Have you even written a story and halfway through your protagonists eye change from green to brown? Unless you are writing a fantasy with metamorphic characters, that is generally not supposed to happen. But how do you keep track of all those niggly details, especially in a multiple book series?
Meet Diane Garland, continuity editor. She has mastered the art of keeping track of every single changeable detail in a book series through her keen eye and her crackerjack proficiency with spreadsheets.
And you can find her at the upcoming Chanticleer Author Conference—CAC17—March 31st to April 2nd where she will be teaching A Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World: Building a Foundation for your Characters & Plot.
As part of our spotlight series, we asked Diane our five questions to get her perspective on professional success.
1. When did you know what you really wanted to be?
I think I discovered myself and what I wanted to be back in 2012 when an off comment by Ann Charles had me delving into the uncharted waters of continuity in books and series. With much refinement and encouragement I turned my ideas into a business, Your WorldKeeper. Right now I am very happy with how my business has progressed, but it is constantly evolving which keeps things interesting.
2. What was the biggest challenge you faced?
Probably my biggest challenge I faced was building my author base. Determining who would most benefit from my work and how to advertise and reach those authors was daunting at first. I’m still adding authors to my client list and each one adds another dimension to my work. Having authors of different genres with different wants and needs in their worlds is fun and challenging.
3. How do you define success?
Success for me is doing something I enjoy. I love my work and knowing I make things easier for my clients to write their next book is a part of what makes me successful. When detailing their worlds and helping them maintain continuity and fluidity in them I am helping to create a product for all to enjoy. That is my success.
4. How long did it take to achieve your success?
It only took a couple of months to determine Your WorldKeeper a success. Finishing the detailing of the first couple of books in the Deadwood series and having it be an useful tool for Ann Charles as she wrote her next one, showed me that what I offer is needed. Working with various authors and helping them to create their next book is very rewarding.
5. What is the best advice you have ever received?
The best advice I ever received was two fold. Don’t give up and embrace the small successes. It takes hard work to create a business, to be successful, to be fulfilled. If you believe in what you are doing, don’t give up. Take those small things that work, things that go right, and hug them to you. A successful business is built of many small details that perform as needed. If you keep adding in the little details, you’ll soon have a business that works.
If you have not registered for CAC17 yet, what are you waiting for? Diane Garland and more fantastic speakers (including yourself possibly, if you register before the schedule is full) will be sharing their experience and knowledge about writing books, selling books, and everything to do with being a successful author.
About Diane
Diane specializes in the world of continuity editing, a systematic way of cataloging all the little known facts in a book series. USA Today bestselling author, Ann Charles, amongst others, count on her attention to detail and her organizational skills to keep their series on track and their fans coming back.
Diane works with many authors to keep their story continuity on track. Story continuity is a small but very important part of a book series. It allows the author to provide consistency to their story world and makes for a smooth transition for the reader from book to book.
Visit her website at www.YourWorldKeeper.com where she can help you to organize and track changes and details within their series.
Diane’s class:
A Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World: Building a Foundation for your Characters & Plot- Worldbuilding and WorldKeeping. What’s the difference? Do you need them? Learn how to organize your world to weave an intriguing and compelling tapestry that will hold up throughout a long series. Tools will be provided to help you maintain continuity and interest throughout your series.
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