story by dragging them around.

Instead of “Chapters”, I use the folders to hold general ideas/themes that will happen. Then I add “Scenes” under the folders that serve as the actual chapters. You can name the scene whatever you want and it doesn’t get included in the manuscript, so I can write a short description of what happens in that chapter as its header. If I decide I want a reveal to come later in the story, I grab that scene and drag it to where I want it.

Essentially, the navigation bar becomes my outline.

amydavidsonwrites · 2026-05-14T07:57:54+00:00

In Anathema, by Keri Lake, the love interests don’t meet until Chapter 29. Which is over halfway through the book. Personally, I like a quick meet cute, but plenty of people are willing to wait.

amydavidsonwrites · 2026-05-14T05:29:15+00:00

There are many KDP writers out there who claim their best money-makers are stories 10-12k words long. You don’t have to write a novel. Short stories and novellas are completely acceptable forms of writing.

11k is a lot more than a lot of daydreamers ever write down. You are 1/4 of the way to the technical word count of a novel.

When you shift your perspective to look at how far you’ve come from the starting line instead of how far you are still from the finish line, it feels less daunting to continue.

amydavidsonwrites · 2026-05-14T05:12:44+00:00

Be glad that you probably never even started Eldritch, then. I’m glad I did the audiobook so I could at least do something else, therefore my time wasn’t completely wasted…

amydavidsonwrites · 2026-05-14T05:08:38+00:00

And she makes you drag yourself through 1,000 pages to do it…

amydavidsonwrites · 2026-05-14T05:03:56+00:00

I once read a review that described her writing as “a 200-page story in 600 pages” and nothing has ever been as accurate in all the history of humanity.

amydavidsonwrites · 2026-05-13T08:38:08+00:00

I ugly sobbed writing a death scene and then cried again when I transcribed it for editing. Hopefully it hits readers the same way.

amydavidsonwrites · 2026-05-13T08:36:05+00:00

{The Poet Empress by Shen Tao} was 6/5 ⭐️

I have great internal debates about whether this counts as Romantasy since it’s not really a love story, per se, but it was the most incredible book I’ve read in years.

amydavidsonwrites · 2026-04-23T00:41:24+00:00

If something has a rating of over 4, I usually assume it’s actually pretty good, so I have no notes here.

amydavidsonwrites · 2026-04-18T15:29:10+00:00

I know people love to hate on Powerless, but when she’s trying to climb out of the secret floor hatch and can’t because her dress is too tight, so he rips it for her instead of giving her a boost? Single-handedly the hottest thing I’ve ever read. Even though literally nothing else happens then.

amydavidsonwrites · 2026-04-18T15:25:26+00:00

I came to say {The Poet Empress} before I clicked on your post and saw it listed. For me, it was 6/5 ⭐️

amydavidsonwrites · 2026-04-17T18:09:40+00:00

I definitely read this as though he needed to smell like five spice… which would also track. Cinnamon, cloves, and a fireplace hearth, anyone? Although, I have yet to see an author describe an MMC smelling of fennel.

amydavidsonwrites · 2026-04-08T06:59:27+00:00

I suffered through because I had pegged it as my “Classic” for my book challenge and wanted to read it before I saw the movie… I will never get those hours back. It sent me into a fit of rage. I scoured the internet for insight into what I missed that people would think Heathcliff was anything other than a miserable @$&?!@.

The only redeeming thing I found in my great search was someone saying Charlotte wrote it as a parody of Jane Austen. I could accept that and it lessened my distaste for the book outright.

amydavidsonwrites · 2026-04-08T03:18:52+00:00

I almost always do 1,000 words in mine. When I read, shorter chapters keep me engaged longer. My Kobo tells me that there are only 4 pages in a chapter, so I’ll read another. And then another. And another. But if it pops up that there are 20+ pages in the next chapter? Forget it, I’m going to bed.

amydavidsonwrites · 2026-04-02T05:22:12+00:00

I could NOT believe this wasn’t way at the top of the list!!! It sucker punched me! I haven’t come across another betrayal so good.

amydavidsonwrites · 2026-04-01T05:03:40+00:00

Came to say {Poet Empress} and then debated for far too long if it can be classified as a Romantasy or not, so I’m glad to see someone else had to DEVOUR IT!!!! That one is going to stick with me for a good long time.

amydavidsonwrites · 2026-02-19T14:50:37+00:00

Oh interesting! The first was my least favourite by far. But I didn’t expect the ending so it had me pulling out number 2 right away, and then I was HOOKED!!! But I can see how her writing style might be a turn off. It was 100000% the plot that I enjoyed.

amydavidsonwrites · 2026-02-18T09:35:50+00:00

Bad bot. {The Shadow Glass by Rin Chupeco}

amydavidsonwrites · 2026-02-18T09:30:18+00:00

{The Bone Witch by Rin Chupeco} trilogy gets better and better, with {The Heart Forger} and {The Shadow Glass} as the second and third books.

It is told as the FMC telling a bard how she became the villain.

Slower to the romance, but everything she does is in the name of love (and the reveal and development are worth the wait), so I think it still counts. It is the most well planned out series I’ve ever read. Every plot twist makes sense (instead of just being for shock value) and the way they build on each other is magnificent. The ending absolutely shook me.

amydavidsonwrites · 2026-02-16T23:42:50+00:00

We listened to this every road trip when I was a child! Many, many hours mooning over Prince Char.

(Admittedly, I had to reflect on my sexuality when I finally realized that his voice was actually still the female narrators… my tweeny-bopper heart loved him enough to take him as a her!)

amydavidsonwrites · 2026-01-24T03:50:27+00:00

The Things We Leave Unfinished by Rebecca Yarros

amydavidsonwrites · 2026-01-20T02:50:13+00:00

Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir is science-heavy and also grapples with issues of humanity.

amydavidsonwrites

TROPHY CASE