Hi, SE Readers. Joan with you today. In recent weeks, Staci has shared some of the tools she uses when plotting a new novel. I’m more of a panster rather than a plotter, but there is one tool I’ve come to rely on for writing.

A calendar.

When I wrote my first novel, not only did I have to keep track of events in the current timeline of the story, but also ones that occurred years earlier. Because the two timelines were almost exactly twenty years apart, it was easy to become confused.

Simple solution? An Excel or Word calendar template.

Here’s an example from Unseen Motives. (This is a Word template.)

You can see where I’ve made notes on various days. While I don’t record everything, I do note the more crucial elements and important events.

My second and third novels had tighter timelines (they were spread out…