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Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/a/47896
License name: CC BY-SA 4.0
License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/a/47896
License name: CC BY-SA 4.0
License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

I am a discovery writer, I make 90% of the story up as I go along, so I do what you are doing (inventing background, thoughts, feelings, biases and attitudes, etc) **_constantly._**

However, anytime I do anything that might impact later actions -- say it helped create a conflict if my character hates beans -- I note that on a character sheet for that character. Usually just the act of doing that is enough to make me remember the fact. But also, because I have this habit of making the note, I am also _checking_ the character sheet anytime I am about to add something to it, and that prevents me from inventing something new that just doesn't fit with the things I have written before.

A trick you can use in conjunction with this, which is good for writing anyway, is to be **specific:** The character doesn't claim they hate beans, they hate **kidney beans**. So first, if you can't find "kidney beans" in your manuscript, you aren't contradicting yourself. Elsewhere the character may eat black beans, pinto beans, navy beans, but that's okay, for the purpose of the conflict in question they only hate kidney beans.

Make their biases specific, make their lack of knowledge specific. Your character has never seen **magma** , that is plenty specific enough for a search. If you get too general in what they have never seen you may have to read the whole book.

If you already have a character sheet, add notes to it as you go, and review it every time you are about to add another note, to catch a contradiction in the bud.

Original score: 12